When all is said in done, Penn State football fans just might remember James Franklin as The Guy Before “The Guy”.
Before consecutive losses to Oregon, UCLA and Northwestern added up to the final straw and his firing, Franklin’s tenure as the Penn State head coach was marked by two things: An ability to win a lot of games and an inability to win the games that mattered most.
Since coming over from Vanderbilt in 2014, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a 104-45 record. But even before the bottom fell out with the three-game losing streak, there was frustration among fans. Prior to the loss against Oregon, which was ranked No. 6 at the time, Franklin was 15-27 against teams ranked in the top 25. Even more of a talking point among disgruntled fans and alumni, Franklin was 4-21 against Top 10 teams. In short, he got the Nittany Lions a long way up the mountain, but couldn’t get them to the top.
Taking the next step is precisely what will be expected from his predecessor. And why not? The cupboard is stocked with a load of top recruits brought in by Franklin. Whoever takes his place will have to satisfy a lot of Penn State fans from Aliquippa to Scranton and from Erie to Allentown that grew up in an era when the legendary Joe Paterno won two national championships and was in contention for several others.
So, who will be “The Guy”? At this point, it’s all speculation, but here’s a look at some of the fan favorites:
MATT RHULE
This one has the most logic behind it and it would go over very well with a lot of Penn State fans and alumni. Rhule, now the coach at Nebraska, went to high school in State College, played linebacker for Penn State from 1994 through ’97 and is popular and known commodity. Perhaps, more significantly, he has history with Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft. When Rhule was the head coach at Temple from 2013 through 2016, Kraft was the Owls’ Athletic Director. Under Rhule, Nebraska, which had struggled for nearly a decade before his arrival has made steady gains, but the Cornhuskers didn’t play well in a 24-6 loss to Minnesota last week. The one knock on Rhule is similar to what haunted Franklin. In stops at Temple, Baylor and Nebraska, Rhule’s teams are 2-22 against Top 25 teams.
MANNY DIAZ
Much like Rhule, the current Duke coach has history with Penn State and is highly respected by fans. Diaz was Penn State’s defensive coordinator in 2022 and ’23 and his first Nittany Lions’ defense ranked No. 2 in the nation in total defense. Diaz had moderate success in earlier stint as head coach at Miami and knows what it’s like to coach a program where national championships are expected.
MATT CAMPBELL
The Iowa State coach has had his name linked to multiple jobs in recent years, but he somehow has stayed in Ames, where he’s had success with the Cyclones. Campbell led his team to an 11-win season in 2024 and the Cyclones are 5-2 this year. But Campbell might already have taken Iowa State as high as it can go. The chance to move to a blue-blood program could be tempting.
ELI DRINKWITZ
There’s an old saying in all sports that when you fire a head coach, you replace him with someone who is the exact opposite in personality and philosophy. In a lot of ways, Drinkwitz, the current Missouri coach, is the opposite of Franklin. Drinkwitz is known for his innovative offenses and operating in a relatively relaxed manner. No previous Penn State coach has fit that description and his offensive system would go over very well with fans. At 42, Drinkwitz is relatively young and has a strong track record as a recruiter at Appalachian State and Missouri.
JOE BRADY
The current offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills is another guy with Penn State connections in his background. Brady spent two years (2015 and 2016) as a graduate assistant at Penn State. Brady is only 36 and has never been a head coach on any level. But he has a very impressive background on the NFL and college levels. Brady previously has been an assistant for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints. But his biggest claim to fame was as the passing game coordinator at LSU in 2019, when he helped quarterback Joe Burrow win the Heisman Trophy.
CLARK LEA
The name of the Vanderbilt coach has been floated as a coach who’s ready to move up to a marquee program. Lea has done a great job of making Vanderbilt relevant. But it might be difficult for Penn State fans to get too excited about a coach from Vanderbilt. That’s where Franklin was before he came to Penn State.
MIKE ELKO
Elko has undefeated Texas A & M in serious contention for a playoff berth and it might be hard to pry him away from College Station. But Elko, who previously coached at Duke, could be intrigued by Penn State’s location in the Northeast. Elko grew up in South Brunswick, N.J. and played at the University of Pennsylvania. He spent time as a college assistant at schools in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, which are prime recruiting states for the Nittany Lions.
MIKE TOMLIN
This one is a very long shot. But there’s speculation that Tomlin’s tenure as coach of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers has run its course. Tomlin won a Super Bowl title in the 2008 season and got to another Super Bowl two years later. But the Steelers have been relatively stagnant in recent years. Tomlin’s team’s haven’t been able to advance beyond the AFC Wild Card since 2017. If the Steelers and Tomlin part ways after the season, he could be an intriguing possibility for Penn State. Tomlin hasn’t coached on the college level since his days as defensive backs coach at Cincinnati in 1999 and 2000. But Tomlin is a huge name among fans in Western Pennsylvania, historically a large part of the Penn State fan base and a fertile recruiting area for the Nittany Lions. Tomlin has a reputation for relating well to his players and that’s an important skill at the college level.
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