The Penn State coaching search may have created a fork in the road with multiple controversial options as the process winds down

What is Penn State going to do in this bizarre coaching search?

Ryan Roberts — National College Football Writer
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Penn State's Anthony Donkoh, center, hugs interim head coach Terry M. Smith as time runs short during the fourth quarter in the game against Michigan State on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing.

When Penn State fired former head coach James Franklin over a month ago, many Nittany Lion fans were excited for the prospects of a new voice and a new era. With a solid pool of potential candidates to begin with, there was an expectation that the program would land a tremendous replacement. Up until this point, that plan for Penn State has not come to fruition.

We are sitting on Dec. 4, a day after National Signing Day, and the Nittany Lions still do not have a new head coach. We have seen LSU land Lane Kiffin, Florida land Jon Sumrall, and Auburn land Alex Golesh, among several other splash hires. Yet, no big news for Penn State.

The biggest issue with the Penn State coaching search is that the Nittany Lions have missed on so many top targets. Athletic Director Pat Kraft has consistently swung and missed throughout this process.

Some of his misses include Mike Elko (Texas A&M – who had some very real interest), Curt Cignetti (Indiana), Matt Rhule (Nebraska), Marcus Freeman (Notre Dame), Eli Drinkwitz (Missouri), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt), Bob Chesney (now with UCLA), and Kalani Sitake (BYU). Some of those coaches mentioned had next to no interest, and others Penn State seemed to have a decent chance with. Penn State even reached out to Houston head coach Willie Fritz, but there was no interest there.

If you are Penn State, you have to figure this situation out, and quickly. According to John Brice from FootballScoop, the Nittany Lions are making another run at former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. I have verified that push on my end as well. There also seems to be a push among some at Penn State to remove the interim tag from Terry Smith. Those appear to be the two clearest options right now, barring something changing once again.

While Daboll and Smith bring some intrigue, each also brings some major question marks. It will be interesting to see what the Nittany Lions will prioritize the most.

A Brian Daboll gamble

From a pure resume perspective, there is a lot to like about Daboll. Before he was the head coach of the Giants, Daboll was considered one of the finest offensive coordinators in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills. He has also spent some time on the college level, serving as an offensive coordinator for Alabama during the 2017 season. Being familiar with the college game, even before the NIL and transfer portal, is important when talking fit.

It will be interesting just how much interest Daboll has. If he has any interest in returning to the NFL anytime soon, I am not sure Penn State is the best option for him. It is a program that could be trending toward a bit of a rebuild. The next head coach will most likely need some patience.

Sticking with Terry Smith

There is a push for some around Penn State for Smith to have the interim tag removed. I would probably suggest this route at this point. Smith isn’t the long-term future for the Nittany Lions, but forcing a head-coaching hire just to do so isn’t ideal. If anything, Smith could create a bridge to the next offseason. From there, Penn State can get a second chance at a head coaching search. This program is in a tough spot right now. Hiring Smith would also be a pretty bad look for Kraft to boot.

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