Iowa State got the best of Texas the last two seasons.
Matt Campbell’s team hosted the No. 19 Longhorns in 2019 and came away with the 23-21 upset victory. Last season, Iowa State knocked Texas’ Big 12 title hopes out of contention in a top-20 matchup in Austin.
Although Iowa State narrowly lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game, the Cyclones bounced back to win their New Year’s Six bowl game against Oregon. Iowa State concluded the 2020 season at No. 9 in the final AP Poll with an overall record of 9-3.
In just three seasons, the 41-year-old coach has turned a historically bad program into one of the nation’s fast-rising programs. Iowa State has had 12 victories over ranked programs since 2017.
Campbell’s name was understandably a hot commodity this offseason. He was tied to a few potential job openings across the college football landscape including Texas and Michigan. On top of that, six NFL teams reached out to Campbell during their coaching cycles.
However, Campbell noted that he still has a lot that he wants to accomplish while in Ames. On Monday, Iowa State announced that they’ve agreed to a contract extension with Campbell through 2028.
Matt Campbell agrees to contract extension through 2028.
🌪️🚨🌪️ pic.twitter.com/XsgPGFJ5zx
— Cyclone Football (@CycloneFB) February 8, 2021
Although the numbers have not been released, the eight-year contract will keep Campbell in Ames for the foreseeable future. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, the Iowa State Athletics Department also agreed to provide the head coach with a total of $3 million for staff salary enhancements over the next three years.