It looks like Matt Campbell is once again the hot coaching figure in the rumor mill.
Campbell, who led Iowa State to the first 10-game winning season in school history last year, is expected to interview for the head coaching job with the NFL’s Chicago Bears.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Campbell will at least pass an interview to become the storied franchise’s 19th head coach.
Campbell, 45, had been linked with coaching the Detroit Lions in 2021, but the team chose Dan Campbell instead. Dan Campbell led the Lions to the No. 1 seed in this year’s NFC playoffs. Campbell has also been rumored to coach the New York Jets.
Campbell had a number of winning seasons with the Cyclones while also delivering several high-level players to the league. Those players include San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, New York Jets running back Brees Hall and Jets teammate Will McDonald IV.
In December, Iowa State school officials announced that Campbell signed an eight-year contract extension that runs through the 2032 season. He is the third-longest-tenured coach in the program’s history and has a school-record 64 wins.
The Bears had previously interviewed Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel.
“It’s going to be a diverse group,” Chicago general manager Ryan Bolles said. “They will come from a variety of backgrounds, including offense, defense, special forces, college and professional teams; We’re doing everything we can to make sure we do it the right way.”
The Poles did announce that after the interview, the names of the candidates for the interview will be released to the public as long as they have the consent of the candidates.
The Bears fired Matt Eberfrus last season. Thomas Brown coached the last five games and was just 1-4.
Chicago’s roster includes former Heisman Trophy winner Kaleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s NFL draft. They also have wide receivers Keenan Allen, DJ Moore and ROM Odenzer, running back Dendre Swift and tight end Cole Kermett.
The Cyclones also lost an assistant coach when former player Kyle Kempt announced he had found a new job.