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$64 million College Football Playoff coach emerges as Penn State candidate: Insider

Penn State is looking for a new head coach after firing James Franklin. Find out why one Big Ten coach is being floated as a top candidate at Penn State in the latest college football rumors.

Jonathan Adams

Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
Oct 11, 2025; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin walks off the field following the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images
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Penn State is now the biggest available job in the growing college football carousel after the team surprisingly fired James Franklin, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. Could Penn State turn to another Big Ten coach?

Fresh off an upset victory over Oregon, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti is already being floated in college football rumors as a potential candidate at Penn State. On3's Pete Nakos makes the case for Cignetti making the move from Indiana to Penn State.

"A Pittsburgh native and former Pitt assistant, Curt Cignetti has no direct ties to Penn State but has proven he can win at every level," Nakos wrote on Sunday. "With Saturday’s win over Oregon, his Hoosiers team has a case to be the No. 1 team in the nation. He took Indiana to the College Football Playoff in his first season and reloaded.

"That’s on top of winning at Elon, James Madison and Indiana University-Pennsylvania, where he went 53-17 with three D-II playoff appearances. Cignetti is 64 years old. If he wants his shot at a top-10 job in the sport, this could be it. He’s also proven he can compete for national titles at Indiana."

Indiana HC Curt Cignetti signed a massive eight-year, $64 million contract in 2024

Cignetti is less than one year removed from signing a lucrative eight-year, $64 million contract extension with the Hoosiers in Nov. 2024, per CBS Sports' Dennis Dodd. The challenge for Penn State is Franklin is owed more than $49 million from his buyout, according to Thamel.

Cignetti has a $10 million buyout Indiana would be owed if a team like Penn State comes calling, per The Daily Hoosier. This is typically paid by the team hiring the new coach.

Curt Cignetti's $10 million buyout makes it challenging for Penn State to poach Indiana HC

Under this scenario, Penn State would be on the hook for $49 million to Franklin, an additional $10 million for Cignetti's buyout and finally the coach's actual salary with the Nittany Lions. Cignetti has plenty of appeal after leading Indiana to a surprise College Football Playoff appearance.

Following the team's upset victory over Oregon, Indiana is in contention to make back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff.

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Jonathan Adams
JONATHAN ADAMS

Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports writer who has written for notable outlets and interviewed some of the top athletes for more than 10 years. Since 2015, his sports coverage has been read by tens of millions and has been prominently featured on Heavy, NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and more. Jonathan is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and a voter for the Maxwell Award and Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year. He has interviewed many of the biggest stars in sports — Bryce Harper, Jayden Daniels, Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson and Micah Parsons to name a few — and has traveled the country to cover the College Football Playoff, NFL draft, Masters, March Madness, Senior Bowl, McDonald’s All-American Game and beyond. Jonathan Adams studied at the University of Central Florida and The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. He holds master degrees in sport business management, business administration and theology & culture.

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