Before they hired Dan Campbell as their new head coach, the Lions made a serious run at hiring Iowa State's Matt Campbell, according to a report.
The Lions apparently tried to lure Campbell away from the Cyclones with a lucrative offer that would have paid him $68.5 million over eight years, according to college football reporter Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports. The offer is similar to the deal signed last offseason by Panthers head coach Matt Rhule, who arrived in Carolina after an impressive run with Baylor.
Campbell, 41, signed an extension with Iowa State in February that keeps him with the Cyclones through 2028 and pays him about $4 million per year.
“In the offseason, he turned down an eight-year, $68.5 million offer from the Lions — apparently, with full control, I haven’t confirmed that — to stay at Iowa State,” Dodd said Wednesday on the CBS Sports Network. “He sees his upward arch better at Iowa State than, look, the Lions who are annually in disarray. I would take that money and take my chances at disarray over the next eight years than Iowa State, but if you want to talk about loyalty, he’s the ultimate loyal guy.”
Campbell's stock has risen in recent years, particularly coming off a 2020 in which the Cyclones went 9-3, won the Big 12 regular-season title, and beat Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl.
The report sheds further light on the Lions' coaching search. Dan Campbell joked at his introductory news conference about the Lions' apparent interest in Iowa State's Campbell, and is it turns out, there was more than a little truth in his self-deprecating remark.
"In regards to the head coach search, how I ended up here, one of things would be that I told my agent, I said make sure that they think I’m Matt Campbell, so I think that’s how this has really worked out great for me," Campbell quipped.
The Lions' interest in Matt Campbell was widely reported. Lions executives were asked about it at Dan Campbell's press conference, but declined to comment.
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