Who’s Next in Happy Valley? Penn State’s Coaching Future and Roster Fallout

The Nittany Lions hit a ceiling under Franklin — now, the search begins for the voice that can finally break through.

Just like that, the Franklin era: 11+ seasons of high floors and stubborn ceilings, ends in Happy Valley. In the same calendar year Penn State brushed up against a title shot, the 2025 campaign veered from “championship or bust” to just plain bust: a gut-punch loss to Oregon, a stunning face-plant against previously winless UCLA, and then the Northwestern collapse that also cost Drew Allar the rest of his season. The résumé remained real: 2016 Big Ten champs, New Year’s Six regulars, last year’s CFP yet the same old story against elite opponents hardened into a wall the program couldn’t climb. By Sunday, the school pulled the plug, naming Terry Smith interim and swallowing a buyout north of $49 million, the second-largest in college football history. The fall was swift, the optics brutal, and the message unmistakable: Penn State isn’t content with “very good” anymore. Now comes the part that defines the next decade.

Up next: the five coaches Penn State should target and the one wildcard you swing for if you’re serious about breaking through.

Finding the Right Fit

When it comes to Penn State, fit isn’t just a buzzword; it’s everything. This isn’t a job you can fake your way through. The next head coach will inherit elite resources, top-tier facilities, and one of the most passionate fan bases in college football, but that only matters if they understand what makes this place tick. Penn State’s culture runs deep, a blue-collar foundation built on development, discipline, and identity. The Big Ten is its own ecosystem, one where recruiting pipelines through Pennsylvania, Ohio, and the Mid-Atlantic still matter. The next coach has to win those battles, manage NIL expectations, and handle the pressure of competing with Michigan and Ohio State every single year.

You don’t just need a name, you need the right one.

1. Curt Cignetti – Indiana Head Coach

Let’s be honest — if Penn State could somehow pull Curt Cignetti out of Bloomington, it would be the biggest power move in college football. But here’s the thing: I’m not sure Penn State is the better job right now.

Cignetti has done something almost no one thought was possible — he’s turned Indiana into a legitimate Big Ten powerhouse in less than two seasons. The Hoosiers are 17-2 under his leadership, just knocked off Oregon, and look headed toward another playoff run. That’s not a fluke. That’s a program that’s been completely reshaped in his image — physical, disciplined, and fearless.

He’s from Pittsburgh, knows the region, and has built winners at every stop — from IUP to James Madison to now Indiana. But at 64, he’s earned the right to pick his battles. Indiana has fully bought in: they’ve given him the resources, the runway, and the control to build something lasting. At this stage, leaving that stability for the chaos that would come with replacing James Franklin might not be all that appealing.

Sure, Penn State’s brand is bigger, the facilities are elite, and the NIL backing is strong but Indiana feels like a better football job right now. They’re winning, the administration is aligned, and the results speak louder than recruiting pitches. If Penn State wants Cignetti, they’ll have to convince him he’s not walking away from something he already turned into gold.

2. Matt Campbell – Iowa State Head Coach

If Curt Cignetti decides to stay put in Bloomington, my next call would go straight to Ames. Matt Campbell has been the quiet constant in every major coaching cycle for the past five years, but timing and loyalty have kept him rooted at Iowa State. Now, that patience might finally line up with the right opportunity and Penn State feels like the perfect fit.

Campbell has been at Iowa State for nearly a decade, posting a 69-53 record and turning one of the hardest jobs in college football into a legitimate Big 12 contender. Before that, he won big at Toledo, stacking four straight winning seasons and proving he can develop talent from the ground up. What makes Campbell appealing for Penn State isn’t just the résumé, it’s the blueprint. He builds programs on discipline, culture, and player development, the same traits that once defined the Nittany Lions’ rise under Joe Paterno and later James Franklin.

He’s a Midwest guy through and through, born in Ohio, played at Mount Union, and has recruited that corridor his entire career. Those ties matter in the Big Ten. Combine that with his offensive background and quarterback development, and you have a coach who could finally unlock Penn State’s offensive ceiling after years of inconsistency.

Campbell isn’t a chaser. He’s turned down both college and NFL overtures before, preferring control over chaos. But Penn State isn’t chaos, it’s an opportunity to elevate everything he already does well with real resources, national reach, and a roster capable of competing right now. The challenge will be balancing expectation with autonomy, but if any coach can navigate that without losing who he is, it’s Matt Campbell.

If I were in charge of this search, Campbell would be my No. 1 call. He fits the job, the culture, and the conference, and more importantly, he fits the moment.=

3. Will Stein – Oregon Offensive Coordinator

If Penn State wants to take a true swing for the fences, this is it. Will Stein isn’t just another hot coordinator; he’s the next offensive mind everyone’s watching. At 36, the Oregon offensive coordinator has gone from coaching high school football in Texas less than a decade ago to calling plays for one of the most explosive attacks in the country. His rise has been meteoric, and it’s not slowing down anytime soon.

Stein’s résumé is all substance. Since Dan Lanning hired him in 2023, Oregon’s offense has been elite by every metric: balanced, explosive, and innovative. He’s developed quarterbacks, schemed open explosive plays, and orchestrated the kind of offensive beatdowns that expose even top-tier defenses, including Penn State’s earlier this year. He’s a modern play-caller with an NFL mind and college recruiting energy, a rare combination that fits the way the sport is trending.

Now, let’s be real: hiring a first-time head coach in the Big Ten is a massive gamble. There’s no blueprint for how he’d handle roster management, boosters, or the grind of building a national brand. But there wasn’t one for Kirby Smart when Georgia hired him, or for Dan Lanning when Oregon rolled the dice and both worked out just fine.

If Penn State wants to modernize its identity and fully embrace a new era of college football, Stein would be the boldest possible move. It could be a home run. It could also be a disaster. But after a decade of steady hands and safe decisions, maybe it’s time for Penn State to swing big.

4. Alex Golesh – South Florida Head Coach

If Penn State wants to bet on the next rising star before everyone else does, Alex Golesh should be near the top of the list. The 41-year-old has quietly turned South Florida from one of the worst programs in the country into a legitimate Group of Five contender in just three seasons. The Bulls were 4-27 in the four years before his arrival; since taking over in 2023, Golesh has gone 19-13 and has USF ranked in the top 25 with a 5-1 start this year. That’s not luck, that’s culture and scheme colliding at the right time.

Golesh’s background screams “Big Ten fit.” He’s an Ohio State graduate, spent four years at Illinois, and made his name as an offensive coordinator at both UCF and Tennessee, where his offenses ranked among the most explosive in the nation. His system is uptempo, adaptable, and built to stress defenses vertically, the exact kind of offensive identity Penn State’s lacked in recent years.

Yes, there’s risk. He’s still young and untested at the Power Five level. But if Penn State wants to modernize without going full experiment, Golesh is a balanced play, youthful energy with proven production. He’s the kind of coach you hire before everyone else realizes how good he is.

5. Matt Rhule – Nebraska Head Coach

Let’s call it what it is, this would be the safe hire. Matt Rhule’s name will absolutely surface for the Penn State job, and on paper, it makes sense: he’s from State College, played under Joe Paterno, and has a long-standing relationship with athletic director Pat Kraft, who hired him at Temple. He’s the familiar face, the local guy, the one you can sell to boosters and alumni without having to explain the choice.

But is he the right hire? I don’t think so. Rhule built solid programs at Temple and Baylor, but both came from rock bottom; that’s his specialty. He’s a program saver, not necessarily a program elevator. Penn State doesn’t need saving. It needs someone who can break through a wall that’s kept it out of national title contention for decades.

Since taking over Nebraska in 2023, Rhule’s rebuild has been steady but unspectacular, much like the later years of Franklin’s tenure. His career record against ranked opponents (2-22) and top-10 teams (0-11) doesn’t inspire confidence that he’s the guy to flip the narrative that just got Franklin fired.

This would be a popular move in some corners of Happy Valley, the sentimental crowd that values history and loyalty. But sentiment doesn’t win championships. Rhule feels like a slightly different version of Franklin: solid, stable, but ultimately limited. If Penn State truly wants to evolve, not just reset, this can’t be the move.

Wildcard: Kenny Dillingham – Arizona State Head Coach

If Penn State really wants to make a splash, Kenny Dillingham is the one guy I wouldn’t hate them swinging on.

He’s only 35, but Dillingham has already built one of the best young résumés in college football. After tearing his ACL as a high school senior, he jumped straight into coaching and never looked back. By 21, he was a varsity offensive coordinator. Since then, he’s called plays at Memphis, Auburn, Florida State, and Oregon before taking over a broken Arizona State program in 2023. Two years later, he delivered a Big 12 title, a playoff berth, and an offensive identity built around speed, aggression, and quarterback development, something Penn State desperately needs.

This would be a bold move, but it fits the moment. Penn State has the money, the brand, and the infrastructure to supercharge a coach like Dillingham. He’s relentless on the recruiting trail, connects easily with players, and brings the kind of modern offensive mindset that could finally fix the one thing that’s held this program back, elite quarterback and receiver development.

In today’s college football, you win with explosive plays and dynamic quarterback play. That’s the one area where Penn State has consistently lagged behind its biggest rivals. Dillingham changes that conversation overnight. He’s young, fearless, and would inject an entirely new energy into Happy Valley.

It’s not the safe choice. But for a program that’s been stuck in neutral despite all its success, maybe it’s time to hand the keys to someone who’s not afraid to floor it.

Looking Ahead: Devy & C2C Fallout

Whenever a powerhouse like Penn State hits reset, the ripple effect in Devy and C2C formats is immediate. A coaching change doesn’t just mean a new system; it reshapes everything: roster makeup, recruiting priorities, and how we value these players in long-term formats. This was a senior-laden roster built to compete right now, and that reality makes the transition even more complex. Many of Penn State’s core veterans will likely head to the NFL or the transfer portal, and the question now becomes how many choose to stay under a new regime.

Add in the uncertainty of NIL, and projecting Penn State’s future suddenly feels like a moving target. The next staff will need to re-recruit its own locker room while simultaneously building a class that fits its vision, no easy task in this current landscape. Continuity is no longer guaranteed, and the portal will play as big a role as the recruiting trail in shaping the next version of this roster.

For Devy and C2C managers, that volatility creates both risk and opportunity. The coming months will decide which players retain value, who emerges as a buy-low target, and what kind of system to expect going forward. I’ll break down the key players to watch, both on the roster and on the recruiting trail, and how this coaching change could reshape Penn State’s fantasy and real-world outlook heading into 2026.

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