Nittany Lions Set To Start New Head Coach Search After Firing James Franklin
He had a twelve year run with prestigious Penn State university. But as of today his era has come to an end. The Nittany Lions are now set to start a new head coach search after firing James Franklin. Just over a month ago the football team had been considered contenders for the national championship. However, those aspirations have since died. They have experienced three consecutive losses. Two of them coming from Big Ten basement-dwellers, UCLA and Northwestern.
All of the losing likely played a large part in the decision to fire Franklin. And it didn’t help that starting quarterback Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury in the loss to Northwestern. During Franklin’s tenure with the school Penn State reached the cusp of the national championship game, only to fall to Notre Dame in a CFP semifinal. He was named the Dave McClain Coach of the Year in the Big Ten in the 2016 season. They won their first Rose Bowl since 1995 for the 2022 season.
Nevertheless, Penn State did not see a way forward with Franklin at the helm. They want a coach who will regularly get past the Big Ten’s elites and win a national championship. Franklin was not able to get past perennial contenders such as Ohio State, Michigan and Oregon. This despite the school significantly investing in facilities, NIL and other areas. In other words they have access to all the resources necessary to compete at a higher level.
So now they will have to find a replacement for Franklin who can take the team to the next level. Which shouldn’t be difficult given that the Penn State coaching job is a premium position. There is no shortage of qualified candidates who can take over the job. Here are a few possibilities.
Nittany Lions Set To Start New Head Coach Search After Firing James Franklin
Indiana coach Cig Cignetti is a coach who wins and wins big. At Indiana University-Pennsylvania he went 53-17 with three Division II playoff appearances. He’d have all the resources needed at Penn State to continue his winning ways.
Nebraska coach Matt Rhule has a reputation for building programs. He lifted up both Baylor and Temple turning them into conference championship contenders. And he is on track to do the same at Nebraska. Plus he has a history with Penn State being a former Nittany linebacker.
And there is Iowa State coach Matt Campbell whose name always seems to come up in coaching searches. He too built the Iowa State program into a Big 12 contender. He has been the architect of all of the best seasons in Cyclones history and is fresh off his second trip to the Big 12 title game.
No matter who is chosen for the coveted position they will have some sky-high expectations to meet. But at least they will inherit a rock-solid program.
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