Could Penn State Land Darkhorse Super Bowl Winning Head Coach?

Pro Football Talk Sparks Harbaugh–to–Penn State Debate

Once an unimaginable thought, there’s a chance that Harbaugh leaving Baltimore could be a possibility, and that Penn State could make a logical destination.

“The turnaround is underway,” Mike Florio writes for Pro Football Talk. “Regardless of how it turns out, there have been scattered times over the past 15 years when it has felt like a renewal of vows was needed, in both directions. Will the Ravens decide a fresh start is needed? Will John Harbaugh become attracted to another job, possibly at Penn State or some other college?”

Whether a divorce happens in the Inner Harbor remains to be seen, but the fact that there is legitimate speculation about not only Harbaugh’s future, but his potential interest in a reset in Happy Valley is fascinating.

Would the Ravens Actually Part Ways With Harbaugh?

Will the Ravens decide a fresh start is needed? Will John Harbaugh become attracted to another job, possibly at Penn State or some other college?

That is not a rumor, and it is not a report. It’s a rare instance of a plugged-in NFL insider publicly acknowledging a scenario that would instantly vault Penn State to the top of the national conversation if a couple of things happen upon the NFL season’s end.

The PFT piece framed Harbaugh’s situation within a larger look at which NFL franchises could be ready to pull the plug. Two coaches are already out through ten weeks. Several others feel inevitable.

The Titans and Giants have already begun early interviewing.

Plenty of teams will wait until Black Monday to unload their coach and start the frantic process of requesting interviews with assistants and chasing names who might move the needle.The Dolphins may want a new coach once their new general manager arrives.

The Jets could pull the ripcord on Aaron Glenn.

The Bills may finally have reached the breaking point with Sean McDermott as Terry Pegula watches the prime of Josh Allen evaporate.

The Steelers might be stubborn enough to keep riding the three-coach tradition but volatile enough to consider major changes if they miss the postseason again.

The Bengals’ defense is collapsing.

The Browns could clean house.

The Raiders could go one-and-done with Pete Carroll.

And so on down the list.

In short, the NFL’s Black Money could mirror the unprecedented turnover across college football, which could add some intriguing names to Penn State’s potential pool of head coaching hires.