Iowa State has exactly what you want in a head football coach. Successful on the field. A class act off of it.
On April 1, ISU became the first of myriad FBS programs to announce pay cuts for its coaches and other personnel amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Included in that, of course, was Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell. Not only that, but some of his assistants took salary reductions as well.
However, it’s now being reported that Campbell took an additional pay cut that would help offset some of the money his assistant coaches lost.
Translation: Campbell coughed up nearly $150,000 he didn’t have to in order to help out his staff. Think that will go unnoticed when hiring season comes around? It should also be noted that these assistants -- as well as Campbell -- will also forfeit any bonuses/incentives to which they are entitled for 2020-21.
According to the USA Today coaches salary database, Campbell’s $3.6 million in guaranteed compensation was sixth among Big 12 head coaches in 2019. For those curious.
Campbell is entering his fifth season as the Iowa State head football coach. In the first four, the Cyclones have posted a 26-25 record overall and an 18-18 mark in Big 12 play. And that’s after going 3-9/2-7 his first season in Ames. For perspective, ISU went 8-28 in the three years prior to Campbell’s arrival in Ames.
The past three seasons, ISU has played in a bowl game. That’s the first time for the program since 2000-02. Campbell is also the first Iowa State football coach to finish with three straight seasons with an above-.500 record since Earle Bruce in 1976-78. Bruce, of course, parlayed that run at ISU into the Ohio State head job in 1979.