James Franklin is out. So now the question looms: who will be Penn State’s next head football coach?
“If I was Pat Kraft,” FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt said, “I would be swinging for the fences.”
When appearing on Wednesday’s episode of “The Herd”, Klatt put himself in the shoes of Kraft, the Penn State Athletic Director, and explained how he’d go about the process of finding the Nittany Lions’ next coach.
Joel Klatt on Penn State’s HC search, USC, Indiana’s contender status | FULL INTERVIEW | The Herd
It’s a crucial moment for Penn State as Franklin helped them maintain their place among college football’s great programs, but he just never cracked the elite tier. Klatt compared the situation to when Kirby Smart took over for Mark Richt at the University of Georgia and took them from a perennial 10-win team, to a National Championship Game appearance in Year 2, and eventually a back-to-back champion in 2021 and 2022.
Now the Nittany Lions need to find that coach who can take them to the next level.
“I would start with the biggest swing possible,” Klatt said. “I think the first call that I would make is Nick Saban.”
Calling Saban is essentially like checking a box. You just have to make sure that the arguably greatest college football coach of all time wouldn’t leave his perch as an ESPN analyst. In 17 years at the University of Alabama, Saban went 206-29. He won three CFP National Championships and three BCS National Championships.
He left behind coaching after the 2023 season, but would he make a return? Kraft at least has to ask the question.
The next tier of options for Kraft to consider, Klatt said, should include Marcus Freeman, Dan Lanning and Curt Cignetti. Lanning has expressed his loyalty to Oregon time and again. Cignetti has had an impressive stint at Indiana so far, but is still new to the Big Ten. And Freeman, well…
“Is Penn State a better job than Notre Dame? I don’t think it is personally,” Klatt said.
So why would he downgrade after taking the Irish to the championship game last season?
The Penn State job might not be better than Notre Dame or Oregon, it might not lure Saban, but it’s certainly appealing. The program has shown a willingness to commit to successful football. Beaver Stadium is currently undergoing a $700 million renovation. Penn State bought out Franklin’s contract at an estimated $48 million. Kraft wants to win.
“This is a good job,” Klatt said. “I don’t know if it’s a great job. But in this cycle of college football, it’s the best job.”
It’s just a question of whose job it will be.
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