The real reason Penn State had no choice but to fire James Franklin & the top coaches they must target next – CFB Newsletter
Who should Penn State hire to replace James Franklin as their next head coach?
College football fans are not ready for the chaos that is about to ensue.
James Franklin’s time as the head coach of Penn State has finally come to an end. After multiple years of feasting off dominating the middle to backend of the Big Ten, the administration decided it was time to part ways and eat his $48 million buyout.
Fully illustrating how we got here would take hours to map out the complex timeline. It appears to have boiled down to two more recent failures: his inability to beat top opponents and the rapid collapse of his performance this season.
Our Ian Valentino provided context for his overall track record while at Penn State.
“Franklin’s overall record at Penn State is 104-45 (.698), with a 64-36 Big Ten mark. He has achieved four top-10 finishes. His contract, extended in 2021 to 2031 for $75 million, reflected the university’s commitment … However, his tenure has faced scrutiny. Franklin’s record against top-25 teams is 13-25, including 1-10 against Ohio State. The 2024 season saw Penn State reach the College Football Playoff semifinals, but 2025 failed even to reach that level of success.” —Ian Valentino
Since losing to Oregon, the national conversation was dominated by whether Franklin had hit his ceiling in Happy Valley. With so much available context of failing, it was apparent he’d never enter into the upper tier of coaches in the sport. Franklin managed to alter the narrative by losing to the two worst teams in the Big Ten with what was supposed to be his most talented team in his tenure. The drop off was unacceptable, and Penn State’s decision to fire him was absolutely warranted.
The question Penn State fans must ask is what they want from their program. Do they want to be a Wisconsin-type brand that hovers around 10 wins every year, occasionally upsetting a caught off guard top team? Or do they want to establish themselves as a Michigan or Ohio State that always has a shot at winning the Big Ten?
It’s become even more depressing for Penn State fans to see a historically bad program like Indiana exceed Penn State’s success in just the second year of its new head coach. Speaking of which, the Hoosiers head man, Curt Cignetti, could be where Penn State looks for their next hire.
Our Zach Ragan pitched a hot board of the top names to know for the Penn State job, and these three caught my attention the most:
“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.” —Zach Ragan
In a vacuum, hiring Cignetti makes perfect sense. He’s a Pennsylvania guy with a track record of program elevation. He’s been a historical winner from Elon, to JMU, to now Indiana, that could take the current well-recruited Penn State roster and take it over the top. However, at 64 years old and having Indiana performing better than Penn State ever did under James Franklin, I question if he’d want to leave. Indiana is more equipped to succeed in modern college football than it was in the past.
“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.” —Ragan
Rhule’s landing at Penn State is another pick that makes perfect sense, given that he is a former player. He is additionally another guy who is a program builder. But this feels like an opportunity for his agent to convince Nebraska to give him more money, as the team is having its best season yet. It’s a risk to restart at a new school, and it took multiple years to fix the culture at Nebraska. He may not want to deal with that all over again.
“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.” —Ragan
Golesh has become one of my favorite coaches to pitch for any big opening. He turned USF overnight into one of the top G5 programs with a legit shot at making the College Football Playoff. He’s been regarded as a rapid riser in the coaching industry and will get a ton of attention depending on how he finishes the season.
Ultimately, Penn State will have the first choice on whichever coach they decide to pursue, with potential competition from Florida and Auburn. Once the Nittany Lions find their man, we should see multiple dominoes fall across the country.
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Penn State Nittany Lions News
There’s reportedly an early name to watch to replace James Franklin as the head coach at Penn State
The Penn State Lions are looking for a new head coach after firing James Franklin on Sunday. Franklin was fired following Penn State’s loss to Northwestern.
