When Penn State decided it had enough of James Franklin and the Nittany Lions fired their head coach after three consecutive losses to elite Oregon, winless UCLA and ordinary Northwestern, it was clear that the football program needed to hit the reset button. Subsequent losses to Iowa and Ohio State have stretched the losing streak to five games, and the prospects for their November 8 home game against second-ranked Indiana are poor.
Nevertheless, when the school's administration finally fills the head coaching position on a permanent basis — probably at the conclusion of the regular season — an elite coach is likely to fill the position. At the start of the year, Penn State was considered a prime contender for the national championship and looked at as the favorite to win the Big Ten over Ohio State. The team's many long-time supporters as well as Penn State's alumni want a coach who can return the Nittany Lions to glory as soon as possible.
Matt Rhule extended by Nebraska
The first name mentioned after Franklin was fired was Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule. The chatter about Rhule grew quickly and his contract with the Cornhuskers was quickly extended. He was under contract through the 2030 season, and Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen extended the deal for two additional seasons. Rhule is a Penn State graduate.
“Coach Rhule has shown he is the right leader at the right time for Nebraska Football. We look forward to him and his family being in Lincoln for a long time,” Dannen said. “Our program has seen significant progress under Matt’s leadership, and at this stage in the evolution of the program continuity and stability are critical.”
The extension was clearly designed to put an end to the rumors that Rhule could leave Nebraska and take over at Penn State. However, if Penn State wanted to make a run at Rhule and pay the fees that it would take to get him out of his contract, there is no doubt that the school has the wherewithal to do just that. Prior to getting fired, Franklin was the highest paid public employee in the state of Pennsylvania. Franklin signed a 10-year, $85 million contract in 2021.
Nebraska's progress under Rhule is slow
However, Penn State should not try to induce Rhule and help him get out of his contract. The Cornhuskers are a better team under Rhule than they were before he arrived in Lincoln — but not by a lot.
The Cornhuskers were 4-8 in 2022, the year before Rhule was hired. They were 5-7 in 2023 and 7-6 last season. The Cornhuskers are 6-3 this season and they have three games left on the schedule. Two of them appear to be winnable against UCLA and Penn State — both on the road — before closing the season against Iowa.
Recent losses to Minnesota and USC indicate that Nebraska's progress under Rhule has not been fast enough. The Cornhuskers have not shown the kind of progress to indicate that Rhule is an elite coach who can return that team to the glory it once had under legendary head coaches Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne. Nebraska was once a national championship contender on a nearly every-year basis, but those days are long in the past.
If he hasn't been able to make dynamic progress with Nebraska, why could he with the Nittany Lions? He would not be a good choice for that school.
Jeff Brohm could emerge as key Penn State coaching candidate
Jeff Brohm is in his third season as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals. He has a 7-1 record at Louisville this season and he has a signature victory over Miami. The Hurricanes were the second-ranked team in the nation at the time, and Louisville outlasted them by a 24-21 margin.
Brohm is known for developing a team that can light it up on the scoreboard with excellent offensive play. He was a quarterback during his playing days at Louisville, and he does an excellent job of coaching that position.
Prior to coaching at Louisville, he was a successful head coach at Western Kentucky and Purdue. He led the Hilltoppers to wins in three bowl games, and he had a 2-1 bowl record while leading the Boilermakers.
Louisville defeated Washington 35-34 in the Sun Bowl last season. Brohm currently is under contract with the Cardinals through the 2029 season.
In addition to Brohm, other potential Penn State head coaching candidates include Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline and Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz. Additional names could emerge for the Penn State head coaching job.
