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If not for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell would probably be coaching the USC Trojans right now rather than Lincoln Riley.
In a new story, which Purdy told on a recent episode of the “Bussin With The Boys” podcast, he revealed how a meeting with Campbell following the 2021 season changed the entire college football landscape. At the time, Campbell was one of the most highly coveted coaches on the market, and an offer from USC was almost too big to say no to.
One Conversation Between Brock Purdy And Matt Campbell Changed College Football
In 2020, Campbell and Purdy led a traditionally lowly Cyclones program to a 9-3 record and a 34-17 victory over the Oregon Ducks in the Fiesta Bowl. Both returned for the 2021 season, but things didn’t go according to plan. Iowa State went just 7-5 in the regular season, but Campbell still had plenty of options available.
The interview with Purdy, which begins at the 1 hour, 23 minute mark of the video above, details how a conversation between the two changed the college football landscape.
“He was crying pretty hard our senior night and everyone was like, ‘Alright, what’s going on?’” Purdy said. “You could tell there was something going on like he was going to leave kind of thing.”
The next day, Campbell sat down with Purdy and his father, Shawn, for a meeting. Purdy was already on his way out the door, having finished his eligibility. But as it turns out, Campbell may have been, too.
“I actually brought my dad with me the next day when I met with (Campbell) and we talked,” Purdy said. “I was like, dude, my dad was in my life, he coached me up, ground balls, all the meetings, my dad was with me and I was so grateful for that.
“And he was talking about out in LA it’s a different world compared to the Midwest and what he’s used to and being in his kids’ life and stuff. It would just be a different kind of environment, and (I’m) not knocking USC, California or anything. It’s just different.”
Purdy noted that Campbell was crying and that all parties were “going through it emotionally.”
“After that, (Campbell) decided, ‘I’m going to stay at Iowa State,’” Purdy said via the Quad-City Times. “I’m not saying I was the determining factor in that, but I think just gave him a little perspective on being a father, what matters, raising your kids, he could do that at Iowa State and Ames, Iowa.”
Ultimately, Campbell did stay at Iowa State. USC hired Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma. Riley went 11-3 in his first season with the Trojans, but is just 26-14 over his three seasons in LA. Campbell, meanwhile, struggled in 2022, going 4-8 at Iowa State. But the program bounced back with a 7-6 season in 2023 before going 11-3 a year ago.
Who knows how different things might look had it not been for Purdy. But the conversation set off a string of dominoes that had wider reaching implications than anybody could have imagined for college football.