Peterson: Nine springs later, Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell says best is yet to come
AMES – Nine springs later, that young head coach is still doing a darn good job making Iowa State football nationally relevant.
Nine springs later.
Did I really write that?
Matt Campbell going through his ninth spring season as the Cyclones’ football coach? There, I wrote it again.
“I still walk into this place every single day and be really grateful that I’m here,” Campbell told me, standing outside his office recently. “For myself and our family, honestly, you go to some of the former players’ weddings, and man, these guys are really proud of what they’ve accomplished and who we’ve become as a program.
“Those are the things you always wanted to do – to build something that everybody was proud of, and I think that’s hard to do in college football today. There’s not many places that are doing it and can sustain it. I think we’ve proven we can sustain it — and I still feel our best is yet to come.”
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Campbell has turned down multiple opportunities while coaching the Cyclones to heights the program has never previously been. Florida State and Arkansas come to mind, and maybe USC, too, among others in the college ranks.
His family likes it in and around Ames, and Iowa State fans like them, too. Since 2016, it’s been as perfect a relationship as Brock Purdy handing off to Breece Hall, and Rocco Becht passing to Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins.
“It’s gone fast,” Campbell told me. “We’ve already got a sophomore daughter, an eighth-grade daughter – and the boys are growing up. It’s been an incredible place to raise our kids, and a great community to be a father and husband, too.”
During the Aug. 31 season-opening game against North Dakota, Campbell will move past Jim Walden on the Cyclones’ coaching list. He’ll be third – behind Dan McCarney (12 seasons) and Clay Stapleton (10). With 53 career Iowa State victories, sometime during the upcoming season, he’ll become the school’s career wins leader, surpassing McCarney’s 56
But the ninth season in one place?
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Just where does Campbell rank in the new, 16-team Big 12 seniority pecking order?
Mike Gundy, 20th season at Oklahoma State
Kyle Whittingham, 20th season at Utah
Matt Campbell, Ninth season at Iowa State
Kalani Sitake, Ninth season at BYU
Neal Brown, sixth season at West Virginia
Chris Klieman, sixth season at Kansas State
Dave Aranda, fifth season at Baylor
Lance Leipold, fourth season at Kansas
Gus Malzahn, fourth season at UCF
Sonny Dykes, third season at TCU
Joey McGuire, third season at Texas Tech
Kenny Dillingham, second season at Arizona State
Deion Sanders, second season at Colorado
Scott Satterfield, second season at Cincinnati
Brent Brennan, first season at Arizona
Willie Fritz, first season at Houston
Again, ninth season at Iowa State?
Raise your hand if you saw that coming.
Campbell: I don’t know where football is going
Campbell has coached through darn near everything imaginable – most recently, the COVID pandemic and a gambling scandal that included five starters.
“I don’t know where (football) is going,” Campbell said during our conversation. “It’s obviously an unsettling time in college football right now, but it makes you even prouder of our program . . . throughout the chaos that’s around us, and that’s been around us.
“To have a culture around us that’s able to weather the storms — I'll go back to what I said earlier: We still feel our best is yet to come."
Starters everywhere return. Texas and Oklahoma are (finally) gone. Not only has Campbell been at Iowa State for the long haul, much of his staff has been, too.
“We’re in a place where we are, because as chaotic as it is outside of our walls, we feel like it’s consistent inside our walls," Campbell told me. "We’re proud of that.”
Along with other Iowa State athletic department staffers, Campbell gave up part of his salary in 2020 to help the athletics department make up for COVID-related lost revenue due to canceled Big 12 and NCAA basketball tournaments.
Campbell’s salary not only was temporarily reduced 10%, but he also helped his assistant coaches offset a portion of their 10% salary reductions.
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Three current fulltime assistants are original Campbell staffers — defensive coordinator Jon Heacock and defensive line coach Eli Rasheed — and Taylor Mouser, who has risen from graduate assistant in 2016 to offensive coordinator.
Did Rasheed, the defensive line coach, think he’d be entering a ninth season at Iowa State?
“No, I didn’t,” he said, after pausing. “As we got here and saw what we could do at Iowa State – this place is right where we have to be.
“We have a chance to play for a championship and get quality players. It’s been an awesome nine years.”
Campbell and coach speak? Not really
I looked back at transcripts of Campbell’s introductory press conference, way back in November, 2015.
“We’re here for the long haul,” Campbell, 36 at the time, told a gathering of media and fans. “I believe in the people here. I’ve already seen the commitment that so many have made to this great university and quite honestly, I look forward to raising my family here in Ames, Iowa.”
Long haul and raising a family in Ames?
Check and check.
“I really believe that the building process and taking something and making it special is what I love to do,” the coach said during his first presser. “That’s not a short-term fix. You’re not going to see a short-term fix by myself or my staff.”
Check.
“From this day forward, every decision that I make will be (done) to bring greatness to the fans, alumni, community, the great students, and the great student-athletes that I get a chance to coach on a day-in and day-out basis. I’m truly honored to be a Cyclone, and I’m truly honored and humbled to be the head coach here.”
Coach speak? Not really.
I didn’t know at the time. We were still getting to know Campbell; while he was just getting to know us.
I know now, and so should Iowa State fans.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson is in his 52nd year writing sports for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, on X @RandyPete, and at DesMoinesRegister.com/CyclonesTexts
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Matt Campbell, Iowa State football have been a perfect combo
