The Penn State Nittany Lions’ coaching search remains something of a mystery, and it does not appear that they are likely to land any of their dream candidates.
Some around college football believe the Nittany Lions may look to the likes of Duke’s Manny Diaz and Syracuse’s Fran Brown, according to Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo of The Athletic. Both coaches have ties to Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft, though neither is having a great season and really justifies getting such a big job.
More realistically, speculation has centered around Louisville’s Jeff Brohm and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. Lea, however, may be difficult to pry away from his current job, and Vanderbilt may be planning to give him a contract extension.
Brohm has Big Ten experience, having previously coached at Purdue. Louisville is his alma mater, however, and getting him to leave might be a challenge. Lea is in the same situation at Vanderbilt, which he has quickly built into a nationally relevant program.
There had been rumors linking the Nittany Lions to Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, but Rhule agreed to a contract extension and is off the board now.
Realistically, Penn State might struggle to land a top-tier candidate. Two SEC jobs are open in LSU and Florida, and both will probably be seen as more attractive. The names that have popped up before are not necessarily that inspiring, either.
