The Latest on Penn State's Coaching Search as it Enters Week 2

Penn State AD Pat Kraft promised a national search to find James Franklin's successor.

A general view of the end zone at Beaver Stadium prior to the game between the Northwestern Wildcats and the Penn State Nittany Lions. | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Penn State's coaching search enters Week 2, which means it's just getting started. James Franklin is off to find a new place to win a national championship, and Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft is conducting an insulated process to identify his successor.

To reiterate: This is merely Week 2, and college football's complicated crossover schedule of regular-season games, playoffs, the early signing period and the NCAA Transfer Portal will shape the search's terms. That said, we dip into the process to summarize Penn State's coaching search.

RELATED: At Penn State, it's Pat Kraft's turn to win a big game

Matt Rhule

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule walks the sidelines during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at SECU Stadium. | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Before Nebraska played Minnesota last Friday, two sources outside Penn State's athletic department considered the Cornhuskers coach to sit atop Kraft's short list. One game won't change that, though it was a dud of a game.

Nebraska lost 24-6 at Minnesota, where its offense withered. The Gophers sacked Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola nine times and held its offense to 213 total yards and an average yards-per-carry of 1.2. It was not a sales pitch for the dynamic program Kraft wants to build.

Coaching searches don't rise and fall based on one-game sample sizes, and Rhule will remain a part of this search process for the long haul. Nevertheless, he'll be a tough sell to administrators, donors and to Kraft himself with more results like that — particularly considering the Cornhuskers visit Penn State on Nov. 22.

Some other names to consider

Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Kalen DeBoer looks on in the third quarter against the Tennessee Volunteers at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. | David Leong-Imagn Images

Coaching names will flow through the search fluidly, some legitimately, some as distractions, some as negotiating tactics. But here are several we expect to be part of the process in some way. To be clear: Their level of candidacy is unknown, but these coaches are part of the initial heat sheet.

Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: The Alabama coach is 6-1 with the nation's fourth-ranked team that's positioned well for the College Football Playoff. A source outside the program considered DeBoer a name to watch here, even though DeBoer has won six straight with the Tide after an early buzzkill loss to Florida State. The playoff schedule, should Alabama make it, will be an issue,

Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: The fifth-year coach has a nice NIL budget at Missouri, which helped him affored a group of portal players that included former Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula. He's got a good thing going in Columbia (Missouri also is 6-1) but has been considered a social climber whose eyes often wander. Penn State would be a good fit for his aggressive recruiting and portal strategy and offensive chops, though Missouri also might be a better situation currently.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M: On Saturday, FOX Sports' Bruce Feldman positioned Elko with Rhule as the two primary names to watch in Penn State's search. Elko, who moved from Duke to Texas A&M in 2024, has the nation's third-ranked team at 7-0, albeit coming off a harrowing 45-42 win over Arkansas. Spot the regional ties with Elko, too: He played high school football in New Jersey, college football at Penn and has coached and recruited in the Northeast. Penn State would have to tap those "elite-level resources" Kraft talks about to make it worth Elko's while.

"There's two names we expect to be in the mix at Penn State..." 👀

More from @BruceFeldmanCFB on how Curt Cignetti's contract to stay at Indiana influences the head coaching vacancy at Penn State. pic.twitter.com/bQdmUuy3DM

— Big Noon Kickoff (@BNKonFOX) October 18, 2025

Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: Ready for a wild card? Kiffin might be in his moving sweet spot, particularly if the Rebels finish 10-2 and miss the playoff. Kiffin has recalibrated from his USC meltdown and could be in the market for a change. He has been at Ole Miss since 2020, a lifetime in SEC coaching careers. The idea of bringing his oil to Penn State's water appears ridiculous at first glance, but Kiffin's new direction would be compelling to watch.

Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: Another Vanderbilt hire? Absolutely. Lea has the Commodores (6-1) ranked 10th and positioned as a viable playoff candidate. Any SEC school can catch lightning in a bottle in the portal era, but Lea is 13-7 in his last two seasons at Vanderbilt and has a legitimately exciting team this season.

Curt Cignetti: We're done here. However, Cignetti owes Penn State a commission on that new eight-year contract he signed worth at least $92.8 million (!) guaranteed. This reference is to any name above or unmentioned who signs a new contract through Penn State's search. It's also a reminder of the salary market Penn State will enter. Indiana guaranteed Cignetti $11.6 million per year. Franklin made $8.5 million at Penn State, which now must confront the possibility of paying its next coach $12 million annually.

A Hoosier through & through.

Our coach, @CCignettiIU. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/DFo7n6Ke1w

— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 16, 2025

A Penn State search timeline

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft gives two thumbs up at Beaver Stadium following a Nittany Lions win. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

Penn State's search just left the gate, which means that Kraft has time to perform his due diligence. But a hard timeline exists. The college football calendar restricts Kraft from conducting a search that stretches into January, particularly regarding the transfer portal. So here are some key dates on the timeline:

Dec. 3: The three-day early signing period begins Dec. 3, having moved to early December last year. It represents the first mile marker of Penn State's search timeframe. Penn State has lost multiple commits, including quarterback Troy Huhn, from its 2026 class and expects to lose more. That's the natural price of making the decision when Kraft did. Having a coach in place before the early signing period begins, though unlikely, could help mitigate some of those losses.

Dec. 7: The CFP playoff bracket will be announced Sunday, Dec. 7, one day after the conference championship games go final. Penn State will have a clear idea of who's in the playoff and who's available.

Jan. 2: This is the most important date, as the two-week transfer portal opens the day after the CFP semifinals conclude. Penn State must have a staff in place to be ready to repopulate a roster that no doubt will lose plenty of players.

Another timeline date to note: Penn State's Board of Trustees is scheduled to hear a presentation at its Nov. 6-7 meeting regarding "benchmarking and salary date for current college football head coaches," according to a recent Executive Committee meeting.

Though the board won't set coaching candidate or salary parameters, the date suggests that this search will take time. Penn State hired Franklin in 11 days in January 2014. That won't happen to find his replacement.