Rece Davis predicts Penn State's next head coach after firing James Franklin

Penn State sent shockwaves across college football when the university announced the firing of head coach James Franklin on Sunday.

The decision came after Penn State's third consecutive loss, falling to Northwestern 22-21 this weekend. The Nittany Lions finished with only 274 total yards, while allowing Northwestern to put together a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.

In 12 seasons, Franklin compiled a 104-45 overall record, making a bowl game in 10 of those seasons. He is just one season removed from making the College Football Playoff, in which Penn State won two games before losing to Ohio State in the semifinals.

He led the Nittany Lions to a Big Ten Championship in 2016, but his tenure was defined by his team's tendency to fall short in the biggest games. Franklin was 4-21 against AP Top 10 opponents, including 1-18 against teams from the Big Ten.

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Attention has now shifted to who will replace Franklin in Happy Valley. On a recent episode of the College GameDay Podcast, ESPN's Rece Davis made his prediction for who lands the Penn State head coaching job.

"I'm going to say (Matt) Rhule, because of the Penn State tie," Davis said.

Davis expanded on his prediction, citing Rhule's relationship with Penn State's athletic director Pat Kraft. Kraft served as Temple's athletic director while Rhule was the head coach at the University of Temple. Davis also questioned if Rhule and new Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen had a strong enough relationship to keep him in Lincoln.

"Maybe he has a wonderful relationship with the new athletic director, but there is the proverbial 'the guy that's the boss didn't hire him.'" Davis speculated.

Rhule has strong ties to Penn State, where he started his coaching career as a volunteer assistant in 1998. He played linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97, where he was a walk-on under national championship-winning head coach Joe Paterno.

Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Rhule was named the head coach at Nebraska in 2023, following a brief stint in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers. He's 17-14 over his first three seasons, including last season, when he led the Cornhuskers to their first bowl win since 2016. Entering Week 8, Nebraska is ranked No. 25 nationally, sitting at 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten.

He started his head coaching career at Temple, helping the Owls go from 2-10 in his first season to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2015-16. The Owls won the AAC East division both seasons, while winning the AAC Championship in 2016.

Rhule continued that success at Baylor, going 1-11 in 2017, but appeared in the Big 12 Championship game only two seasons later in 2019. The Bears lost to Oklahoma and Georgia in postseason games, but finished Top 15 nationally. Rhule was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Time will tell if Rhule is the choice for Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, but until then, Rhule will be tasked with continuing the momentum of back-to-back wins for Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers will look to extend their winning streak against Minnesota on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 pm CT on Fox.