Penn State head coach hot board: Options to replace James Franklin after he was fired by the Nittany Lions
The Penn State Nittany Lions fired head coach James Franklin on Sunday following consecutive losses to UCLA and Northwestern.
The Penn State Nittany Lions made a bold move on Sunday by firing head coach James Franklin.
Penn State made the move following consecutive losses to UCLA and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions, which are 3-3, started the season ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll.
Penn State hot board: Options to replace James Franklin
Penn State should have no shortage of options to replace Franklin. The Penn State job, after all, is one of the most attractive in college sports.
Here are a few candidates that would make perfect sense for Penn State.
Curt Cignetti, Indiana head coach: Cignetti will likely be at the top of Penn State’s list. The second-year Indiana head coach is 17-2 through his first 19 games with the Hoosiers. He can probably name his price after leading Indiana to a win against Oregon this past weekend.
Urban Meyer, Former Florida and Ohio State head coach: Meyer is still just 61 years old. He may have one more run left in him as a college coach. Meyer won national championships at Florida and Ohio State. His last coaching stint — with the Jacksonville Jaguars in the NFL — ended on a sour note. I wouldn’t be shocked if Meyer wants to give it one more go to get the bad taste from Jacksonville out of his mouth.
Nick Saban, Former Alabama head coach: We can file this one under unlikely to happen, but Penn State at least has to give Saban a call. I seriously doubt he’d be interested, but you never know. Maybe the 73-year-old still has the itch to coach.
Alex Golesh, USF head coach: Golesh is expected to be a hot name during this winter’s coaching cycle. The former Tennessee Vols offensive coordinator has USF in a strong position to make the College Football Playoff this season. Golesh went to college at Ohio State, so he’s familiar with the Big 10.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska head coach: Rhule played at Penn State, has NFL experience, and has turned things around at Nebraska. I don’t think he’ll be the top name on Penn State’s list, but he could be a strong option for the Nittany Lions if Cignetti says no.
Manny Diaz, Duke head coach: Diaz spent two seasons at Penn State as the program’s defensive coordinator before getting hired at Duke ahead of the 2024 season. He’s 13-6 at Duke through 19 games. Diaz wouldn’t be an exciting hire after flaming out at Miami a couple of years ago, but he could be an option if Penn State hears no from a few candidates.
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