If there is one thing that we have learned since Penn State fired James Franklin, it’s that the Nittany Lions‘ athletic director, Pat Kraft, didn’t have a plan in place. Nearly two months since moving on from Franklin, Penn State is still looking for his replacement.
Since the search began, several potential candidates have received extensions and raises to keep them at their current schools. The list grows shorter by the day, and with Early Signing Day on Wednesday, the Nittany Lions’ Class of 2026 was gutted by Franklin. Yes, Franklin went back to his old roots and poached over half of the recruiting class, bringing them to Virginia Tech.
With nearly the entire class gone and no coach in place, Kraft is stuck in a tough position. Does he promote interim coach Terry Smith? If not, one college football writer is urging Penn State to hire a former successful SEC coach.
Penn State Urged to Hire Dan Mullen to Replace James Franklin
As the list of potential candidates shrinks, Blake Toppmeyer of USA Today is urging Kraft to hire UNLV coach Dan Mullen. The same Dan Mullen who had a lot of success in the SEC at Mississippi State and Florida.
Mullen is 10-2 in his first season at UNLV. He came into Las Vegas with former Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea. He has UNLV in the Mountain West Championship Game on Friday night against Boise State. Every stop he has been to, he has won.
“Mullen crushed it at Mississippi State. He produced one bad season at Florida. That cost him his job. Fair enough, but that doesn’t make him a bad coach. He’s not. He’d be a good solution for Penn State’s predicament. Unlike eight years ago, Mullen doesn’t have a better offer on the other line,” Toppmeyer wrote.
Mullen has a history of developing and producing NFL quarterbacks. He coached Dak Prescott, Alex Smith, and Tim Tebow and sent them to quarterback on Sundays at the next level. Look at what he’s doing with Colandrea in just 12 games. He has thrown for over 3,000 yards and 22 touchdowns in one season after struggling in the ACC. He is also leading them to the MWC Championship Game.
Penn State’s Options Are Few and Far Between
Kraft’s options are very limited. On Monday, there was a growing sense that BYU coach Kalani Sitake was a serious target. Instead, like in so many other cases over the last two months, BYU stepped up and retained Sitake.
After that, Jeff Brohm is reportedly staying at Louisville. Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was seen as a candidate, but he accepted the South Florida job. Imagine that South Florida lands a coach before Penn State. Could former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll be in the mix for the Nittany Lions?
Mullen won 103 games in 13 seasons in the SEC between Mississippi State and Florida. He went 34-15 before being fired there. He still has the second-best track record in Gainesville since Steve Spurrier was there behind Urban Meyer.
“Naysayers would remind you Mullen got fired from his last big-boy job. Sure, he did, but guess what? Mullen’s Florida tenure looked better with every Billy Napier loss,” Toppmeyer wrote.
Kraft has backed Penn State into a difficult spot, and the options are dwindling. Maybe things are quiet in State College because Kraft is waiting for a coach in a conference championship game this weekend to hire. If not, then things are worse than they may appear the first week in December.
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