When Penn State football fired incoming Virginia Tech head coach James Franklin, it seemed like an abrupt move. Because of that, everyone was convinced that athletic director Pat Kraft had a near fool-proof plan to replace him. After almost two months without a new head coach announcement, it's clear the firing was either impulsive or Kraft's plan fell through drastically.
According to Colin Cowherd and Joel Klatt, the Nittany Lions have no head coach is a crazy concept to wrap their heads around as the early signing period for recruits ramps up.
Joel Klatt said Penn State's head coach hunt went "off the rails"
If Kraft did have a plan, it crumbled almost immediately. Even though the Nittany Lions fought hard for BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, that wasn't their initial top target. Klatt said that Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is his guess as to who Penn State tried poaching.
"I know the people involved. It has been mismanaged," Klatt said of Penn State's head coach search. "I think that they had a plan when they fired James Franklin, and I think that plan involved Curt Cignetti. And Curt Cignetti was like, 'Nope, that ain't my bag,' and once that happened, they were behind the eight ball."
Cignetti signed a contract extension keeping him with the Hoosiers through 2033 on Oct. 16, four days after Penn State fired Franklin. If he was the original plan, it blew up in Kraft's face four days later and it's not impossible to believe that Cignetti was the guy Kraft wanted. After that, it was getting his hands on the next best candidates, and ultimately slipping through the cracks one after another.
However, even if the original plan fell through, that doesn't mean Penn State wasn't prepared. Its preparation might yet to be seen until some coaches finish out their run with their teams that are still playing. While Lane Kiffin waved goodbye to Ole Miss, a College Football Playoff-bound team, not everyone is going to do the same. Klatt said that the Nittany Lions might be waiting for their (hopefully) incoming head coach to wrap up the conference championship weekend.
Could Penn State be targeting a coach that is still playing this week?@joelklatt and Colin Cowherd share their thoughts on the vacancy, and who might be next. 👀 pic.twitter.com/fqxpTeM1Kr
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 3, 2025
Joel Klatt predicts Penn State's targeting a a coach playing in the conference championships
It's not just conference championship-bound coaches Klatt threw out there.
"There's probably a couple of guys that they're still in talks with and trying to get," Klatt said. "I think Brian Daboll is still in play, I think Jeff Brohm at Louisville is still in play. And the fact that it hasn't happened yet . . . leads me to believe that something is up their sleeve. Colin, I think that they are targeting a coach that is still playing this week.
"If you just go process of elimination . . . Kirby's not going anywhere, Sitake told them no, Joey McGuire's not going anywhere, both guys in the American at Tulane and North Texas, Sumrall and Eric Morris, they already have a place to go. Is it Tony Elliott at Virginia? Possibly. Manny Diaz at Duke? Possibly. Or is it Kalen DeBoer at Alabama? I think that they might be going after a guy that is coaching this week, which is why it's bleeding into the signing day."
DeBoer has six years of head coach experience under his belt, including two seasons a piece at Fresno State, Washington, and Alabama. With the Crimson Tide, he is 19-6 all-time with the program, including a 10-2 overall record in 2025. No. 9 Alabama faces No. 3 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. ET.
If Kraft is waiting on DeBoer, the question of if he leaves Alabama before the CFP remains. Waiting through the conference championship slate is already an extended period of time to not have a head coach in place, and Kraft only leaves the Penn State program more vulnerable as each day passes by.