Penn State football coaching hot board, 5 latest candidates for Nittany Lions
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Penn State football should be closing in on hiring its next head coach.
The regular season is ending and national signing day and the college football postseason are fast approaching.
James Franklin has already found a new job at Virginia Tech since Penn State fired him on Oct. 12.
So who will replace him now? Will impressive interim head coach Terry Smith be given a legitimate shot at the job − or at least be asked to stay with the new staff?
The Nittany Lions are supposedly narrowing down the candidates to become just their fourth head coach since 1966, when Joe Paterno took over.
Here are five potential hiring options in the coming weeks, if not days:
Brent Key, Georgia Tech head coach
Brent Key, 47, is a fast-rising, head coach who appears ready to lead a traditional powerhouse program.
He turned around Georgia Tech quickly and is known for being an offensive-minded coach whose teams are disciplined and well-prepared. He led Alabama’s offensive line under Nick Saban.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach
Eli Drinkwitz, 42, has made a big splash at Missouri the past three seasons and, like Key, appears ready for a blue-blood program upgrade.
He won 10 games or more the previous two seasons but took a small step back this season with a tough schedule and an injury to former Nittany Lion quarterback Beau Pribula.
Kalen DeBoer, Alabama head coach
The seat gets hot at Alabama if you’re not challenging for national titles. Rumors are floating that Kalen DeBoer (9-4 last year; 8-2 this season) may be open to a change of coaching scenery.
He’s been a winner everywhere he’s gone, including taking Washington to the national title game after the 2023 season.
DeBoer, 51, may well be the top Penn State choice, if he’s truly interested in moving on now. Would the Lions wait for him if the Crimson Tide make the playoffs?
Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator
Brian Hartline is one of college football’s most coveted assistants, known as an expert talent developer and recruiter. His Ohio State wide receivers have been the nation’s best in recent years.
Hartline, 38, has learned under Urban Meyer and Ryan Day and is now leading arguably the top offense in the country.
He does seem ready to make a head coach jump. But where does a highly-successful assistant with no program managing experience stand on athletic director Pat Kraft’s candidate board?
Bob Chesney, James Madison head coach
Hartline and Bob Chesney, 48, could be second-tier, fallback options for Penn State. Of course, both also have signs of becoming the next national coaching stars.
Chesney may be following the script of Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti by turning premium success as former Division I-AA JMU into a high-stakes job.
Chesney is a Pennsylvania native, has led success on multiple NCAA levels and now has the Dukes in the Top 25.
Frank Bodani covers Penn State football for the York Daily Record and USA Today Network. Contact him at fbodani@ydr.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @YDRPennState.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: New Penn State football coaching hot board to replace James Franklin
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