​Think back to January 9, 2025. James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions are in the Semifinals of the College Football Playoff and face Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl. It gets even better from there – Penn State uses a big first half from Nick Singleton to jump out to a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. But it’s all downhill from there. Notre Dame came back, with the iconic moment being Jeremiyah Love’s “greatest two-yard run of all time” for a 4th-quarter touchdown. Even then, the game was tied with a minute left, and Drew Allar threw an ill-advised interception to Christian Grey, allowing Notre Dame to kick a game-winning field goal. That one loss was devastating, but things only got worse afterward for Penn State, and they have never been the same since.MORE: Nick Saban created greatest College Football rivalry in past 20 yearsPenn State’s collapse begins after the Notre Dame lossOct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar (15) drops back in the pocket during the first quarter against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn ImagesHeading into the 2025 season, Penn State was returning a lot of production from that 2024 squad. QB Drew Allar was returning, as was the one-two punch at running back of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. They were a team that was picked by many pundits to win the National Championship, thanks to their run in 2024 and how much of that team was returning. Things started off smoothly, with a 3-0 start in non-conference play. But then, Penn State had to play Oregon. They fought admirably, losing 30-24 in double overtime, as Drew Allar threw a walk-off interception. Things would only unravel from here.Penn State proceeded to lose 6 straight games after their 3-0 start, bottoming out at 3-6 overall. There were a few losses that were understandable, like Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana. But losses to fledgling UCLA and Northwestern teams were inexcusable and resulted in the firing of James Franklin.Now, the perk of firing your coach midseason is that you get a head start in the search for your next head coach. Penn State did not take advantage. There were a plethora of trendy names that moved schools in the 2025 coaching cycle, such as Lane Kiffin, Jon Sumrall, Bob Chesney, and Collin Klein. All of those coaches were hired before Penn State hired its next head coach. Amazingly, James Franklin himself was hired at Virginia Tech before Penn State had their next head coach. Exactly 58 days after Franklin was fired, Penn State introduced Iowa State’s Matt Campbell as their next head coach.Matt Campbell inherits a Penn State team not built for the Big TenSep 19, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Matt Campbell walks on the field following the game against the Buffalo Bulls at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images Credit: IM