Since transforming the Iowa State program, Matt Campbell's name has been brought up in a handful of coaching searches each off season.
So far, each time he has opted to stay in Ames, and Iowa State has rewarded that loyalty with a new contract a few times now, including the most recent extension in December of 2019 that takes him through the 2025 season.
According to a report from Dennis Dodd, who appeared on ESPN's College Football XM channel, despite reports to the contrary Campbell is not interested in the Texas job and the two jobs he has his eye on are Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Dodd also added that Campbell would not take the Michigan job either.
That's where things got interesting. Jordan Strack, who has covered sports in the Toledo area (Campbell was the head coach at Toledo before leaving for Iowa State) for some time now, came out to dispute Dodd's claims about Campbell's interest in the Wolverines head coaching job, should it become available.
"This is 10,000% false. Just blatantly wrong about Michigan," Strack shared, tagging Dodd in his tweet.
"I can unequivocally tell you this is not true. Period," he added.
Based on the information that came out last night about Jim Harbaugh and where things stand at Michigan, we may (or may not) get an opportunity in the next few weeks to find whether the truth lies with Strack or Dodd, as the ball seems to be in Harbaugh's court right now.
Campbell played defensive line at Mount Union (D-III - OH), where he won three national titles during his career with the Purple Raiders. His coaching career has taken him from Bowling Green, to Mount Union, and then to Toledo where he climbed the ladder from run game coordinator / offensive line coach to offensive coordinator and then to head coach in 2012 where he went 34-15 from 2012-2015.
With those stops in mind, Notre Dame, Ohio State and Michigan (which is located only an hour from Toledo) all certainly make sense as places someone with a similar coaching background would aspire to coach someday.
The one wildcard option to also keep in mind here is the NFL. With three openings already, and more expected, Campbell will surely draw interest from teams in the league as well. The question is: Will the right opportunity present itself?
Campbell drew interest from the Jets a few years ago, but ultimately turned down the opportunity to interview with them.
The other option (that no one is talking about) is what Campbell has done year after year since turning things from a 3-9 season his first year with the Cyclones to 8-5 in year two - Perhaps he elects to stay put in Ames. The top ten ranked Cyclones are currently 8-2 and are making their first appearance in the Big 12 title game, where they'll face Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.