AMES, Iowa – After leading the Iowa State football program to its first 10-win season in the program’s 133-year history and its seventh bowl game in nine seasons, three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year Matt Campbell has agreed to a new eight-year contract that will keep him on the Cyclone sideline through December 31, 2032, ISU President Dr. Wendy Wintersteen and Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard announced today.
“Coach Campbell has built a special football program at Iowa State; one that all Cyclone fans can take great pride in,” Wintersteen said. “His continued commitment to both academic and athletic excellence, combined with his strong character and integrity, make him the ideal individual to lead Iowa State’s football program. He is very deserving of this new contract.”
Named to the 2024 Dodd Trophy and Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Watch Lists, Campbell’s Cyclones roared to the program’s best start since 1938 (7-0) and its first-ever 4-0 start in Big 12 play en route to a 10-3 regular-season record. Iowa State finished in a four-way tie for first place in the 2024 Big 12 regular-season standings at 7-2 to reach its second Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship game in five seasons.
The third-longest tenured coach in school history behind Dan McCarney (1995-2006) and Clay Stapleton (1958-67), ISU’s 20-0 shut-out victory at Houston earlier this season was Campbell’s 57th in Ames and allowed him to surpass McCarney as the program’s all-time wins leader. He owns a 63-51 (.553) record in nine seasons as ISU’s head coach and stands 98-66 (.598) in his 13th season as an FBS head coach overall.
“It has been rewarding to see the amazing impact Coach Campbell, and his staff, have had over the past decade on our University, athletics department, and the young men in our football program,” Pollard said. “Given all the uncertainty currently facing college athletics, it was critical that we moved quickly to solidify the future of our football program. Matt is the perfect fit for Iowa State University and I am thrilled he wants to continue to lead our program. Leadership continuity is essential to any organization’s long-term success. This is a great day for Cyclone fans.”
Campbell is the only ISU coach to guide the program to five-straight winning seasons (2017-21) and he owns 51 percent of its 89 all-time Big 12 victories while leading the Cyclones to seven of their eight winning conference seasons in the Big 12 era. He also owns school records for conference victories (8-1 in 2020) and he broke his own school record for overall wins in 2024 (10-3).
“My family and I are extremely grateful for the faith and commitment shown to our program by our President, Dr. Wintersteen, and our Athletics Director, Jamie Pollard,” Campbell said. “It is an honor to be associated with a great university and community, and I am thankful to work with great leaders, administrators and student-athletes. I look forward to finishing the 2024 season strong while continuing to grow this program and pursuing excellence in the classroom and on the field.”
In the classroom, Campbell’s program produced a program-record Graduation Success Rate score of 95 percent to rank second in the Big 12 according to the NCAA’s 2024 academic metrics released last month and the Cyclones annually rank among the league leaders in academic all-conference performers produced.
The 18th-ranked Cyclones will face No. 13/15 Miami in the Pop Tarts Bowl, December 28, at 2:30 p.m. (Central) in Orlando, Florida.
The terms of Campell’s new contract will be announced at a future date.
