Matt Campbell hire at Penn State has ex-Nebraska star drawing distressing parallels

The coaching carousel is finally slowing down with Penn State hiring Matt Campbell after a search that lasted several months. While most believe the hire of the former Iowa State head coach was a good one, former Nebraska star Josh Mitchell thinks the Nittany Lions will end up regretting the move.

Not long after Penn State made the Matt Campbell hire official, Mitchell took to X with a post that was clearly meant to draw parallels between the Nittany Lions' situation and the Huskers when they fired Bo Pelini and hired former Oregon State head coach Mike Riley.

"I remember when we did this," Mitchell wrote next to a crying emoji. "Best of luck to ya, Penn State." The former Nebraska football star didn't go into detail about what he meant, but it didn't take much to connect the dots.

Josh Mitchell sees unsettling parallels between Penn State and Nebraska’s past

Mitchell was an outstanding defensive back during the final years of the Bo Pelini era from 2010 to 2014. In his time under the fiery head coach, he amassed 104 tackles, 25 pass breakups, and 3 sacks.

Mitchell's final season was also Pelini's. There were plenty of Nebraska players, including Mitchell, who were furious over the firing, mainly because they felt the Huskers were taking the fact that Pelini almost always delivered 9-win seasons at least.

While the debate over whether firing Pelini was the right move is best left in the past, it's undeniable that things haven't worked out in his wake. Mike Riley was hired after what felt like an interminable search by the Cornhuskers. He lasted just three years before giving way to Scott Frost, who lasted just 4.5 years and gave way to Matt Rhule.

Penn State also fired a coach who racked up plenty of wins in his 12 years in Happy Valley. Even with inexcusable losses to UCLA and Northwestern, James Franklin posted a 104-45 record.

Athletic director Pat Kraft clearly had targets in mind when he fired Franlin, including Rhule; however, one coach after another turned down the job in favor of extensions and pay raises with their current schools.

Then, finally, on Friday night, Matt Campbell agreed to take the job. While Campbell has had success at Iowa State, his career record isn't nearly as impressive. Touted as someone who can do more with less, Mitchell would likely point to people who said the exact same thing about Riley.