Former Giants Coach Brian Daboll Linked To Major College Football Job

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Former Giants Coach Brian Daboll Linked To Major College Football Job

While his tenure with the New York Giants may not have worked out, Brian Daboll is now expected to be a top candidate for some pretty big jobs at the pro and college level this cycle.

While he's probably not in line to get the Titans job, he would make a great offensive coordinator. But according to one college football insider, he could be making a play for the vacant Penn State job too.

It was The Athletic's Bruce Feldman who wrote on Friday that Daboll is "a name to keep an eye" on as the Nittany Lions search for their long-term replacement at head coach. Speculation on Daboll's interest in the job actually predates the report, as the first photo of Daboll following his dismissal from the Giants was of him wearing a Penn State hoodie.

While Daboll's experience in college isn't quite as extensive as his experience in the NFL, he did have one of the all-time greats as his mentor. His first big job after spending a year as a volunteer assistant at William & Mary was a two-year run as a graduate assistant for the Michigan State Spartans from 1998 to 1999. The head coach at the time was Nick Saban.

Daboll would parlay his experience with Saban into a seven-year stint with the New England Patriots, followed by six years bouncing around the league as an offensive coordinator, then a return to New England for four more years before reuniting with Saban in Alabama during the 2017 season.

Daboll served as the offensive coordinator and QBs coach for the 2017 Alabama Crimson Tide, who knocked off Georgia to win the national title that year. After that, he spent four years in Buffalo before getting the Giants job.

Nov 2, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll stands on the field prior to a game against the San Francisco 49ers at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images© Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

Mixed reaction

Penn State fans seem passionately mixed on whether Daboll would be a good hire or not. Many feel that the things that led to Daboll failing in New York would follow him to Beaver Stadium, while others think he could find some success there:

"That would be a horrible decision… he can’t recruit," one user on X remarked.

"He does not have the temperament to coach college ball," wrote another.

"Daboll would be perfect for college. Go kill it man! You would have control over the whole thing. Giants are only for big big personality coaches. Parcells Coughlin…. Gruden hopefully," a third remarked.

"Not surprised at all it makes sense."

"Ngl…. He might actually cook."

Penn State fired head coach James Franklin following a 3-3 start to the season despite making the national title game last year.

Whoever takes over the team is going to have to prove rather quickly that he can succeed in the few areas where Franklin failed. Specifically, the ability to beat top-five opponents rather than trouncing everyone else on the schedule. Any coach that fails in that area is likely to have a very short time in Happy Valley.

This story was originally reported by The Spun on Nov 14, 2025, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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