Major college football program coaching search labeled 'disaster' by Paul Finebaum

The effort to find a new head coach has not gone as well as one historic college football program hoped it would.

Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

As college football’s historic coaching carousel keeps on its current pace, with schools making landmark hires all over the country, one major Big Ten program appears to have found itself on the wrong side of all the momentum.

Veteran college football analyst Paul Finebaum believes the effort by Penn State to find a replacement for James Franklin has gone about as badly as it could have.

"A disaster"

“It’s a disaster. How can you go as long as they have gone without hiring a coach?” Finebaum said on ESPN, more than 50 days after Franklin’s dismissal.

“I mean, we’ve been here every day. 10, 15, 20 schools have replaced coaches. What is wrong with Penn State?... They have all the money in the world. They had the best class in the country coming into the season, and James Franklin still found a way to screw it up.”

Negativity around Penn State’s efforts to locate a new head coach follow the decision by Kelani Sitake to remain at BYU after emerging as a candidate for the Nittany Lions.

BYU swept in amid that interest to create a new package to retain Sitake, including a major investment in its NIL and roster retention program, and a reputed raise for the coach of up to $9.5 million, according to insiders. 

One by one, Penn State's options went somewhere else

Other names that Penn State reportedly was interested in also accepted offers either at their current schools or with other programs.

Mike Elko was once such a target before Texas A&M secured him on a long-term extension. Likewise for Eli Drinkwitz, who Missouri retained with a new arrangement.

Clark Lea then emerged as a candidate, until Vanderbilt made a move to keep the coach who helped propel that program back into the national spotlight.

Tulane’s Jon Sumrall is headed to Florida. Ryan Silverfield is leaving Memphis for Arkansas. Alex Golesh will depart USF for Auburn.

Bob Chesney, who helped lead James Madison into a Group of Five playoff hopeful, is set to take the lead position at UCLA instead.

Even Brian Hartline, the star Ohio State coordinator who emerged as a dark horse possibility for Penn State, will instead replace Golesh at USF next season.

One by one, all the most prominent names who Penn State was said to have been scouting as its next head coach ultimately turned them down for something else.

A moment of crisis?

Now, one of college football’s most-accomplished programs is without permanent leadership at a crucial moment on the calendar when recruits are making decisions.

“I think this program is a shell of its former self,” Finebaum said. 

“I don’t care how much money they have, but when you’re now heading into the first weekend of December without a coach, it’s pretty embarrassing.”