The slow song just came, and everybody is partnering up, but Penn State is still alone in the corner, hoping Mr. Perfect arrives. If athletic director Pat Kraft doesn’t act soon, though, he’ll have to settle for Mr. Perfectly Fine.
The latest head coach to find his landing spot this offseason was one of Penn State’s presumed top targets, James Madison head coach Bob Chesney. With the Dukes on the verge of a Sun Belt Championship after an 11-1 regular season in his second year since taking over for Curt Cignetti, Chesney is reportedly heading to UCLA to become the next head coach of the Bruins.
UCLA is in fact hiring James Madison’s Bob Chesney as its new head coach, sources tell @CBSSports https://t.co/262uNjlybc
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) December 1, 2025
With Cignetti, Matt Rhule, Mike Elko, and so many others taking their names out of the running with lucrative extensions this season, Penn State’s coaching search has veered in unexpected directions since the Nittany Lions shockingly moved on from James Franklin in October. Now, with Chesney off the board and plenty of Power 4 jobs still open, Kraft is seemingly running out of options.
UCLA hires James Madison’s Bob Chesney as its next head coach
Kraft and whoever else is influencing the decision in Happy Valley have been very tight-lipped, so there’s no certainty that Chesney was an actual candidate in their eyes. Still, Penn State is beginning to run out of realistic options, especially if it tied itself to the dream of Kalen DeBoer leaving Alabama.
Now that every program can spend money to attract talent, the gap between the best jobs in the Power 4 and the middle-tier is smaller than ever. That’s why Cignetti was happy to stay at Indiana, where he has one of the best teams in the country, rather than leave to restart in Happy Valley. So, Penn State, as many of the SEC jobs already did, will have to pivot to a current Group of Six coach or a Power 4 coordinator.
With the best Group of Six coaches, Chesney being one of them, off the board now, Penn State’s best option may be to take a chance on Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline or Oregon OC Will Stein. Yet, Kentucky is suddenly in the mix on both after firing Mark Stoops on Sunday.
The worst thing that Penn State could do is rush and make a panic hire. Still, Kraft has had plenty of time to survey the field, back channel to possible candidates about their interest, and assess his options. Penn State was one of the first jobs to come open in this cycle, and now it appears it will be one of the last to be filled.
Patience is a virtue, but eventually, Penn State has to act. Maybe this latest hiring will spur Kraft into action.