And the search for the Penn State Nittany Lion's next head coach trudges on...
On Thursday, amid rumors that he was possibly in discussions with Penn State about the job opening, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer stopped those rumors dead in their tracks.
"We're extremely happy at Alabama," Kalen DeBoer said. "There's never been any link [to Penn State], any conversation."
Just like that, there was another name for the Nittany Lions to cross off their list for candidates to replace their old head coach, James Franklin.
Penn State needs to get out while they're only this far behind
The Nittany Lions are no longer ahead of the game, despite being one of the first programs to fire its head coach this season. Penn State is now in panic mode as coach after coach after coach (this could go on forever) either signs an extension or signs a contract with another program.
Pretty much every qualified head coach in the country has now been claimed, and the Nittany Lions are still... coach-less.
Many are arguing, and this includes the handful of players who decided to stick around after Franklin was named as Virginia Tech's new head coach, that Penn State needs to just make Terry Smith's role a full-time one.
We stand with Terry or nobody else, that simple
— Tony Rojas (@Tony_Rojas5) December 4, 2025
Smith was named as the Nittany Lions' interim head coach when Franklin was fired. He has clearly captured the hearts of players, and at the end of the day, who else can Penn State turn to at this point?
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft has fumbled the bag, dropped the ball, and screwed the pooch on a few too many head coaches this season, and people are losing patience. As rumors continue to swirl around who Kraft and the Nittany Lions will hire next, the risk of Smith taking his coaching talents increases as well.