The purpose of firing former Penn State head coach James Franklin was to upgrade. Franklin's ceiling was reached with the Nittany Lions, meaning they need a coach that can go past that. What they don't need is to swap in another Franklin in his place, potentially even a less impressive one.
According to CBS Sports, it's looking as if that will be the case.
CBS Sports released its "Coaching Carousel Predictions" on Tuesday. LSU, Florida, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, UCLA, and Stanford were all given their most likely matches as to who will be their future head coach.
For the Nittany Lions, it's predicted that Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule will jump ship over to Happy Valley. Rhule
CBS Sports predictions pic.twitter.com/k13qgJCP6Y
— BuffalOKstate (@BuffalOKstate) October 28, 2025
Matt Rhule predicted by CBS Sports to be Penn State's next head coach
Rhule coming to Penn State doesn't sound like a bad option off initial name dropping, but looking at his stats and records a bit closer surfaces concerns.
Alarming Matt Rhule stats will have Penn State fans worried of James Franklin 2.0
Rhule is 2-23 against ranked teams and 0-11 against Top 10 teams. Those are facts that should deter the Nittany Lions away from tunnel visioning on landing the Cornhusker's head coach. Whether Rhule has a history of turning programs around for the better or not, the same was said about Franklin after his stint at Vanderbilt.
Penn State is a big job. Trading one Franklin for another won't suffice. Given the realistic options that the Nittany Lions have to sort through, there's not much promise to fully upgrade from Franklin. Rhule can even be considered as a slight downgrade, but regardless, he is not the fit Penn State is looking for.
Rhule just lost to Minnesota, 24-6. That loss in itself shot Nebraska's College Football Playoff chances. The Nittany Lions need a head coach that can win, make the playoffs, and win again. Loss and shooting himself in the foot is not what Penn State needs, but it seems that's the best option Penn State has.
The Nittany Lions should not settle for Rhule. Regardless of connections to athletic director Pat Kraft and the program as a whole, Rhule should not be the first call made to fill the open job in Happy Valley. Kraft needs to aim at big targets no matter how likely they are. Then he can fall back on the Rhule's of the candidate pool.