High-Profile Head Coach Turned Down Penn State Job: Report

By Michael Gallagher

Sports Content Coordinator

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When Penn State fired former head coach James Franklin, who’s since landed on his feet as the new head coach at Virginia Tech, there were a handful of coaches named as top candidates for the job.

Indiana’s Curt Cignetti, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, and Tulane’s Jon Sumrall were among the top names floated as potential targets, but there was another coach that Penn State reportedly had in its sights.

Not long after the Nittany Lions’ job opened up, Nebraska signed head coach Matt Rhule to a two-year contract extension through 2032, effectively taking him off the table for PSU.

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Former Penn State head coach James Franklin

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According to Brandon Marcello of CBS Sports, Penn State was interested in Rhule potentially replacing Franklin, but the 50-year-old coach turned the school down.

“Rhule's contract extension on Oct. 30 — a move that pushed his buyout from $5 million to $15 million — ended Penn State's pursuit,” Marcello wrote.

Rhule to Penn State made a lot of sense for many reasons.

Happy Valley is where his coaching career started back in 1998 as a volunteer assistant. He’s also done a solid job of resurrecting a Cornhusker program that suffered through a 16-31 stretch under his predecessor Scott Frost.

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Rhule’s also done well on the recruiting trail. He landed five-star QB Dylan Raiola two years ago, and Nebraska’s classes have ranked in the top 30 each of the last three seasons (20, 23, 30).

And while a big-time job like Penn State was likely tempting for someone like Rhule, who is just three years removed from being fired by the Carolina Panthers, he stated the choice to stay in Lincoln wasn’t a tough one.

“I love these guys, I wanted to be their coach, I've always wanted to be their coach,” he said. “To come here and be out there with them, even though the result wasn't what we wanted, I'm always proud of them and happy to be with them.”

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