Is Matt Campbell on the Vikings Head Coaching Radar?
The Minnesota Vikings fired Mike Zimmer last Monday and have put in league requests to interview eight potential head coaching candidates. Since the news broke last week of Zimmer’s dismissal, there have been several rumored replacements such as Lane Kiffin, Josh McDaniels, Mike Tomlin, and everyone under the sun that you can think of. A new name that has entered the fold is quite intriguing is Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell.
Last week, there was speculation and rumors surrounding Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell and Minnesota potentially having mutual interest. Iowa reporter Elias Johnson from Fine Focus Media sent out a tweet last Saturday that went viral and stated, “I can confirm, Matt Campbell was at the Bears/Vikings game. Saw him on the sidelines…I figured he was there to watch David Montgomery. Sounds like he’s on the shortlist for the HC job in MN.”
The last sentence of his tweet is intriguing because there hasn’t been much of a connection with Campbell to Minnesota, considering it’s well-known around the league that Campbell doesn’t want to leave Iowa State. He declined an eight-year, $68 million dollar deal from the Detroit Lions last offseason. Why would his mind change suddenly a year later? Is the Minnesota job that enticing?
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After a fan questioned Johnson’s credibility about there being interest in Campbell from Minnesota, he followed up, saying, “Ohhhh there’s interest.” As soon as I saw the tweet, I knew immediately that I had to get in contact with Johnson to set up an interview to get more clarification on the report. Johnson was able to get back to me and agreed to answer a few of my questions via email.
Q: Since your report about Matt Campbell and the Minnesota Vikings potentially having mutual interest, there has been chatter all across social media platforms within the last few weeks about his fit here in Minnesota. Do you see him as a fit here in Minnesota, and what type of culture and leadership attributes would he bring?
Elias Johnson: I think he’ll be a great coach in the NFL someday. I’m not sure he’s quite ready yet based on his quick rise in popularity and short time at a D1 school. He’s had success but I’d like to see how his next set of recruits does. If he can continue winning for the next four years, I’d say he might be ready. He’d certainly be great as an OC – but I’m not sure he’d want that position.
Q: You confirmed via Twitter that Campbell was at the Bears / Vikings game and that he was spotted on the sidelines. Do you happen to know which sideline he was spotted on and can you confirm if he was flown out by Vikings ownership specifically or if he traveled on his own simply to see his former players in David Montgomery / Kene Nwangwu play?
Elias Johnson: He appeared to be on the sidelines opposite of the Vikings where attendants with field access are allowed to view pregame. I saw him on the giant video display prior to the game, wearing a black polo (he’s a big fan of black).
Since the game I’ve learned several other members of the ISU athletic department were there to support Montgomery for the Bears and Nwangwu for the Vikings – both played under Campbell at ISU. It’s more realistic that he was there to support them.
Q: Campbell declined the Detroit Lions multi-year offer last offseason, can you confirm that he does have interest in the Minnesota Vikings head coaching job and if so, how much interest does he have in the position?
Elias Johnson: I’m not sure if he has interest but it’s considered one of the better openings in the league. He indicated a desire to coach in the NFL some day, years ago. I mean, who wouldn’t dream of making it to the top in their respected field?
Q: In your opinion, why would you say now is the time he’s considering leaving Iowa State compared to years past? If he left Iowa State, would you say it’s simply because the Minnesota Vikings job became available? How likely would you say him leaving and becoming the next Minnesota Vikings head coach is, if you had to give a percentage?
Elias Johnson: I’m not sure what goes into making that decision for a person with a family and community that loves him. Again, it’s a great organization. The next GM would likely have a lot to do with his decision to leave Ames for Minneapolis. I’d say 40% chance if he were offered the job. Realistically, I think there’s less than 10% he’s offered the gig.
Q: Where exactly did you hear about Campbell being on the sidelines and allegedly having interest from Minnesota? I’ll understand if you can’t reveal your source but can you confirm if it was indeed Campbell’s camp who leaked it or if it was someone close to him?
Elias Johnson: Again, I saw him on the video screen during pre-game. After that, I messaged a friend with direct ties to ISU and the NFL. He indicated that during a football camp he was hosting down south this topic came up. A well-known Hall of Fame player co-hosting said he knows the Vikings organization likes Matt Campbell and has interest.
The Lions offer last year Campbell allegedly turned down and put him on the map. If that was because former GM Chris Spielman liked Campbell – that changes everything with him losing his job along with Mike Zimmer. I think the next GM will ultimately make the decision.
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