ISU FOOTBALL

Iowa State makes big investment in Matt Campbell, hikes pay to $3.5M yearly

Tommy Birch
The Des Moines Register

A season full of historic success at Iowa State has made Matt Campbell one of the most popular names to come up whenever a job opens up throughout college football.

Cyclones athletics director Jamie Pollard wanted to make sure he could keep Campbell in Ames. So on Monday night, he rewarded the second-year coach with a new contract.

Iowa State announced Monday that Campbell had agreed to a new six-year contract worth $22.5 million.

“We are just getting started at Iowa State,” Campbell said in a statement issued by the school. “To see our culture rapidly developing in concert with some excellent incoming recruits, we are developing a foundation for a program on the brink of success. Most importantly, I want to continue this journey and take Iowa State and its fan base to levels it has never reached. Now, it’s time to hit the recruiting trail and continue to build on what has been achieved this season.”

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Kansas State in Manhattan, Kan., Saturday, Nov. 25, 2017. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Campbell’s guaranteed annual salary will increase from $2.1 million to $3.5 million, effective immediately. And he’s not the only one getting a pay raise: Iowa State’s athletics department also agreed to provide Campbell an additional $1 million for incremental raises for his staff.

Pollard said in the statement that he and his wife, Ellen, met with Campbell and his wife, Erica, at the athletics director’s house Sunday.

“It is awesome that we share common values about loyalty, hard work and family,” Pollard said. “I could not be more excited for our fans and our student-athletes to have someone like Matt leading our program. He stands behind what he says and I look forward to helping him fulfill his dream of making Iowa State football one of the best programs in the nation.”

Campbell has helped turn around a program that had struggled in recent years. After going to a bowl game in 2012, Iowa State won just three games in 2013, two in 2014 and three in 2015. Paul Rhoads was fired after seven seasons and was replaced by Campbell.

After going just 3-9 in his first season in 2016, Campbell guided the Cyclones to a 7-5 mark, including a 5-4 record in Big 12 Conference play. The Cyclones won at No. 3 Oklahoma and became bowl eligible after beating No. 4 TCU.

The success made Campbell the talk of college football. Campbell was already considered an up and coming coach when he made the move from Toledo to Iowa State. He turns 38 on Wednesday, and now with some success under his belt at Iowa State, he’s become even more highly regarded. Campbell’s name had been mentioned in conjunction with multiple head coaching openings, including those at Tennessee and Nebraska.

Campbell's buyout may have scared off some suitors. Pollard was asked about it during Iowa State's weekly coaches' radio show.

"The buyout will stay in that same continuum," Pollard said. "The buyout for this year was $9 million dollars. It will be $7 million dollars next year. So that's a very fair number and one that protects both the institution and, I think, also shows that coach Campbell's committed to being here." 

But any talk of Campbell going anywhere may have just died down. Campbell was among the lowest paid coaches in the Big 12 in 2017. Not anymore.

According to the USA Today college coaching salaries database, Texas' Tom Herman makes $5.5 million this season and TCU’s Gary Patterson is next at $5.1 million. Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy is third at $4.2 and West Virginia’s Dana Holgorsen is fourth at $3,505,000. Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury makes $3,503,975. 

Campbell celebrated Monday night by hitting the recruiting trail.

“I want to thank Jamie (Pollard) for respecting my desire to hold off these conversations until our regular season ended and also for being proactive in supporting the needs of my staff and team as we build a legacy at Iowa State University,” Campbell said. “The commitment that he and Iowa State have made to us — including some exciting facility enhancements on the horizon — has been critical to my vision for our team going forward.”