Iowa State didn't waste time finding a new head coach.
Welcome to #CyclONEnation - Iowa State Football Coach Matt Campbell! https://t.co/HTcg1qPvfy pic.twitter.com/ZlPoaKvsuz
— Iowa State Athletics (@CycloneATH) November 29, 2015The Cyclones named Toledo coach Matt Campbell their 32nd head football coach on Sunday, one day after Paul Rhoads coached his final game at Iowa State. It was announced Rhoads would not be retained on Nov. 22.
Here are five things to know about Matt Campbell:
Campbell becomes the youngest head coach in the Big 12: Campbell was named Iowa State’s head coach on his 36th birthday, making him the youngest head coach in the Big 12. He is a few months younger than Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury. After earning All-American honors at Division III Mount Union as a player, Campbell entered coaching as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green in 2003. He continually progressed until he was named offensive coordinator at Toledo in 2010, becoming the second-youngest coordinator in FBS at age 29, then took over as head coach at Toledo before the 2012 season after Tim Beckman left for Illinois. Campbell became one of college football’s hottest coaching names after a 7-0 start to the season, including a 16-12 win at Arkansas on Sept. 12 and a 30-23 win over Iowa State on Sept. 19.
Campbell's offenses are balanced: The Rockets averaged 224 rushing yards and 235.38 passing yards during his 50 games as head coach at Toledo. Using that balanced approach, the Rockets averaged 2.49 points per drive and 6.24 yards per play during his tenure. The Mid-American Conference average during that span was 2.01 points per drive and 5.63 yards per play. The running game is a critical piece in Campbell’s attack with Toledo averaging a conference-high 5.44 yards per carry during his time in charge.
Campbell is the son of a high school football coach: Campbell was born in Massillon, Ohio, a football-crazed town known for presenting every male baby with a miniature football at the hospital nursery. His father, Rick Campbell, was a high school coach at Massillon Jackson while Matt played at Massillon Perry. Rick Campbell is now the athletic director at Canton South High School.
Campbell coached with Cyclones running back coach Louis Ayeni at Toledo: Campbell will see a familiar face once he gets to Ames in Ayeni. They coached together at Toledo, with Ayeni even taking over the on-field coaching duties for Campbell in the 2011 Military Bowl win over Air Force while Campbell, who had just been named Toledo’s head coach, maintained his offensive coordinator duties during the 42-41 win. Ayeni left Toledo before the 2014 season to take over the Cyclones running backs and played a key role in developing redshirt freshman Mike Warren into one of the Big 12’s top running backs in 2015.
Campbell is known for his recruiting ability: Among Campbell’s core principles are the words “recruit, retain and develop,” a sign that the young coach could be a good fit in Ames, Iowa. He was named one of Rivals’ top recruiters during his time at Toledo and believes that relationships are a key part of the foundation of any program.