Who will be the next Penn State coach? 6 possible candidates to replace James Franklin. – Chicago Tribune

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comOctober 13, 2025

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Who will be the next Penn State coach? 6 possible candidates to replace James Franklin. – Chicago Tribune

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With the firing of James Franklin as Penn State’s head football coach, attention now turns to: Who’s next?

Expectations for the position are high, with Franklin’s replacement tasked with beating the Big Ten’s top teams and winning a national championship.

Here are six possible candidates for the position, as assistant coach Terry Smith will take over as interim coach.

Matt Rhule, Nebraska

Head coach Matt Rhule of the Nebraska Cornhuskers reacts to a call during the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium on September 20, 2025 in Lincoln, Nebraska. (Steven Branscombe/Getty Images)

The Cornhuskers are 5-1 this season as their rebuild continues, but the issue here is that Ruhle, a Penn State graduate, was Temple’s head coach (2013-16) when Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft held that position at Temple.

Curt Cignetti, Indiana

Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti reacts to a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Iowa, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP) — Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti reacts to a call during the first half against Iowa on Sept. 27, 2025, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall/AP)

The hottest coach in college football right now, Cignetti has done wonders with the Hoosiers. They are ranked third in the nation after a 30-20 victory over Oregon last Saturday. By the way, Kraft graduated from Indiana.

Manny Diaz, Duke

Duke head coach Manny Diaz celebrates after defeating North Carolina State in an NCAA college football game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025. (Ben McKeown/AP)

Another familiar name to Nittany Lions fans, Diaz served as Penn State’s defensive coordinator in 2022 and 2023. In his second season as Duke’s head coach, Diaz is 13-6 over two seasons and took the Blue Devils to the Gator Bowl last season.

Mike Elko, Texas A&M

Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko calls a play on his offense against Auburn during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in College Station, Texas. (Sam Craft/AP)

Landed his first head coaching job at Duke in 2022, going 9-4 and winning the ACC Coach of the Year award. Now in his second season at Texas A&M, the University of Pennsylvania graduate has the Aggies 6-0 this season and ranked fourth in the nation.

Matt Campbell, Iowa State

Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell stands on the sideline during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Cincinnati, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Cincinnati. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Campbell has been a head coach since 2012, starting at Toledo then moving to Iowa State in 2016. He has a career record of 104-68 and has taken his teams to 10 bowl games. He graduated from Mount Union in Alliance, Ohio, the same school that Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni attended.

Jeff Brohm, Louisville

Purdue coach Jeff Brohm reacts to a fourth-quarter call against the Terrapins on Oct. 8 in College Park, Md. (Greg Fiume/Getty)

A former NFL quarterback, Brohm has extensive professional and collegiate coaching experience. The 54-year-old has been a head coach at the university since 2014 (Western Kentucky) and after coaching six seasons at Purdue, he has been at Louisville since 2023. He has a career record of 89-53 and has taken his teams to eight bowl games.

Sports Editor Tom DeSchriver contributed to this story

abdulmanannet77@gmail.comOctober 13, 2025

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