Rising $9 million head coach suggested as Penn State's replacement for James Franklin

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

Could Penn State plunder a Military academy for its next head coach? Not literally, but figuratively, the Nittany Lions could steal away with a terrific leader if they did choose to focus their search for a head football coach on those schools. At least one highly respected writer is calling for Penn State to do just that.

Since firing James Franklin, every other major party in college football has seemingly paired off. Even Franklin himself found a new dance partner, Virginia Tech, while six SEC schools changed leadership, Lane Kiffin actually made a decision on 2026, and now the American Conference is left in rubble. All the while, Penn State sits idly by interviewing candidates here and there while pacing the room.

Penn State's latest public push went towards BYU's Kalani Sitake. Robust booster efforts out of northeastern Utah prevented any such departure from their Tongan king and a new deal with NIL promises is coming for Sitake while Penn State wipes the white board clean again. If athletic dicector Pat Kraft needs a new name to write up there, might The Athletic suggest Army's Jeff Monken.

Writing for a piece dissecting the upcoming twists in the elongated Penn State search, long-time college football reporter Ralph Russo threw out Monken as a name that's fitting of the gig on an article for The Athletic. "Monken is 88-62 at Army, but that doesn’t tell even half the story," he said of Monken before weaving his tale of the Army head coach's accomplishments.

Army Black Knights head coach Jeff Monken celebrates a 14-13 win against the Temple Owls | Danny Wild-Imagn Images

Ralph Russo makes case for Jeff Monken at Penn State

"The program had been mired in losing for more than two decades when he took over in 2014," Russo went on. "After winning six games in his first two seasons, Monken has led Army to three seasons of at least 10 victories — including a school record 12-2 in 2024 — and six seasons of at least eight victories. Most importantly, he ended a 14-game losing streak to Navy in 2015."

Russo noted that Monken has even pitched former Penn State coordinator Joe Moorhead as an assistant in previous head coaching interviews. Sure, a triple-option run-dominant offense is hard to break out of, stylistically, but if there's a coach at a military academy worth taking a look on, it could be the grisled veteran coach of the Black Knights.

If Monken does wind up at Penn State, he could expect a huge pay boost to his already-respectable salary. Army most recently announced an extension of his deal in 2023, a four-year contract from 2024 through 2027 that paid a little over $2 million annually. Based on numbers from his first two contracts, here is the projected full payout:

*Confirmed by USA Today

2024: $2.35 million*
2025: $2.40 million*
2026: $2.45 million (proj.)
2027: $2.50 million (proj.)

Total: $9.7 million... roughly!