Matt Campbell’s move to Penn State came with plenty of familiar faces in tow, but one part of the Iowa State transition caught him off guard.
After 10 seasons leading the Cyclones, Campbell left for Happy Valley and brought most of his staff with him. More than 50 players also entered the transfer portal, and a large chunk of that group ended up at Penn State as well. But Campbell said he expected one key piece of the Iowa State staff to stay behind and take over the program: offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser.
In a post from Inside The Lions: Coverage of Penn State Football by Audry Snyder, Campbell said he was stunned when Mouser was not named his successor.
“There were two major emotions. One, my initial assumption was I was going (to Penn State) and they were going to name Mouse (offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser) the head football coach.
My initial assumption was how do I help him transition and how do I make sure our kids are taken care of? I felt good that that was going to be the plan.
I was probably stunned when I went over there and that wasn’t the plan. So, I think it was really hard for me to go up and talk to the team to be honest with you.
I was like how am I gonna handle this with our guys?” Snyder wrote.
It’s easy to see why Campbell thought Mouser might be the next man up. The possibility raises a simple question: would more players have stayed in Ames if Mouser had been elevated? At least on offense, that scenario could have changed some decisions.
Still, the exodus was so large that it’s hard to imagine the portal picture changing all that much. Campbell’s departure triggered a sweeping reset, and Iowa State now has to move forward with a nearly blank slate.
The Cyclones are starting over under Jimmy Rogers, who arrives after one season at Washington State. Before that, he built a strong reputation at South Dakota State, where he won a national title and piled up plenty of success.
And he inherits a massive challenge. Iowa State is not bringing back a single starter from its 2025 roster, making it the only program to lose every eligible starter to the transfer portal. That leaves Rogers with a huge rebuild on his hands as he tries to follow the most successful run in program history.
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