It didn’t take long after Penn State shockingly fired James Franklin on Sunday after a 22-21 loss to Northwestern in Week 7, for everyone to connect the dots and place Penn State alum Matt Rhule and Pittsburgh native Curt Cignetti at the top of the program’s wishlist.
Rhule comes with some question marks and a record against ranked opponents that even Franklin would scoff at. Cignetti likely won’t be interested in leaving Indiana, a program that he turned into a national championship contender in just two years to suddenly start over at Penn State with a roster that is going to be decimated after this season.
So, while the primary candidates in Penn State’s coaching search were easy to identify, the program could be looking to make an even bigger splash after anteing up to pay Franklin’s $50 million buyout. Enter, Brian Kelly.
Brian Kelly could look to reset the clock with lateral move to Penn State
Brian Kelly felt he had hit Notre Dame’s ceiling and fled for the resource-rich SEC. However, three years in, he has yet to make the College Football Playoff, and though this year’s team is sitting at No. 10 in the country with a 5-1 record, it has a broken offensive line, an injured starting quarterback who has regressed from his promising redshirt junior season, and is stuck in the loaded SEC.
From the very start, Kelly was not a good fit in Baton Rouge. The Massachusetts native’s fake southern accent sealed his fate as forever an outsider, and the fanbase has grown tired of his underachieveing teams. He even failed to convert Jayden Daniels Heisman trophy season with Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. into more than a ReliaQuest Bowl.
Meanwhile, Marcus Freeman has tapped all of Notre Dame’s potential in the NIL era, turning the national brand into a national title contender once again. In his third season, he reached the national championship game, matching Kelly’s peak in South Bend, and Freeman is recruiting on a new level to a program previously held back by its strict(er) academic expectations.
Kelly’s seat isn’t hot, but it’s been warming, and the 63-year-old could view the open job at Penn State as the perfect opportunity to reset the clock with a lateral move to another powerhouse program, but in a place that is a much better culture fit.
QB concerns may have Kelly searching for a life raft out of LSU
It’s not just the thought of job security that could hasten Kelly’s desire to get out of Baton Rouge. LSU had 2025 five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood locked up for most of the recruiting cycle before Michigan’s desperation led its boosters to pay him a $12 million NIL deal to pry him away.
Now, after two years of Jayden Daniels and another two with Garrett Nussmeier, LSU doesn’t have a clear succession plan in place at the most important position. Mississippi State transfer Michael Van Buren is Nussmeier’s backup, and he has eligibility remaining, but he’s not exactly Underwood. Even 2027 five-star Elijah Haven, from Baton Rouge, doesn’t seem likely to stay home and play for the Tigers.
Penn State would have to consider if it is interested in signing up for the Brian Kelly experience, which comes with its fair share of baggage and has yet to yield a national championship. Still, he’s more proven than anyone else identified in the coaching search, and timing might be perfect to pluck him away from LSU.