Matt Campbell
Quick Bio: Talk about a meteoric rise. Matt Campbell has exploded onto the scene this year with Iowa State. After leading Toledo to impressive heights, he took over an Iowa State team that was a laughingstock in the Big 12 and made them respectable and even took them to a top 20 ranking this season.
Pros: Iowa State has never won more than nine games in a season, and the Cyclones had won a combined eight games in the three years before Campbell took over. He already had Iowa State bowl eligible and could win eight games this season, something the Cyclones haven’t done since 2000. He also won nine games three of his four full seasons at Toledo.
Cons/Questions: What Campbell has done at both Toledo and Iowa State has been impressive. But does he have what it takes to flourish at a top university? He’s done well this season in the Big 12, but Iowa State isn’t Tennessee. They aren’t even a Vanderbilt, Kentucky, or Ole Miss in football.
Mike Bobo
Quick Bio: Vol fans probably remember Mike Bobo from his time at Georgia. Bobo was the Bulldogs’ offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach from 2007-14 and was the QB coach from 2001-06 before his promotion. He spent nearly a decade and a half at Georgia before accepting the head coaching position at Colorado State in 2015.
Pros: If you want SEC experience, Bobo has that in spades. Not as a head coach, but he has it. And he’s helped Colorado State find success after Jim McElwain left them for Florida.
Cons/Questions: Bobo took over a less talented Colorado State team after McElwain took them to a 10-3 season in 2014, but he hasn’t really been able to make significant strides. This season has been his best so far, but it’s concerning that he’s yet to truly break through.
2 Responses
The fans have to be there for the team and show them that we are still Vols. We cannot forget how hard this has been on them. We need to show up and make them proud that they came to UT and give the future Vols a reason to hope. GBO
Jimbo was a Nick Saban assistant. So Kirby wasn’t the first successful Saban assistant