Nick Saban Endorses Candidate to Follow James Franklin at Penn State

Penn State's coaching search is drawing toward a conclusion after nearly seven weeks.

Penn State coach James Franklin talks with Nick Saban on the set of ESPN College GameDay before the Penn State-Oregon game. | Allen Kee/ESPN Images

As Penn State's coaching search nears its conclusion, there has been little news but plenty of endorsements regarding James Franklin's replacement. On Wednesday's edition of the Pat McAfee Show, Nick Saban added his.

McAfee asked Saban whether he considered Brian Daboll, the former New York Giants head coach, to be a viable candidate for the Penn State job. McAfee and former Penn State center A.Q. Shipley have suggested Daboll more than once for Penn State and gave Saban the opportunity add his voice. Saban endorsed his one-time offensive coordinator at Alabama as a sound candidate for Penn State.

"I love Brian," Saban said on the show. "He did a great job here for us [as the] offensive coordinator. We won the championship [in 2017] with him calling the plays. He's been in the Super Bowl several times with Bill Belichick and won."

Daboll, fired from the Giants in early November after a 2-8 start, has worked primarily in the NFL, though he did spend the 2017 season as Saban's offensive coordinator at Alabama. Daboll directed an offense that included Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback, Damien Harris at running back and Calvin Ridley at wide receiver. Alabama went 13-1 and defeated Georgia in overtime for the national championship.

"I think he was in a tough situation with the Giants, but I do think that he's a very good coach," Saban said. "He's a bright guy, he's a good recruiter, he relates well to the players, he's a good teacher, he's a got a good offensive mind, and he'll be able to put a good staff together. I think he would be an outstanding hire [for Penn State]."

"I love Brian Daboll and he did a great job here for us..

He's a very good a coach and he's a great recruiter..

I think he would be an outstanding hire for Penn State" ~ Coach Saban #PMSLive https://t.co/gmqYpuhV2P pic.twitter.com/4tbV8eJdCu

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) November 26, 2025

Saban's comments lifted Daboll's profile on the betting market. The futures site Kalshi on Wednesday night listed Daboll with a 21 percent chance to become Penn State's next head coach, behind only James Madison's Bob Chesney.

Daboll went 20-40 in less than four seasons with the Giants, including a 5-22 record over the last two seasons. A day after the firing, the New York Post captured images of Daboll wearing a Penn State hoodie. Daboll's son Christian, a former Giants staffer, was a student assistant with the Penn State football team. Daboll has another child who attends Penn State as well.

With that came the speculation. On his ESPN show earlier this month, McAfee tossed the idea of Daboll to Shipley, who liked it. McAfee said that Penn State needs to "make a splashy hire" to keep fans and boosters happy. Shipley agreed.

"I think he would be great," Shipley said on the McAfee show. "He's an offensive genius, he really is, and he understands it. He coached under Nick Saban when they had a great offense. And then you take what he learned from Bill Belichick, you take what he learned from being a head coach, splash hire. "He's a good offensive mind, and you just need somebody to help you navigate the NIL waters."

A search with little clarity

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft talks with members of an alumni group before a Nittany Lions game at Beaver Stadium. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft has kept his search details and candidates in-house, to the point that lettermen are asking for some clarity. Josh Pate of CBS Sports noted this on his show, in which he said that he doesn't think Penn State will get any of the "grand-slam" or "home-run" candidates associated with the search.

"I got some very mixed revirews on the state of the Penn State search, but I also think it's been very closed off," Pate said on his show. "I think Pat Kraft is flying almost solo, not quite solo, but I really think he's pushed a lot of the voices out of the room."

Pate reiterated that he considers Chesney to be Penn State's primary target. In his second season at James Madison, Chesney is 10-1 and already has a spot in the Sun Belt Conference championship game, which James Madison will host on Dec 6.

Some Penn State fans still want Terry Smith

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

Long-time Penn State fan Matt Wolosz printed 150 "Hire Terry Smith" signs that he shared with Nittany Lions players, their parents and fans after the team's win over Nebraska. He plans to bring more to Penn State's game at Rutgers on Saturday.

Wolosz's sign activated a portion of the Penn State fan base that wants Kraft to remove Smith's interim tag and make him the full-time head coach.

If Penn State acts out of love, they will hire Terry Smith," said Brad Dillman, owner of the Penn Steaks in State College. "If they act out of fear, they’ll go hire someone else.”

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