Is the bolded actually correct? I looked at his record from his record from his fourth year on because the majority of the players should have been his players. In 2019, he went 7-6. All but two of the teams he lost to were ranked in the top 15 at seasons end but two. Those were KState who finished 8-5 and Okie State who finished 8-5. I wouldn't call either of those two teams cellar-dweller. All games lost in 19' were close games with the exception of Notre Dame in the bowl game. In 2020, he went 9-3. The three teams he lost to all finished in the top 20 at seasons end. In 2021, he finished 7-6. All but two of the teams he lost to were ranked in the top 25 at seasons end but two. Those were West Virginia who finished 6-7 and Texas Tech who finished 7-6. At Iowa State with his players, he has yet to lose to a team that wasn't bowl eligible. He has only lost once to a team that finished the season with a losing record. He has one top 10 finish. Iowa State won just four conference games in the three seasons before Campbell became their coach.
Since he's been at Iowa State, they've pretty much fallen into the 50th-60th ranked recruiting class per 247. In terms of coaching, he's doing a really good job with the talent he has. Now, here's where the arguments could be had. Can he recruit better to Nebraska than he has at Iowa State? Only time will tell, but it appears he's a much younger version of Bill Snyder. I think it is also a positive that he played defensive lineman, and he has coached offensive linemen. These are the two areas where we are the most lacking. I wouldn't be disappointed if he's named the next coach.