Penn State has lost three straight games. Now, Penn State has fired James Franklin. After making the CFP semi-finals in 2024, the Nittany Lions started the year 3-0. Since then, they have lost three straight, and the school has decided to move on. Now, the search is on for a new head coach, and these are the people Penn State should consider.
James Franklin began his coaching career at Kutztown as a wide receiver coach. He primarily coached in the college ranks, moving up from a Division II spot to an FCS spot, and then the FBS ranks. He coached the 2005 season in the NFL with the Packers. After coaching three seasons with Marland as the offensive coordinator, he got his first head coaching job at Vanderbilt. He made three straight bowl games and finished inside the top 25 twice with Vandy before taking the Penn State job.
At Penn State, Franklin was 104-45, and went to a bowl game every year from 2014 through 2024, expect 2020 when they declined an invite. Further, he won a Big Ten title in 2016 and made the playoffs in 2024.
Terry Smith- Penn State interim head coach
Terry Smith is the initial candidate to replace Franklin. He has been named the interim coach for the Nittany Lions. Smith played for Penn State as a wide receiver from 1987-1991, breaking records for the team. After spending one year in the NFL, he spent time in the CFL and the Arena League. Smith then joined the coaching ranks, starting at Hempfield High School for a season before four seasons at Duquesne. He then returned to the high school ranks, spending a year as the offensive coordinator for Gateway High School before 11 seasons as the head coach.
Ultimately, he would return to college coaching, and after a year at Temple, he joined the Penn State staff in 2014. He has been in charge of cornerbacks the entire time, while also being an assistant and associate head coach. He was brought in to be a major part of the recruiting staff when Franklin took over as the head coach. In that time, Smith has been highly successful in recruiting. He has also coached some solid defensive backs. While he is the interim coach, Smith has not been a head coach or a coordinator at the college level, which will make it difficult for him to get the full-time job.
Jim Knowles- Penn State defensive coordinator
Jim Knowles was not named the interim coach, but he will be considered for the head job. He played college football at Cornell and then joined the coaching staff there in 1988. He would spend time at Cornell, Western Michigan, and Ole Miss before becoming the head coach at Cornell. He was just 26-34 at Cornell as the head coach, and did not play in the postseason. This resulted in him moving back to the FBS ranks, first joining Duke as the defensive coordinator.
Knowles spent time at Duke and then improved the Oklahoma State defense. He would then move to Ohio State, helping the team win a national title. Still, Penn State poached Knowles this past offseason. The Penn State defense has not been amazing this season. They are 32nd in opponent points per game while sitting 79th agaisnt the run but 16th against the pass. Regardless, he was brought in to help the Nittany Lions win a national title, and instead has helped get his boss fired.
Clark Lea- Vanderbilt head coach
The last time Penn State needed a head coach, they went ahead and hired the Vanderbilt head coach. From 1983 through 2010, the Commodores had made just one bowl game and had just one winning season. The team hired Franklin, and he had two nine-win seasons, plus made three bowls in three years. After Franklin left, the program crumbled, making two bowl games in the next seven seasons, and not having a winning season.
Vanderbilt has a solid coach once again. While the Clark Lea era started slowly at Vandy, he went 7-6 last year while also upsetting Alabama. This year, he has the Dores at 5-1 and one of the top teams in the SEC. If Penn State wants to go the route of a program builder once again, returning to Vanderbilt should be an option.
Curt Cignetti- Indiana head coach
If Penn State wants the big fish in the upcoming coaching cycle, they need to make a play for Curt Cignetti. The Indiana head coach is a winner. He has done so at every stop he has made, including being part of an NC State staff and developing Russell Wilson, and also part of an Alabama staff that won a national title.
In his first head coaching stop, he coached at IUP, going 53-17 and making the playoffs three times. He then spent two seasons at Elon, with two playoff berths. Cignetti transitioned James Madison from FCS to FBS, going 52-9 with three FCS playoff berths and going 19-4 at the FBS level. Then, he took Indiana to the playoffs last year. Indiana has been great this year. The Hooisers are currently ranked third in the AP Poll.
The biggest question is whether Cignetti will take the job. While he is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this could be seen as a lateral move. Indiana is not a blue-blood program like Penn State, but it is a Big Ten program, and Indiana is currently playing well in the conference.
Alex Golesh- South Florida head coach
Alex Golesh will be one of the hottest names in the coaching carousel in 2025. The former Ohio State player has a lot of experience in the Big Ten. He has been an assistant for both Ohio State and Illinois, while also spending time in Big Ten country with Toledo and Northern Illinois.
His last job before becoming the head coach of South Florida was as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, where he was highly successful. He has also been great in South Florida. In his first two seasons, the team went 7-6 in each season and won bowl games each year. He has also built the Bulls into a winner. The team opened the year with upsets over Boise State and Florida before falling to Miami.
Since then, the team defeated South Carolina State and Charlotte before facing North Texas on the road. North Texas was undefeated and favored in the game. That did not matter for Golesh and his team, as they won 63-36. He is a rising star in the coaching ranks and would be a solid hire for the Nittany Lions.
Regardless, this is a solid program, and Penn State should have its pick of the litter when it comes to choosing its next head coach.
