Most Oddsmakers Say Matt Rhule is Favorite to Become Next Penn State Coach

Huskers coach, a Nittany Lions alum, subject of nationwide speculation

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is the choice of several oddsmakers to land the Penn State coaching job. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is considered the favorite to replace James Franklin as Penn State’s head football coach by several oddsmakers.

Franklin was fired Sunday. Immediately, Rhule’s name surfaced as a possible replacement.

Rhule is a Penn State alum who played football for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He didn’t exactly shoot down the speculation at a Monday news conference in Lincoln, when he mentioned that he loved Nebraska but also loved Penn State.

And, he said he loved Pat Kraft, the Penn State athletic director who was his AD at Temple. Penn State is one of the top college football coaching jobs in America, an elite program that recently hasn’t been able to get to the top of the sport.

Nebraska also is considered an elite program with a storied history of five national championships. The Huskers, under Rhule, are trying to climb out of a nearly decade-long period of non-winning football. The Huskers were 7-6 last season that included a bowl victory. This season, Nebraska is 5-1.

We searched for posted odds on the Penn State job opening and found a range from oddsmakers, including several who listed Rhule as the favorite.

Rhule on top

Senior handicapper Adam Thompson, on bookies. com has made Rhule the favorite to land the Penn State job. Here are the top odds, and implied percentage of landing the job:

* Matt Rhule: +250, 28.6 percent chance of getting the job
* Manny Diaz, Duke head coach: +350, 22.2 percent chance of getting the job
* Curt Cignetti, Indiana head coach: +600, 14.3 percent chance of getting the job
* Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator: +700, 12.5 percent chance of getting the job
* Clark Lea, Vanderbilt head coach: +800, 11.1 percent chance of getting the job
* Matt Campbell, Iowa State head coach: +900, 10.0 percent chance of getting the job
* Matt Patricia, Ohio State defensive coordinator: +1400, 6.7 percent chance of getting the job
* Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach: +1400, 6.7 percent chance of getting the job
* The Field: +1500, 6.3 percent chance of getting the job

Prediction market picks Rhule

According to Kalshi, a New York-based financial exchange and prediction market, Rhule is a 50 percent favorite to replace Franklin. Cignetti has the second-best chance at 29 percent.

Two more votes for Rhule

BetOnline.ag also says Rhule is the favorite. Some odds:

* Matt Rhule: 3/1
* Bill O’Brien: 4/1
* Curt Cignetti: 6/1
* Lane Kiffin: 8/1
* Manny Diaz: 10/1

* Urban Meyer: 12/1
* Joe Brady: 14/1

BetOnline (a different entity than BetOnline.ag) also has Rhule as the favorite.

1. Matt Rhule: +200
2. Joe Brady: +300
3. Fran Brown: +500
4. Curt Cignetti: +600
5. Bill O’Brien: +700
6. Lane Kiffin: +900
7. Matt Campbell: +1000
8. Will Stein: +1600
9. Jon Gruden: +2000
10. Brent Key: +2000
11. Manny Diaz: +2000
12. Jon Sumrall: +2500
13. Urban Meyer: +3300
14. GJ Kinne: +3300

Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady is considered a candidate for the Penn State job. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Rhule No. 2

BetOnline has Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady as the betting favorite. Brady is +150, followed by Rhule at +200, Syracuse head coach Fran Brown at +500, and Cignetti at +700.

Brady was a two-year graduate assistant at Penn State under Franklin. He is an offensive-minded coach with success at LSU and now with the Bills.

Rhule in seventh

CFB Home’s odds aren’t as bullish on Rhule. This was the lowest odds we found on Rhule — the seventh favorite at +550.

* Manny Diaz: +150
* Alex Golesh: +250
* Jon Gruden: +300
* Fran Brown: +325
* Curt Cignetti: +400
* Matt CampbellL: +450
* Matt Rhule: +550
* Joe Brady: +600
* Lance Leipold: +700
* Dan Mullen: +750
* Eli Drinkwitz: +850
* Josh Heupel: +950
* Kenny Dillingham: +1250

Diaz is the current Duke head coach and a former Penn State defensive coordinator.

Rhule on Nebraska, Penn State

Rhule talked about Nebraska on Monday.

“I came here for two reasons,” Rhule said. “I love this community, and I wanted to rebuild Nebraska football. This place is elite. I want to be a great father and a great college football coach. I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come up … but I absolutely love it here.”

About Kraft and Penn State, Rhule said: “I’m just looking at the future, but again, I love that place [Penn State], I love Pat, I love James Franklin and am sad that came to an end. I wish him the absolute best. But I’m really happy here.”

On3 reported that Penn State is interested in Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and also said that Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer “are not serious candidates.”

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