Penn State football head coaching board: Search inches closer to an end

Penn State’s coaching search is drawing nearer to a close, with the end of the regular season approaching and options coming into focus to replace James Franklin, who was fired on Oct. 12.

We’ve been ranking the top five candidates (with another group of names to ponder and information on anyone who falls out of the top five) throughout the search. The rankings are 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.

It is worth noting that as the end approaches, there could be candidates who pop up who have not been named to this point. And as you’ll see below, some of the candidates below are unlikely to accept the job, but are still targets nonetheless.

With that being said, here’s version 5.0 of our coaching board.

1. James Madison head coach Bob Chesney (Last week: 4)

Chesney’s name has picked up momentum of late, and he would make a lot of sense as a coach who has had success and has proven his ability at every level. The James Madison head coach has won at DIII Salve Regina, DII Assumption, FCS Holy Cross and now at the FBS level with JMU. He’s a Pennsylvania native who would almost certainly take the job if its offered. The only question is if it gets offered. Chesney is also a candidate at UCLA and there’s a chance he has to give the Bruins an answer before Penn State is ready to make an offer.

2. Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer (Last week: 2)

DeBoer stays at the second spot as the Iron Bowl approaches, which is a must-win for Alabama if it wants to make the College Football Playoff. A loss would drop the Crimson Tide to 9-3 and would surely have fans incensed — especially because it would be to a hated rival like Auburn. While that doesn’t mean he would leave for Penn State, it would make the situation uncomfortable after not making the playoff in DeBoer’s first two years at the helm. DeBoer has been a top target for Penn State throughout the process. To be clear, like with the next coach on the board, that does not mean the interest has been reciprocated.

3. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman (Last week: 3)

Freeman is unlikely to leave Notre Dame for Penn State, but that doesn’t mean the Nittany Lions are going to stop chasing him. He’s been a mainstay every week and that continues with this edition of the hot board. Freeman is coveted by Penn State, but it’s still far more likely than not that he remains at Notre Dame. In fact, if he does leave, it’s more likely to be for an NFL job than one in college.

4. Georgia Tech head coach Brent Key (Last week: 1)

Key moves down the board, not because of his loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday (though that doesn’t help), but because there’s waning confidence that he would accept an offer to be Penn State’s head coach. The Georgia Tech alum is perceived as likely to stay with the Yellow Jackets, but if he were to leave it would be far more likely that it’s for an SEC school than Penn State. He’s due for a pay raise either way, which would put pressure on Georgia Tech to extend him sooner rather than later.

5. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz (Last week: 5)

Drinkwitz isn’t entirely dissimilar from Key — he’s a candidate from the South, who has spent most of his career there and will likely be in line for an extension at his current school if he doesn’t leave. Some of the shine has come off Drinkwitz as the Tigers have struggled down the stretch, but he’s still a candidate at several SEC openings, including LSU and Auburn, and could be involved in other openings, too. While there was momentum behind his name in the middle of the search, that has mostly died off. He’s far more likely to be coaching somewhere in the SEC next year than he is to be coaching at Penn State.

Names to ponder: Duke head coach Manny Diaz, Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith, Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline

This story was originally published November 25, 2025 at 6:08 AM.

Jon Sauber

Centre Daily Times

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Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.