As the college football coaching carousel continues to spin, the Penn State football program might be the best team left without a head coach. With other top vacancies like LSU and Florida's now filled, many are waiting to see who Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft hires to be James Franklin's replacement. Unfortunately, another coach has withdrawn his name from consideration. According to college football insiders Pat Forde and Nicole Auerbach via X, formerly Twitter, Louisville's Jeff Brohm will remain with the Cardinals.

“News story on Jeff Brohm being presented terms by Penn State and turning them down to remain at Louisville,” Forde reported on Wednesday afternoon. “Where do the Nittany Lions turn next?”

That is certainly the question on the minds of many Penn State football fans. Coming into the season, the Nittany Lions were finally poised to make a breakthrough College Football Playoff run under Franklin. However, three straight losses, including rough upsets to UCLA and Northwestern, led to Franklin's dismissal. Since then, interim coach Terry Smith has been in charge. He led Penn State back to bowl eligibility, going 3-3 as head coach to get the program to 6-6. With Brohm electing to stay in Louisville, who will Kraft target next?

Penn State football needs a leader, the sooner, the better

Article Continues Below
Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith is congratulated by athletic director Pat Kraft following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium.
Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Before Brohm declined the Penn State football opening, BYU's Kalani Sitake was seen as Kraft's first choice. However, the longtime Cougars coach elected to stay in Provo, getting a contract extension amid a season where BYU is in position to potentially win the Big 12 with Saturday's conference championship game against Texas Tech.

Franklin has moved on, taking the Virginia Tech gig. LSU filled its vacancy with Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin. Florida hired Tulane's Jon Sumrall, while Auburn chose USF's Alex Golesh to take over their program. Now, Kraft needs a new leader for the Penn State football program, and fast. The longer the Nittany Lions go without a leader, the tougher a potential playoff run will be come 2026.