Urban Meyer pitches worst James Franklin replacement possible for Penn State

Oh boy, Urban Meyer swung and missed on this one... The former college football coach and current college football analyst coughed up a suggestion for who could replace James Franklin as Penn State's head football coach, and it was one of the worst recommendations of all time.

Maybe he did it because he still has an affinity for his former program, the Ohio State Buckeyes, or maybe he did it just to play a joke on the Nittany Lions, but Meyer suggested that Penn State hire UNLV head coach Dan Mullen.

"How about Dan Mullen?" Meyer suggested. "Damn right he is [undefeated]... Scored 51 last week… And you know, he’s from the northeast, by the way."

I thought the Dan-Mullen-at-the-Power-Conference-Level Experiment had run its course. With a failed attempt with the Florida Gators and an even shorter tenure as a broadcaster, Mullen entered the Group of Five conversation ahead of this season.

Dan Mullen still isn't as good as he seems

Sure, Meyer was correct when he said that Mullen was undefeated this season, but it's with the UNLV Rebels, who have only defeated one Power Conference opponent, which was a single-digit win over the unranked UCLA Bruins.

The Rebels eked out wins over the Idaho State Bengals, Miami (OH) Redhawks, and Air Force Falcons. The only semi-dominant victories UNLV has earned this season were a 17-point victory over the Sam Houston State Bearkats and a 14-point victory over the Wyoming Cowboys.

Simply put, Mullen's undefeated record doesn't actually equate to that much success when compared to an undefeated Power Conference program. But sure, let's toss him to the wolves (or more accurately, the Nittany Lions).

When Mullen was first hired by Florida in 2018, he was coming off a successful stretch with the Mississippi State Bulldogs, but quickly ran the Gators' program into the ground and was fired once he led the team to an abysmal 2-6 record against SEC opponents in 2021.

Meyer might know football really well, but this suggestion was a stretch at best, and something that the Penn State Nittany Lions shouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole.