Has Penn State's Coaching Search Zeroed in on a Primary Target?

CBS college football analyst Josh Pate believes the Nittany Lions have identified their top candidate.

Penn State Nittany Lion fans cheer during the fourth quarter against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's coaching search is nearing the final stretch, even though few people outside Athletic Director Pat Kraft's circle truly know its direction. That said, CBS college football analyst Josh Pate suggested that Penn State has a leading candidate.

On his YouTube show Sunday night, Pate said that he believes Penn State is focused on James Madison's Bob Chesney as its next football coach. Chesney is in his second season at James Madison with a team that's 10-1 (7-0 in the Sun Belt Conference) and has an outside chance at the College Football Playoff.

"I think they have zeroed in on their guy the past several days," Pate said on his show. "I think that guy may be Bob Chesney. ... Now that's not the only [coach] who's gotten a look here. I don't even think that's the only guy they have gotten well down the road in contract negotiations with."

However, Chesney has emerged as a stronger name in Penn State's coaching search over the past week. Chesney has kept James Madison in the national conversation since taking over for Curt Cignetti in 2024. The Dukes are 19-5 under Chesney, who is in his first FBS coaching position after spending his career at FCS, Division II and Division III programs.

RELATED: Terry Smith complicated Penn State's coaching search after Nebraska win

James Madison Dukes head coach Bob Chesney on the sidelines in the second quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Chesney, 48, checks a lot of boxes for Penn State. He wins games (with five 10-win seasons since 2015) and has taken seven teams into the Division II or III playoffs. According to ESPN, James Madison has a 56.6 percent chance to make the College Football Playoff if it wins the Sun Belt Conference title

Chesney also fits the coaching profile that Kraft described in October, “the toughness, the blue-collar work ethic and the class that defines this institution.” Watch Chesney discuss building toughness with Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh. This is exactly what Kraft wants to hear. 

However, Chesney hasn't coached against a Big Ten team, much less for one, has not operated with an NIL or revenue-sharing budget close to Penn State's and has not recruited for a Power 4 program. Chesney's head coaching career runs through Division III Salve Regina, Division II Assumption and FCS Holy Cross.

"If you go look at Bob Chesney's Wikipedia page if he gets the Penn State job, look at where he would have come from to where he would be going, because that is a pretty steep ascension," Pate said. "If he can win, he can win. I'm not pushing back on it."

Pate also acknowledged that Penn State's coaching search has been on the quiet end of the major jobs and that few people truly know where Kraft is headed. College football analyst, and former Penn State tight end, Adam Breneman suggested Sunday that Penn State has a mystery candidate in contention.

There’s definitely a big name coach in the mix for the Penn State job that no one’s talking about

Think Lincoln Riley to USC a few years ago… no one even had Riley leaving Oklahoma on their radar

— Adam Breneman (@AdamBreneman81) November 23, 2025

"If it's not Bob Chesney, where do they go?" Pate asked on his show. "That's actually a great question. I have centered in on Bob Chesney for a couple days now, so I think that's where they go."

What about Terry Smith?

Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Terry Smith is congratulated by athletic director Pat Kraft following the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Beaver Stadium. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

A groundswell of support has followed Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith, picking up after the Nittany Lions' 37-10 win over Nebraska. Current players want Penn State to hire Smith, and letterman Michael Robinson made a strong endorsement for Smith as well.

"[Penn State players] said, 'I'm staying if Terry Smith gets the job,'" Robinson said during halftime of the game at Beaver Stadium. "I've talked to hundreds of alumni since I've been here, and every single one of them thinks Terry Smith should be the head coach. And I personally think Terry Smith should be the head coach."

Pate, however, doesn't see Penn State going in that direction, even though some fans believe Smith could stem the attrition of recruiting and transfer portal departures.

"I think there's a good option for Penn State out there," Pate said. "I just don't tend to think the guy who would win there long term, to the degree above and beyond what James Franklindid, which is important to note here, is Terry Smith."

Watch Pate's full breakdown of the Penn State situation here.

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