Hampton native Josh Knipfel was a member of the Iowa State football team from 2017 through 2019, and was among the earlier classes coached by Matt Campbell. Knipfel says it was a difficult day when Campbell’s departure to Penn State was announced.
“I felt like the whole day, work, teaching, I felt like I just kind of kept thinking about Coach Campbell, what that looks like for him and Iowa State,” Knipfel says. “And then obviously Friday night, him leaving, it was sad. I think in the moment when I saw it pop up on my phone, it was heartbreaking. Coach Campbell is an awesome guy. He’s an awesome human being. Obviously a great coach. Not gonna lie to you, I felt like I went through every emotion. You had always heard these rumors. But for me, it was a little bit different. Penn State, obviously that’s close to home to him. If you saw his press conference, he referred to having family also in Pennsylvania. This one felt a little bit different. And then Friday when I saw it, it took the air out of my sails.”
Campbell went 72-55 at Iowa State and led the program to seven bowl game appearances in 10 seasons. After bringing the program to new heights, Knipfel believes it was a decision Campbell didn’t take lightly. He also voices his support for incoming coach Jimmy Rodgers.
“If you watch Coach Campbell’s press conference at Penn State, you can see that he’s a real authentic guy. You could tell it was hard for him to leave Ames. It was hard for him to leave Iowa State. And I’ll be the first person to tell you that he didn’t put that on for a show. That’s just who he is as a person, which is tough to watch. But in the same breath, I think Coach Rodgers has more than enough opportunities to be a great coach for us. But as a fan base, we gotta get behind him. Because the world’s gonna keep moving, the sun’s gonna keep coming up. And this day and age of sports, we gotta keep finding ways to win.”
An offensive lineman, Knipfel twice earned honorable mention all conference honors. He also was recognized as an academic all-conference second team honoree, was named the 2018 Arthur Floyd Scott Outstanding Offensive Lineman and the 2017 Dury Moss Outstanding Newcomer Award. He started all 39 games during his Iowa State career.
