Penn State Turns the Page with Matt Campbell Amid Fallout from Leaked Meeting
Penn State’s coaching search wasn’t just long - it was messy. What began as an early-season firing turned into a drawn-out process that left the Nittany Lions without a head coach while other programs, from UCLA to LSU, quickly locked in their hires. But now, with Matt Campbell officially at the helm, Penn State is hoping to put the chaos behind them and reset the culture in Happy Valley.
That won’t be easy, especially after a leaked audio recording from a team meeting stirred controversy and raised questions about leadership within the program. The clip, which circulated during the coaching search, featured a voice identified as athletic director Pat Kraft, speaking with raw urgency about the stakes of the hire.
Here's the video of Mack's quote. Says he didn't know it was public till his parents called him and asked about it. Understandably shocked and frustrated the meeting was recorded and put out there.
— Noah Chast (@NoahChastTV) December 17, 2025
"That shows the lack of leadership and accountability." https://t.co/0hxqpZd3Nb pic.twitter.com/cwpEEdjE5Q
“I want y’all to know this too: If I don’t get this [hire] right, my career is over,” Kraft said in the recording. “Understand that.
If I don’t hire the right person, my career is over. So it’s very serious to me … If I don’t hire the right person, in two years they will fire my ass.
And I don’t get another AD job. ‘How could you [expletive] up Penn State?’”
It was a rare, unfiltered look into the pressure cooker of big-time college football - and it didn’t sit well with everyone. One player was reportedly heard in the recording saying, “To be very frank with you, I think the biggest reason why players do not want to come here is we’re in the middle of nowhere, honestly.”
Kraft has since issued an apology, calling the leak “embarrassing.” But the damage was done. The audio didn’t just expose the stress behind the scenes - it also highlighted deeper issues within the locker room.
Penn State safety King Mack didn’t mince words when asked about the situation. “A meeting like that should have never been broadcasted, honestly,” Mack said Wednesday. “It shocked me because I didn’t even know I got broadcasted.”
But Mack didn’t stop there. He pointed to what he sees as a broader problem with the team’s internal dynamics.
“That shows the lack of leadership and accountability,” he said. “Anything could have been said in that meeting that could have jeopardized anyone's future or career. I feel like that's part of the selfishness and the lack of leadership around the team that we have to fix.”
That’s the challenge Matt Campbell inherits - not just fixing Xs and Os, but rebuilding trust and accountability within a program that’s clearly been shaken.
Campbell arrives after a decade at Iowa State, where he built a reputation for maximizing talent and instilling discipline. He’s known for his no-nonsense approach, and according to Mack, that’s exactly what this team needs.
“He’s very honest,” Mack said. “He’s straightforward. He sees where we went wrong this year and his job is to, one, get it fixed as soon as possible and to use all the seniors as one big group to help us fix all those issues as well.”
Campbell’s first task isn’t just about recruiting or scheming - it’s about culture. The leaked audio was a symptom of a deeper disconnect, one that’s going to take more than a new playbook to solve. But if Campbell can bring the same grit and leadership he showed in Ames, Penn State might just come out stronger on the other side.
For now, the program is in reset mode. The coaching search is over.
The tape has been aired. And the work begins.