Penn State fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 after back-to-back losses to Northwestern and UCLA.
Heading into November, the coaching search for the Nittany Lions continues to take some interesting turns. Indiana's Curt Cignetti and Nebraska's Matt Rhule – Big Ten coaches who were considered top candidates for the job – have signed extensions to stay with the Hoosiers and Huskers, respectively.
The move to fire Franklin was shocking on some level. Penn State won 10 or more games each of the last three seasons under Franklin, and that included a run to the College Football Playoff semifinals in 2024. Franklin's struggles against top-10 teams are well-documented, but back-to-back losses against unranked teams effectively knocked Penn State out of the College Football Playoff this season. That was unexpected, to say the least.
The Nittany Lions are moving on, but at what cost? It's a lot. Did that firing impact the candidate pool for the Penn State vacancy? Here is a look at the best candidates with Cignetti and Rhule off the board:
MORE: Breaking down Penn State's 2025 collapse
What is James Franklin's buyout at Penn State?
Franklin signed a 10-year, $85 million contract in 2021. According to 247Sports.com, ESPN.com's Pete Thamel reports Franklin's buyout is worth $49 million, per his contract. It ranks among the top with FBS coaches. That is a hefty number for the Nittany Lions, especially considering the renovations at Beaver Stadium and the NIL race with other Big Ten powers.
Penn State coaching candidates
Who might be in line to take James Franklin's job at Penn State? A look at some of the best candidates:
Jeff Brohm, Louisville coach
Brohm, 54, is emerging as one of the leading candidates for the job. He's 25-9 at Louisville, an impressive run that followed a stint where he led Purdue to the Big Ten championship game in his final season. Brohm is outstanding at QB development, and this would be a good fit for the Nittany Lions' offense. Would Brohm leave his alma mater to return to the Big Ten? That's the question that could go either way.
Brian Kelly, former LSU coach
Kelly, 64, makes more sense now than he did when was still coaching at LSU. Is this the last move for the long-time coach who was 113-40 at Notre Dame and 34-14 at LSU? Kelly has made a BCS championship appearance and two CP appearances in the four-team era. He won 10 or more games in seven consecutive seasons from 2017-23. Would he be able to take the next step with the Nittany Lions?
Manny Diaz, Duke coach
Diaz, 51, was a defensive coordinator at Penn State from 2022-23. He finished 21-15 at Miami from 2019-21 and is 13-7 since taking over at Duke. Diaz has proven he can handle coaching in the NIL and transfer portal era, and the chance to upgrade with the Nittany Lions would be interesting. Still, how much different would he be than Franklin in the Big Ten?
Alex Golesh, South Florida coach
Golesh, 41, might be the best fit among the up-and-coming American Conference coaches. He was a GA at Ohio State from 2004-05, and he's built on offensive coordinator stints at UCF and Tennessee. South Florida is 20-14 since he took over, and Golesh uses a blend of an up-tempo offense with an aggressive defense that would play well in Happy Valley. It's a big jump.
Matt Campbell, Iowa State coach
Campbell, 45, continues to watch his stock fluctuate at Iowa State. The Cyclones won 11 games last season, but they have suffered two losses in Big 12 play this season. Campbell has Iowa State on pace for its eighth winning season in 10 years. We have wanted to see what Campbell can do with a major Power 4 program for years. Is this the right time to take that swing?
Pat Fitzgerald, former Northwestern coach
Fitzgerald, 50, has been out of coaching the last two seasons since the end of his tenure at Northwestern. He compiled a 110-101 record with the Wildcats from 2006-22 with teams that constantly overachieved, and he settled a $130 million lawsuit with the school for wrongful termination after being dismissed from 2022. Fitzgerald could do the most with a second chance, and Penn State is an intriguing fit.