By Matt AudiletShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberThe 2025 college football coaching carousel is beginning to fall into place as several top vacancies were filled over the weekend.
LSU, Auburn, Ole Miss and Florida have all found their new program leaders, but the Penn State Nittany Lions remain without a replacement for now-former head coach James Franklin.
Penn State was one of the first programs in the country to open their ongoing coaching search, firing Franklin after a 3-3 start to the 2025 college football season. Franklin has already landed a new coaching gig with the Virginia Tech Hokies, but the Nittany Lions are still on the hunt.
College football insider Josh Pate expressed concern over the delay in Penn State's search during "Josh Pate’s College Football Show" on Sunday.
“The Penn State coaching search continues,” Pate said, via On3 Sports. “Everyone else has hired a coach. Ole Miss didn’t even know their job was open until today. They already filled theirs. I mean, I don’t really know where we are. I really don’t know where we are.
“I will tell you this: This search feels lost. It has for a while. It feels lost to me. I say that with some hesitance, because you just never know. Pat Kraft could be duping everyone and he could have a home run, grand slam, like turn-the-world-on-its-ears mystery candidate and he’s going to unveil it and everyone, including me, has to say, ‘Wow, big apologies to Pat Kraft.’ I don’t think that’s where we are, but maybe that’s where we are.”
National Signing Day is quickly approaching on Wednesday, and Penn State has lost several high-profile recruits since Franklin's firing. Despite parting ways with Franklin early in the year, the program is still without a team leader as it approaches this key deadline.
“The whole purpose of firing James Franklin when they did was to get a head start on the coaching search market,” Pate added. “Well everyone else has come in behind them and filled their spots before Penn State has, so fail on that part. And also, if you end up firing James Franklin early in the season only to wait for a guy to coach in the conference championship game, therefore missing the national signing day window, you also screwed yourself.”
“Wednesday is signing day, the class is falling apart," he continued. "I don’t know. I’m not here to question whether athletic directors are qualified for their job, because 95% of what they do is behind the scenes. But this seems like it’s been a mess. The way to salvage it is prove everyone wrong and hire a great head coach."
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake is considered a top candidate for the vacancy in Happy Valley. JMU's Bob Chesney and former New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll have also been floated as potential hires.
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