Penn State football head coaching board: Elko still at top, Freeman enters mix
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Penn State fires James Franklin
The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.
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Penn State’s coaching search has been going on for just under a month and the Nittany Lions are getting closer in their pursuit of a replacement for James Franklin, who was fired on Oct. 12.
Every week we’ll rank the top five candidates (with another group of names to ponder and information on anyone who falls out of the top five) as the search progresses. The rankings will be based on a combination of who the program is targeting at the time, according to several sources, along with the likelihood that the candidate is a real possibility. Earlier in the process, the rankings skewed more toward the former. But now that it’s later in the process, it will skew toward the latter as candidates say no, take other jobs, or sign extensions with their current programs.
With that being said, here’s version 3.0 of our coaching board.
1. Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko (Last week: 1)
The search continues to move toward those who have a legitimate chance of being the next head coach at Penn State, which leaves Elko at the top. That’s not to say he’s a guarantee to take the job, but the Texas A&M head coach remains a viable option in the search and one the Nittany Lions will continue pursuing until they’re certain he won’t take the job. He still has the Aggies on a roll with a 9-0 record after defeating Missouri on Saturday — but has yet to sign a contract extension.
2. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman (Last week: names to ponder)
Freeman moves back into the top five and remains among the three high-end candidates that Penn State will continue to chase. While he remains one of the program’s top targets, there’s still less of a likelihood that he ends up accepting than Elko. Freeman has Notre Dame at 7-2 with a big matchup against Pitt up next. If the Fighting Irish lose another game, they’re unlikely to make the College Football Playoff — which could increase the chances of him departing. It’s just a matter of whether that’s for another college job or, more likely, for an NFL job.
3. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz (Last week: 4)
Drinkwitz has moved up a spot, although he’s not necessarily in the top tier of candidates. That being said, he’s the name that most consistently comes up as being near the top of the last beyond the team’s big swings. He’s likely to be a candidate at Florida, too, which would give him a decision to make. And after his third loss on Saturday, this time to Elko and A&M, Drinkwitz should be available right after the regular season ends on Nov. 29.
4. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (Last week: 2)
DeBoer dropping two spots isn’t about Penn State’s desire to hire him — it’s about the likelihood that he’s available. He led Alabama to a win over Saturday, significantly increasing the likelihood that he makes the College Football Playoff in his second season leading the Crimson Tide. That could be enough to quell any concerns about his fit in Tuscaloosa and should lead to him returning for a third season at one of the best programs in the country.
5. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key (Last week: 5)
Key tried to quiet the noise about him potentially leaving his alma mater when he said “Slice me open and see what colors I bleed” last week during a media availability. But that doesn’t change that Penn State has interest in him. He’s proven he can build a program and has led Georgia Tech from an also-ran in the ACC to the top of the conference. Key could be playing for an ACC title in early December and could even make the playoff with his 8-1 Yellow Jackets, which could complicate a timeline to hire him if that’s the direction the Nittany Lions decide to go.
Who fell off and why?
Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea (Last week: 3)
Lea is still worth monitoring moving forward, but he falls out of the top five because Freeman moved back into it. The Vanderbilt head coach is in the next group of candidates after Elko, Freeman and DeBoer, and could have his team in the College Football Playoff if he wins out. That would further complicate the hiring timeline for him, and could lead Penn State to move on to other candidates if it doesn’t think he’s far and away the best option.
Names to ponder: Lea, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm, Duke head coach Manny Diaz, Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti, James Madison head coach Bob Chesney, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule
