Penn State football may have flubbed its head coaching search

As the 2025 college football season wraps up, fans, players, coaches, and everyone involved in the sport reflect on a season unlike any previous before the postseason starts.

Top AP preseason teams, like Penn State, fell short of expectations, indicating growing uncertainty about the future of an already evolving sport, with NIL rule changes adding to what appears to be a new era for programs nationwide.

This sentiment spread to the field, with many squads already dismissing their head coaches midseason or shortly after the season ends, as programs look for new leaders in this evolving era.

The Nittany Lions were one such program, firing former head coach James Franklin midseason. While they were among the first schools to make such a move, they were quickly joined by programs of all levels of prestige. The coaching market started reflecting the sport's growing frenzy in unprecedented ways.

The buzz around the coaching searches has been huge. Schools like LSU, Auburn, Michigan State, Arkansas, Florida, and Virginia Tech took big swings and already made what seem like smart appointments, lifting fan spirits after tough seasons. The Hokies have been especially active, even poaching many of Penn State's recruits now that Franklin took the reins.

While other schools received early validation and praise for their willingness to change, the blue and white, which decided to fire Franklin much earlier than the others, has not yet seen this decision prove wise.

There has been little concrete evidence about whom the administration has considered to fill the vacancy, fueling fan speculation. Amid this increased noise, established coaches such as Nebraska's Matt Rhule, Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, and Georgia Tech's Brent Key took advantage of the heightened demand to ink new deals amid speculation about Penn State.

Then, additional names were brought up, such as JMU's Bob Chesney or Pat Fitzgerald, but they chose different options, with Penn State also apparently not making a strong push in the headlines.

As those other programs filled their own vacancies, top coaches stayed put, and the Penn State job remained; only panic growing in Happy Valley.

The Nittany Lions need an upgrade at coach, as evidenced by the firing and large buyout. While that decision was a strong one, the indecision and apparent lack of action from the administration in finding a new coach have been worrying.

It may simply not be indecision, and athletic director Pat Kraft may know exactly what his next appointment is, but to those watching, it's confusing to hear practically no reports on what is going on in the head coaching search, as for every other opening, there had been some form of report.

Those in charge need to keep their cards close to their chest, so they don't jeopardize deals and can move freely — perhaps that's Kraft's strategy, and if so, he's doing a great job.

Take Arkansas: early reports indicated they were targeting USF's Alex Golesh, but those reports came before the deal was finalized, giving Auburn the opportunity to swoop in and steal their next coach.

Penn State needs a new coach, and the name building steam online is BYU coach Kalani Sitake, but it's been the same with every candidate, and options are slowly dwindling as time passes. As it stands, there are few coaches available without jobs who seem a good fit for the occasion in Happy Valley, and Kraft may soon have to make a significant move similar to LSU's acquisition of Lane Kiffin.

This would enable the Nittany Lions to secure their high-profile coach and gain advantages, but it also entails considerable financial commitments amid stadium renovations and the buyout.

Given that, the primary option is likely to be settling for a lower-tier coach, which isn't obvious after such a long wait, or offering interim coach Terry Smith the full-time position. Currently, these are the main available options for Penn State. However, it's clear that the university has failed to act on its earlier overreaction — firing Franklin — by taking concrete steps toward rebuilding.

There's always time for things to settle, and overreacting isn't useful, but during the Penn State coaching search, the situation appears to be worsening, and it would only be their fault.

Nonetheless, if time proves Kraft right, he might be making moves deserving of his praise as he continues to lead Penn State toward a national championship. If the next coach does that, it won't matter how long or how hard it took them to get here.