When Penn State fired James Franklin in October, they did so with no plan in place. Since Franklin was fired, athletic director Pat Kraft has begun a search for his new coach.
Since Penn State made the move, a lot of coaches around the country have gotten new contracts to keep them at their current schools. You can make the case that Penn State has gotten a lot of the top potential candidates’ paydays. To make matters worse, Franklin has since been hired at Virginia Tech to replace his former defensive coordinator, Brent Pry.
As far as the Penn State opening goes, it appears that a former NFL head coach is gaining some momentum to be the next Nittany Lions head coach.
Former New York Giants Coach Brian Daboll Linked to Penn State Opening
The New York Giants fired head coach Brian Daboll in November. Since he was let go, his name has been linked to the Penn State opening. James Madison head coach Bob Chesney is also a candidate, according to Pete Nakos of On3.
“The Nittany Lions continue to keep their coaching search as low-profile as possible,” Nakos wrote. “Nick Saban said earlier this week that former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll would be an ‘outstanding hire’ for the Nittany Lions. Sources have said there has at least been some informal contact with Daboll and Penn State.”
Penn State hiring Daboll is not something a lot of Nittany Lions fans would have thought the way search would have gone. However, former Alabama coach Nick Saban endorsed Daboll for the job on the Pat McAfee Show.
“He’s a very good coach,” Saban said. “he’s a bright guy, he’s a good recruiter, he relates well to the players, he’s a good teacher, he’s got a good offensive mind, he’ll be able to put a good staff together. I think that would be an outstanding hire.”
Penn State Options Are Dwindling
Penn State’s options are dwindling by the day. A lot of the top candidates have either received extensions at their current schools or been hired elsewhere. Early signing day is Wednesday, and you would think that they would like to have someone in place.
Penn State has lost a number of Class of 2026 commits to Virginia Tech, as some have followed Franklin to Blacksburg. As mentioned above, Nakos noted that Chesney is a candidate, as well as current interim coach Terry Smith.
“Sources continue to also bring up James Madison head coach Bob Chesney’s name,” Nakos wrote. “Interim head coach Terry Smith is another realistic candidate.”
Smith was recently asked about joining Franklin at Virginia Tech and didn’t completely shut the door on the idea. He has the support of the current roster to get the job. Smith might have improved his chances after Penn State became bowl-eligible after beating Rutgers on Saturday afternoon.
When you fire a coach, you generally think you’re going to make an upgrade with your next hire. That might not be the case for Penn State unless they can make a surprise hire from out of nowhere.
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