It has been a few days since the Penn State Nittany Lions fired former head football coach James Franklin, and the rumor mill is as busy as ever trying to predict who will be hired to fill his role.
From legendary head coaches like Nick Saban and Urban Meyer to young bucks like Dan Lanning, dozens of names have been tossed around as everyone tries to nail down who exactly PSU will bring on to take over the program.
While a veteran head coach would be the easy choice (as long as they were willing to leave their current program or come out of retirement), an up-and-coming coordinator or assistant coach might be the better option for the Nittany Lions.
So far this season, Bryant Haines has helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a 6-0 overall record, including a massive win over the then-No. 3 Oregon Ducks, where they held a dominant offense to just 20 points.
Over the last decade and a half, Haines has rapidly worked his way up the coaching totem pole. He started as a defensive line coach at Manchester University (Division III) before eventually serving as Ohio State's graduate assistant in 2013.
He then went on to become the DC at numerous programs, most recently serving as James Madison's co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. Haines was hired onto Indiana's staff ahead of this season, and his defense has held its opponents to less than 20 points per game.
LSU defensive coordinator Blake Baker has been on the collegiate coaching scene since 2010, when he served as the Texas Longhorns' graduate assistant for three years. Since then, he has hopped around Division I programs and has served as the Tigers' linebackers coach and defensive coordinator.
Baker took the DC role after a two-year stint as the Missouri Tigers' defensive coordinator and safeties coach. While he doesn't have a ton of experience, his numbers over the last 15 years speak for themselves.
Much like Haines, Baker's defense has held nearly all of its opponents to less than 20 points, with the only exception coming in a 24-19 loss to the then-No. 13 Ole Miss Rebels.
Will Stein has been in nearly every single conversation for head coach replacements over the last year or so. The Oregon Ducks' offensive coordinator has taken the college football scene by storm, leading elite quarterbacks like Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel, and Dante Moore to incredible seasons with UO.
While Oregon head coach Dan Lanning has adamantly and repeatedly said he isn't leaving the Ducks, Stein has remained a little quieter on what his future holds.
Since Stein took over the Ducks' offense in 2023, the team has earned monstrous season averages, hitting 44.2 points per game in 2023, 36.9 points per game in 2024, and 42.5 points per game so far this year.