Ryan Poles promised that some of the coaching candidates the Chicago Bears planned to meet with would be surprises. He was a man of his word. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune revealed that the team will have an interview with Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. This is certainly interesting since the organization hasn’t hired a coach directly out of college since 1930. Campbell has been a head coach in the collegiate ranks since 2011. In that time, he has only two losing seasons with five bowl victories. His 11-3 record this year with Iowa State is the best in program history.
The wide net the Chicago Bears are casting in search of the 19th coach in team history includes at least one college coach.
The team is expected to meet with Iowa State’s Matt Campbell, according to multiple sources.
Campbell, 45, has been the Cyclones coach since 2016, and his name has popped up previously for jobs not only at more traditional college powers, but also in the NFL. The Detroit Lions were rumored to be pushing to hire him in 2021.
Campbell is still only 45 years old and has a deep background as an offensive line coach. It becomes easier to understand the Bears’ interest the deeper you look. What stands out about him is his ability to create a pipeline to the NFL. Iowa State has produced several standout pros in recent years like Will McDonald, Breece Hall, Brocky Purdy, and David Montgomery.
The Chicago Bears’ interest in Campbell is understandable.
There are worthwhile concerns. For all his success in college, he’s never spent a single minute in the NFL. It is impossible to know whether his coaching would translate to a locker room filled with grown men. Many college coaches experience the same problem. Would he be able to build a strong staff despite lacking any connections at the pro level? This is why the Chicago Bears likely want to talk to him. They want to see what sort of plan he would have for the organization were he to get the job. What’s his vision? How would he handle the development of Caleb Williams? There is no harm in picking his brain. Maybe he puts forward a vision that fits what the organization is looking for. There is already evidence Campbell can coach. It is about whether he can do it in the big leagues. Sometimes, all a guy needs is a chance.
Entirely to many people doing the interviews and entirely too many candidates being interviewed. Another 3 ringed circus. If McCaskey’s involved, he shouldn’t be.
@David While I agree that Bears should prioritize hiring a NFL coach with a track record to be Head Coach over a college coach, I wouldn’t dismiss hiring a college coach. After all, some great NFL HCs came directly from college and won Super Bowls – Bill Walsh from Stanford, Jimmy Johnson UMiami, Pete Carroll USC, Tom Coughlin Boston College…
The Bears need a top offensive line coach to solidify whatever OL roster we have next year. If that guy is a successful OL coach from, say Georgia or Michigan, he’d be better than the Bears’ Morgan.
Start with the perceived weakest candidates and end with the preconceived strongest. Continue to adjust your rank ordering of candidates while being open to interviewing new ones if needed and able. Use both quantitative and qualitative weighting factors and AI models for each salient criterion. I would videotape all interviews too…
We’ve covered this before. Courtesy interview. Potential hire for the staff, but not at the HC level. Lots of reasons to do the interview with a successful college coach. This one, however, has a bit more behind it than one might think. Per Wikipedia, “In 2018, (Matt) Campbell was requested for an interview by the New York Jets NFL team, however, he declined the interview.” Also, “It was reported that Campbell was offered an eight-year $68.5 million deal by the Detroit Lions for their head coaching position in 2021, but other reports said that the Lions never put an offer… Read more »
I wouldn’t hire a coach that has never even been a coordinator in the NFL yet. I would advise him if he wants to be an NFL HC to get in with a team as an OL coach or something first. Otherwise start in college.