New head coach emerges as favorite to replace James Franklin at Penn State

There's been plenty of noise coming from State College as Penn State prepares to choose a new coach to replace James Franklin. On the heels of the firing of Franklin, the rumor mill has run high with a variety of candidates to replace the departed coach. But if the market-based probability market can be trusted, there's a clear leader in the clubhouse.

On3 sports analyst Brett McMurphy noted this trend on social media. Probability giant Kalshi tells a clear story in its prediction on the next Penn State boss.

Penn State favorites

Nebraska coach Matt Rhule is Kalshi's clear favorite to claim the Nebraska job, with a 35% probability. That puts him well ahead of second-place candidates Lane Kiffin of Ole Miss (14%) and Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (also 14%). Among the other notable possibilities are Alabama's Kalen DeBoer (11%) and Texas A&M's Mike Elko (8%).

Rhule grabbed headlines with a bevy of positive comments about Penn State when the job came open. The 50-year old Rhule is a Penn State alum and met his wife at the University. He also began his coaching career at Penn State as a volunteer assistant in 1998.

Rhule's Resume

Rhule has come to prominence in his work rallying the fortunes of Temple and then Baylor. The athletic director then at Temple, Pat Kraft, is now Penn State's athletic director, which has helped to stoke the Rhule rumors. Rhule improved Temple from 2-10 to 10-4 between 2013 and 2015 and then jumped Baylor from 1-11 to 11-3 between 2017 and 2019. He is now 17-15 in three seasons at Nebraska, with each season to date being an improvement over the previous year.

Other Top Candidates

Kiffin is the coach at Ole Miss and has also been linked to massive interest from Florida for their vacant coaching situation. Brady, who is just 36, has never been a head coach, but he both coached at Penn State and was credited with LSU's offensive revitalization that led to a perfect season and a CFP title for the Tigers.

Buf it Kalshi's prediction machinations are to be believed, the hunt for Franklin's successor might end up as a short one, with Rhule the massive favorite.

Betting odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.