The Penn State Nittany Lions’ preferred James Franklin replacement, Indiana Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti, just signed an eight-year, $92.8 million contract extension to stay in Bloomington indefinitely.
As ESPN’s Pete Thamel shared, “The deal came together so quickly because both IU’s president Pam Whitten and AD Scott Dolson wanted Cignetti to feel wanted,” and “wanted him to feel their commitment to him and eliminate any distractions.” Certainly, their commitment is solidified by Cignetti's deal being fully guaranteed if he's fired without cause.
That has On3’s Andrew Bone believing Penn State will pivot to Nebraska Cornhuskers football coach Matt Rhule in their coaching search.
Matt Rhule has gone on record denying interest in Penn State
Rhule, to his credit, denied any interest in the Nittany Lions, his alma mater.
He also spoke tangibly about why he believes the Cornhuskers aren’t far from being a contender. He named Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola specifically to drive home his point, but also shared the belief that Big Red should be a perennial powerhouse.
"This is not a jumping-off job," Rhule said on The Pat McAfee Show. "This is a destination job. This is one of the greatest places in the world.
“When it's your alma mater, you have to show it love and respect. I love (Penn State AD) Pat Kraft. They'll find the right coach for them, whoever that is.
"Think about how good we'll be next year. I'm not thinking about next year, but where we are right now, we're learning, learning, learning. Think about where we're gonna go with Dylan (Raiola) and all these guys.
“This is a destination job that should be a national bully, that should be a beast. I think we're making our way to doing that. I'm going all in on this place. We can make this whatever we want."
None of what Rhule told McAfee makes the Cornhuskers keeping their coach a reality. However, Rhule set himself up for quite the “Freezing Cold Takes” post if he does decide to ditch Lincoln for State College.