After Penn State fired James Franklin in October, little did anyone know what a sideshow their coaching search would turn into. Long after Virginia Tech hired Franklin, Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft was still looking for his next head coach. Two days after signing day, he hired Iowa State coach Matt Campbell in State College.
The hiring means that interim coach Terry Smith won't get the job, and all of a sudden, it opens a path for Smith to follow Franklin to Blacksburg. If that happens, what an addition it would be for Franklin and the program. However, late Friday night, Audrey Snyder reported that Campbell is expected to retain Smith on his staff.
Penn State hiring Matt Campbell opens the door for massive Virginia Tech moves
Smith was asked a couple of weeks ago about following Franklin to Virginia Tech and danced around the question, as expected. However, after leading the Nittany Lions to a bowl-eligible 6-6 record, there was a push from the players to hire Smith as the next head coach. Kraft didn't go down that route and instead plucked Campbell from Iowa State. Instead, Campbell is reportedly keeping him.
Campbell might end up being a good hire at Penn State, as he is a good coach and did a nice job with Iowa State, having them in the mix in the Big 12. Just how he goes about adding to his coaching staff remains to be seen.
It opens the door for Franklin to start poaching assistant coaches to join him at Virginia Tech. It also opens the door for Nittany Lions players to enter the transfer portal. Do some of them follow Franklin to Blacksburg, as over half the recruiting class did?
Penn State hiring Campbell opens countless doors for Franklin to go back and raid Penn State's program for assistant coaches and players. The next couple of weeks in the New Year are going to be interesting.