Penn State Coaching Search Hot Board 3.0: New Favorite for Nittany Lions’ Next Head Coach
Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft’s national search for Penn State Football’s next head coach is in week three.
While the Nittany Lions may be weeks or even months away from hiring a new head coach, quite a few names have dropped off of Penn State’s hot board, and a few intriguing options have risen up the board.
Here is a look at five of the top names on Penn State’s head coach hot board.
Latest Penn State Football Head Coaching Search Hot Board
Brian Hartline, Ohio State offensive coordinator
Earlier this week, multiple reports confirmed that Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline is indeed a target in Penn State’s coaching search.
Tuesday night, Hartline moved into the position as the favorite on Kalshi betting markets to be Penn State’s next coach (more on this under Matt Rhule).
Hartline is an elite recruiter who is very familiar with the Big Ten at Penn State’s conference rival Ohio State.
One of the best wide receivers recruiters and coaches in the country, Hartline is a risky choice without experience as a head coach and only one year of experience as a coordinator. However, Hartline could also have an elite ceiling at only 38 years old and plenty of energy to bring with him.
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach
Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz will be one of the hottest coaching candidates in this offseason’s coaching carousel.
Drinkwitz’s recruiting prowess in Pennsylvania (remember Matt Zollers) and his transfer portal usage at Missouri make him a very intriguing candidate that would seemingly check all of the boxes Pat Kraft laid out in his initial press conference.
What direction Florida goes with its head coach could impact Penn State’s ability to entice Drinkwitz north this offseason.
Drinkwitz is currently the betting favorite to be Florida’s next head coach. If Florida goes in a different direction, Drinkwitz becomes a very interesting candidate in the Penn State search.
Jeff Brohm, Louisville head coach
Jeff Brohm’s name came up in a serious way for the first time in the Penn State coaching search this week.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Brohm’s resume is his record against top five teams in his career. At Purdue and Louisville, Brohm has won four games over top five opponents, an area where James Franklin struggled with the Nittany Lions.
However, with Brohm coaching at his alma mater, Louisville, currently, it may take quite an offer from Pat Kraft to entice him to leave. On Kalshi’s online betting site, Brohm holds the fifth-best odds to become Penn State’s next coach as of Tuesday night.
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Urban Meyer, Fox Sports analyst
Urban Meyer’s name continues to come up in Penn State’s search, however, the seriousness of Meyer as a candidate is still not known. Meyer has not coached since 2018 and many teams have come calling since then to try to entice the legendary coach out of retirement.
With three national championships at two different schools on his resume, Meyer will always be an intriguing candidate.
This Saturday, Meyer will ring the victory bell at the Horseshoe pregame against the Nittany Lions, for what that’s worth.
Matt Rhule, Nebraska head coach
Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule has been seen as one of the favorites to be the next head coach at Penn State since James Franklin was fired because of his relationship with Pat Kraft, going back to their time at Temple.
However, betting odds dropped significantly Tuesday night, potentially signaling an impending extension for Rhule at Nebraska. With Rhule’s record against top 25 teams (0-18 since his time at Temple), Rhule didn’t necessarily fit Pat Kraft’s desires for a coach who can take Penn State to an “elite” level over what James Franklin had done at Penn State (4-21 against top 10 teams).
Until Rhule officially signs an extension, however, he should still be seen as a realistic candidate for the Penn State opening.
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Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator
Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady is an intriguing candidate because of his relationship with Penn State mega donor Terry Pegula (the Buffalo Bills owner) and his resume (which includes his time as the passing game coordinator for the legendary 2019 LSU Tigers).
Brady has long been seen as a potential offensive coordinator in college football, but has chosen to remain in the NFL since leaving Clemson after the 2019 season.
Whether Brady has any real interest in returning to college football (there are quite a few articles about his distaste for recruiting) and how he would transition from offensive coordinator of an NFL team to the head coach of a college program remain to be seen.
Brady remains the favorite for the Penn State job on BetOnline.ag at +125 odds.
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