Paul Myerberg ranks Matt Campbell No. 8 among Big Ten coaches heading into 2026

Penn State’s first-year head coach Matt Campbell begins the 2026 season under the spotlight of a national “coach ranking” exercise that places him in the middle tier of the Big Ten. In a ranking shared by USA Today writer Paul Myerberg and highlighted by Yahoo Sports, Campbell is listed at No. 8 among conference coaches heading into 2026, a spot that reflects respect for what he accomplished at Iowa State while acknowledging the jump in expectations that comes with replacing a longtime standard-setter at a high-profile program.

The ranking frames Campbell’s hire as one of the more notable coaching moves of the most recent cycle, but it also establishes a near-term measuring stick. Myerberg’s evaluation, as reported, ties the transition to the reality that Penn State’s resources, attention, and fan expectations are distinct from what he had to work with at Iowa State. In the same write-up, the coach is described as having a “very strong” track record, yet the move to the Big Ten’s upper echelon is presented as the next test.

Campbell’s resume at Iowa State anchors that credibility. According to Myerberg’s write-up as relayed by Yahoo Sports, Iowa State went 72-55 during Campbell’s decade in Ames. The reported figures also point to one of the program’s defining peaks under him, including a school-record 11-win season in 2024, which Myerberg uses to illustrate what Campbell has been able to build when expectations rise.

At Penn State, the core issue is not whether Campbell can coach and develop, it is how quickly he can translate his approach into results that match the Big Ten’s front-running profile. Myerberg’s point, as summarized by Yahoo Sports, is that Campbell arrives with a strong body of work, but the competition is “much tougher” and the standard is “distinctly higher,” particularly in a conference where the top tier is well established entering 2026.

The same ranking also names the top coaches in the Big Ten heading into the season. Myerberg’s list, according to the Yahoo Sports report, begins with Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, followed by Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Oregon’s Dan Lanning. That order matters for how people will interpret Campbell’s No. 8 placement, because it implies Penn State is not yet being treated as a consistent title-contender under the new staff.

For Penn State, that middle-of-the-pack ranking becomes a practical storyline during fall camp and throughout the season. The most obvious question is whether Campbell can compress the learning curve enough to consistently challenge teams above him in the conference hierarchy, not just win non-conference games. Just as important is recruiting momentum, because a coaching hire at a program like Penn State is judged not only by immediate performance but by whether it reshapes the roster toward the style and talent level needed to close gaps in the Big Ten.

Even with the favorable context around his Iowa State track record, Campbell’s No. 8 placement suggests fans and evaluators will be looking for signs of traction early. The expectation implied by Myerberg’s placement is not that Penn State must finish at the top immediately, but that the program should start looking less like a middle-tier team and more like a consistent threat within the conference.

In 2026, the ranking sets up a simple watch list: whether Campbell’s offense and staffing choices translate against Big Ten defenses, whether Penn State’s recruiting and roster construction align with the new staff’s priorities, and whether results begin to move the perception of Penn State upward from the center of the conference coaching picture.