Another of Penn State’s top options to replace James Franklin is about to come off the board

When a big-time job opens in college football, everybody gets paid, and right now, with LSU, Florida, Auburn, and Penn State searching for their next head coaches, there are four of them. The Penn State job, which was the first to become available among the powerhouse programs this season, has already resulted in significant raises for two sitting head coaches, and now a third is reportedly in the works. 

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule were the first names to emerge as potential replacements for James Franklin, but both are staying put with long-term investments from their current universities. With those two coaches out of the mix, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm has shot up to the top of the list for Penn State and Florida, but his alma mater is pushing to keep him in place. 

According to Brett McMurphy and Pete Nakos of On3, Louisville is working on a contract extension with Brohm, who is in his third season with the program. Brohm previously spent six seasons at Purdue, leading the Boilermakers to the Big Ten Championship Game in 2022, and won 19 games over his first two years at Louisville. 

Louisville is working on a contract extension to keep Jeff Brohm

Brohm is a coach who has historically done more with less and who has a history of success in the Big Ten. However, the part of his resume that makes him particularly enticing to Penn State is his remarkable 4-2 record against top-five ranked teams across his time as a head coach. He notched his fourth such win this season, downing Miami on the road when the Hurricanes were the No. 3-ranked team in the country. 

Franklin’s dreadful record against top-five teams across his 11-plus years in Happy Valley was one of the primary reasons that athletic director Pat Kraft ultimately moved on. Though Brohm has yet to prove himself as an elite recruiter and is coming off a disappointing upset loss against Cal to all but dash his team’s College Football Playoff chances, he could be the type of head coach who could finally compete with Ryan Day and Ohio State. 

The extension is not done, so until the ink dries, Penn State has the opportunity to push for Brohm, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get in contact with him or his agent, because Kraft’s options to replace Franklin are dwindling. 

It’s almost a certainty that Mike Elko, a New Jersey native and Penn alum, is staying at Texas A&M, and prying Marcus Freeman away from Notre Dame would be a near impossibility. Lane Kiffin is the top name on the market, but he’s likely to stay in the SEC if he leaves Ole Miss at all. So, if extensions have taken Cignetti, Rhule, and Brohm off the table, Penn State will find itself battling LSU, Florida, and Auburn for candidates like Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, who is unlikely to leave his alma mater, and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.