Big 12 Media Days: Matt Campbell 'Can't Believe' He's Now An Elder Statesman

Although the league has had a lot of turnover among its head coaches, Campbell applauds the Big 12 for its long run of consistency.

ARLINGTON, TX — And just like that, Iowa State coach Matt Campbell is one of the elder statesmen in the Big 12 Conference.

“I can’t even believe I’m going into my seventh year here at Iowa State,” Campbell said Thursday at Big 12 Media Days.

Campbell is still a youthful 42 years old. But when he looks around the room and sees eight other coaches who are new at their job — certainly newer than him — he’s taken aback.

Gary Patterson’s departure from TCU — he’s now a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian at Texas — moves Campbell up one spot. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy has inherited Patterson’s spot as the league’s most-tenured coach.

Campbell joined the Big 12 in 2016, the year before Lincoln Riley took over at Oklahoma. The Big 12 added four new coaches in 2019 (Neal Brown, Chris Klieman, Les Miles and Matt Wells), then added one in in 2020 (Dave Aranda) and two last year (Sarkisian and Lance Leipold). This year, there are three newcomers (Sonny Dykes, Joey McGuire and Brent Venables).

That’s not a small amount of turnover at the top for all but two programs. Yet Campbell has been impressed with how the Big 12 has stayed so competitive.

“The one thing about this conference,” he said, “is consistency. … The consistency that this conference has had, the ability and the talent to beat anybody on any given Saturday, it’s really a very consistent and talented conference from top to bottom.

“You see great teams and great coaches week in and week out, and that’s what makes this conference special.”

As for what he’s accomplished in Ames — a 42-34 record in six years, already one of the best in school history — Campbell reiterates that same consistency is key.

“We really haven’t deviated too far off of what’s built Iowa State football from year one once we got to Iowa State to what we have today,” he said.

Campbell faces a significant rebuild this season. He lost All-Americans at tight end, running back, linebacker and defensive line, and returns just five starters on offense and three on defense.

His message, Campbell said, won’t change.

“We really built it on trust,” he said. “ … I think the loyalty and consistency of our players and coaches has stayed the course on that value system.”