Well, they did it, folks. Penn State fired James Franklin on October 12th. This firing came as a surprise to many college football fans, while others had anticipated it. The Nittany Lions have fallen victim to two massive upsets in back-to-back games after falling short in yet another big matchup against Oregon a few weeks ago. Now that Franklin has officially been fired, who are some of the prime candidates for the position?
Current Betting Odds
Matt Rhule +200
Joe Brady +300
Fran Brown +500
Curt Cignetti +600
Bill O’Brien +700
Matt Rhule
Rhule is currently the odds-on favorite to be selected for the position at +200. Known as a program builder, Rhule’s reputation stems from rebuilds at programs such as Temple and Baylor. After taking over a Temple team that went 2-10 in Rhule’s first season, he eventually led Temple to back-to-back 10-win seasons. Rhule then took the job at Baylor. After going 1-11 in Rhule’s first season, Baylor went 7-6 the following season and 11-3 in Rhule’s final season.
Rhule currently coaches at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers went 5-7 in Rhule’s first season, 7-6 in the second season, and have now started 5-1 in the third season. The hiring of Rhule also brings the possibility of Dylan Raiola transferring to join him. Raiola is a former 5-star QB and a likely first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
Rhule’s roots at Penn State run deep. He attended high school in State College, Pennsylvania, and then went on to attend Penn State, where he played football for the Nittany Lions.
Joe Brady
During his stint in college football, Brady won the Broyles Award as college football’s top assistant coach. He’s known as the engine behind 2019 LSU’s offensive juggernaut. QB Joe Burrow had arguably college football’s greatest season of all time during that season. Brady is now the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills. In Brady’s first full season as the OC, Josh Allen won the NFL MVP.
The most common theory about Brady’s connection to Penn State involves the Buffalo Bills’ owner, Terry Pegula. FOX Sports’ Chris Fallica noted the connection recently. The theory involves Pegula, a large donor to Penn State, covering most of James Franklin’s buyout so Joe Brady can be named the head coach. While the theory can seem like a stretch, it also makes a lot of sense.
Brady also has personal connections to Penn State. He earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Penn State, and he served as a graduate assistant for the Nittany Lions during the 2015-2016 season.
Fran Brown
Brown has ties in Pennsylvania dating back to 2012. He served on the Temple coaching staff from 2012 to 2016 and again in 2019. Brown’s ties to the northeast consist of his early life in New Jersey and coaching positions at Rutgers and Syracuse.
Brown took over the Syracuse coaching job in 2024. He has led Syracuse to a 13-6 record. In 2023, before Brown took over, Syracuse ranked 69th in college football in total team recruiting talent. During Brown’s first season, in 2024, he increased this ranking to 48th, and now, in his second season, it is 34th.
While at Georgia, Brown was labeled as one of college football’s best recruiters, recruiting multiple players who ranked #1 at their positions, such as Ellis Robinson IV, Justin Williams, and KJ Bolden. Currently, 4 of Syracuse’s top five commits are from the state of Florida, despite Syracuse being located in New York. Brown brings arguably the best national recruiting potential of all the job candidates.
Curt Cignetti
What is Curt Cignetti’s case for the head coach of Penn State? Well, he wins. Google him. Those of you in college football circles will appreciate that reference. Seriously, Cignetti is a winner. He went 53-17 at IUP, 14-9 at Elon, 52-9 at James Madison, and now 17-2 at Indiana. His total record is 136-37.
Cignetti has many ties to the surrounding area and states, having coached in Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Virginia. His coaching experience spans many teams and decades. He was an assistant coach for nearly three decades, including multiple seasons at Alabama under Nick Saban. He’s now in his 14th season as a head coach.
So, in terms of experience and wins, Cignetti is Penn State’s best option. He brings the winning percentage that should be required to coach at a program such as Penn State. Penn State would be Cignetti’s first chance at recruiting elite players from high school, so there could still be another level to Cignetti’s potential.
Bill O’Brien
O’Brien’s ties to Penn State involve a previous head coaching position. O’Brien took over the Penn State job in the wake of the Sandusky scandal. The Nittany Lions suffered a multi-year postseason ban and scholarship reduction. Will Penn State offer O’Brien a real chance for success this time around?
Penn State went 8-4 in O’Brien’s first season. He was awarded the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award and the National Coach of the Year Award. Despite the scandals and bans looming over the program, O’Brien managed to sign the 34th-ranked college football recruiting class in 2013, including one 5-star and multiple other blue-chip recruits.
O’Brien has decades of experience in the NFL, including roles as an assistant coach and later a head coach with the Houston Texans. He has a career record of 52-48 in the NFL and 23-20 in college football.
