Penn State football's search for a head coach got thin within just one week of firing former head coach James Franklin. Adding to the list of 2025 midseason fires, Florida let head coach Billy Napier go on Sunday, Oct. 19 after the Gators started 3-4 on the season.
What does this mean for the Nittany Lions?
It means they don't have the most attractive program for head coach candidates anymore, and that's a major problem. Penn State not only wants, but needs to hit a home run with its next hire. The whole point of firing Franklin is hiring someone better than him, someone who can win the big games and make the Nittany Lions are team to fear playing.
Getting the right guy for the job becomes much harder the more vacancies pop up. Even if Penn State fired Franklin knowing who it wanted up next for the job, it's not a guarantee that the candidate ends up in Happy Valley. Jobs are opening up left and right across the country. It's not just the blue and white on the market and it's not just Big Ten schools either.
The Nittany Lions also have big targets to take swings at, ones that are already long shots, like Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman. To think the Gators won't take those swings too is silly.
Latest Florida head coach vacancy creates stiff competition for Penn State
Florida has something Penn State doesn't thanks to Franklin: big wins.
The Nittany Lions have four Big Ten titles to their name. The Gators, on the other hand, have eight SEC championship titles and three BCS National Championship wins. There's a history that comes with Florida, a lot more hope as to being the guy that turns the program around again. Penn State proved that hope dies very quickly in Happy Valley.
One thing the Nittany Lions have over the Gators, though, is a clearer pathway to championships. Looking back on all that could have been in 2025, Penn State had an easy road to the College Football Playoff. It had an 11-1 or 10-2 record in its pocket, a winning record it let slip away. For whoever comes in next, they have a program with financial resources, a Big Ten conference schedule, and somewhat of a fresh slate given the number of players whose eligibility wraps up at the end of the 2025 season.
Penn State and Florida have the most enticing pitches for head coach candidates. Kraft needs to put his best foot forward to pluck the best one before the Gators do.