Over a 24-hour span from Saturday afternoon to Sunday, the Penn State Nittany Lions suffered a series of losses.
They lost their third straight game, this time in a 22–21 defeat to the Northwestern Wildcats. In dropping that game, PSU also lost star quarterback, Drew Allar, for the season with a left leg injury. However, the third loss for Penn State was one the school willingly made as it lost its head coach, James Franklin, who was fired on Sunday.
The search for the next Penn State head coach is sure to be an expansive one that will look at other Power Conference college head coaches, up-and-coming coaches at the Group of Five level, and even turn its sights onto those in the NFL ranks.
Matt Rhule, HC, Nebraska
Having ties to the school would certainly be a plus, and Matt Rhule is a PSU alum. He played at the school in the 1990s and then spent a year as a volunteer assistant before embarking on his coaching career. He’s spent the last 13 years as a head coach with Temple, Baylor, the Carolina Panthers, and now, Nebraska. Outside of his NFL stint, Rhule has had success at every head coaching stop and has the Cornhuskers back in the Top 25 in the latest poll.Curt Cignetti, HC, Indiana
Curt Cignetti is an alum of rival West Virginia, but the Hoosiers coach does have Pennsylvania blood as he was born and raised in Pittsburgh. He’s a bit of a late bloomer as he didn’t truly make a name for himself on a national stage until last season, at 63 years old, with IU. He led the Hoosiers to their first appearance in the College Football Playoff, and this year, he is on track for another CFP appearance.
Ryan Silverfield, HC, Memphis
One of the lesser-known candidates, Ryan Silverfield has had a diverse coaching career despite being just 45 years old. He’s coached at the high school level, at the Division III level, in both FBS and FCS, as well as in the NFL. He’s been in charge at Memphis since 2020, where the Tigers have finished at least .500 in every season. He’s also come up big in the biggest of games, with a 4–0 bowl record at Memphis, and he has the Tigers 6–0 this year.Joe Brady, OC, Buffalo Bills
A decade ago, Joe Brady spent two years as a PSU grad assistant under Franklin, so he’s familiar with the program. Since then, he’s spent most of his time in the NFL as a positions coach and coordinator, but he did make a name for himself in his one ensuing college year. That was in 2019 when he was OC of the national champion LSU Tigers. He helped guide Joe Burrow to the Heisman trophy, while last year he helped guide Josh Allen to the NFL MVP award. So Brady, clearly, knows how to work with quarterbacks, which would be valued with Allar’s eligibility ending this season.Dabo Swinney, HC, Clemson
If the Nittany Lions want to swing for the fences, then they could try prying a two-time national championship-winning coach away from Clemson. It was just a few weeks ago that Dabo Swinney publicly addressed his Clemson critics, “If Clemson’s tired of winning, they can send me on my way. But I’m gonna go somewhere else and coach. I ain’t going to the beach.”However, the biggest of potential coaching candidates is also the biggest of longshots, as Swinney isn’t one who seemingly enjoys frequent changes of scenery, unlike many of his counterparts, and many others on this list. He’s spent the last 36 years at two programs—Clemson since 2003 and his alma mater of Alabama, where he was an assistant for eight years.
It’s always been widely assumed that if Swinney were to leave Clemson, it would only be for an opening at Alabama. But Nittanyville can dream about landing Swinney.
