The list of Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft’s coaching candidates keeps getting shorter. But the to-do list for Nittany Lion football’s yet-to-be named 17th fulltime head coach remains longer than ever. Ever, as in the history of college football.
The last two Nittany Lion head coaches that Penn State hired were announced on Jan. 6 (Bill O’Brien, 2012) and Jan. 11 (James Franklin, 2014). If Kraft waits that long to sign Franklin’s successor, the tall task of flipping the program would be a Herculean rebuild that would require more IMF than ICA.
Why? In the transfer portal era, there is so much for the new head coach to do, beginning with hiring assistant coaches; (re)building a support staff for on and off-the-field; evaluating, retaining and recruiting players — from your old roster, your new roster, the dwindling list of high school recruits and the multitudes in the portal. (In the 2024-25 school year, more than 4,900 FBS players and more than 3,200 FCS players entered their names in the transfer portal.)
Then, there’s the dollars and business sense of negotiating player contracts — both with PSU athletics and for NIL, as well getting the still-student-athletes admitted to Penn State and actually starting classes in time to take part in spring practice. It’s, at best, controlled (maybe) chaos.
And that’s just the half of it. It all has to be done in a matter of days and weeks, not months. All the while, for most candidates, still coaching their current team. (Not still coaching? Brian Daboll or Pat Fitzgerald.)
Kraft got a jump on things by firing James Franklin on Oct. 12. But, that was 35 days ago and the savvy Penn State AD — like a lot of his brethren, it seems like these days — is still in the market for a new head coach. It’s a very crowded marketplace, with the demand seemingly outspanning the ever-dwindling high quality (and cash-rich) supply. Cig, Rhule, Brohm, Elko…we hardly knew ye.
The actual pursuit of a new head coach, which is getting most of the publicity, is just the tip of the iceberg of what has to happen in Lasch and Penn State’s AAB to reboot Penn State Football.
It’s all about what and who the new head coach brings to the table, keeps at the table, and does so in fast and efficient fashion. The New Guy needs a ready-made turnkey approach and must have the ability to hit the ground running like Usain Bolt, since Kraft is aiming for Penn State’s first national title in four decades all the while needing to pack a basically-new stadium full of suites in 2027 (ft. opening home games vs. Syracuse, Delaware and Temple).
Here’s a look at this week’s Top 10 — I’m back after a hiatus on the DL, now fully recovered — which takes a dive into the coaching carousel madness and football leadership transition that will continue at Dear Old State over next eight to 10 weeks:
1. KEY DATES. There are so many dates and deadlines coming up, that, optimally, Kraft might be best to announce a new hire the day after Penn State’s final regular season game (at Rutgers, on Nov. 29) or thereabouts. That way there’s one clear voice, vision and check-writer in charge…beyond Kraft, of course. Here are some looming key dates:
• FBS Early Signing Dates — 7 a.m., Wednesday, Dec. 3 to midnight, Friday, Dec. 5
• Penn State Winter Break — Dec. 24 to Jan. 2
• Transfer Portal Open — Friday, Jan. 2 to Friday, Jan. 16
• Penn State Winter Semester starts — Monday, Jan. 12
• Penn State Winter Semester late add deadline — midnight, Sunday, Jan. 18
• National Signing Day — Wednesday, Feb. 4
• Penn State Spring Football Practice — typically early/mid-March
2. THE CIGNETTI MODEL. This is how Curt Cignetti did it at Indiana, taking the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and a berth in the College Football Playoff in his first season in 2024, then going 11-0 and ranked No. 2 thus far in 2025:
Saturday, Nov. 25, 2023 — Indiana loses 35-31 at Purdue, then on Sunday fires Tom Allen (9-27 his last three seasons).
Thursday, Nov. 29 — Indiana hires Cignetti from James Madison, where he was 52-9, including seasons of 14, 12 and 11 victories.
Saturday, Dec. 1 — Cignetti hires his offensive (Mike Shanahan) and defensive (Bryant Haines) coordinators from James Madison.
When it was all said and done prior to the 2024 season, Cignetti saw 38 Indiana players transfer out and welcomed in 31 transfers — including 21 players from Group of 5 schools, with 13 from JMU (of that group, 14 were all-conference or honorable mention all-conference). Two seasons later, his coaching staff includes five of his assistant coaches from JMU, as well as his director of athletic performance, and his top two analysts.
3. STAFF AND ROSTER TURNOVER. The new head coach will have to decide which of the Penn State assistants, support staff and roster he wants to retain. This evaluation process will have to be done, in most instances, at warp speed. And involve dozens of people (see the photo above).
And, in turn, all of those folks will have the opportunity to leave of their own accord, even if the new FB CEO would like them to stay. No doubt some are already looking. (See No. 10.) It will be essential for the new coach to retain certain key staffers, like interim head coach Terry Smith, and analysts and support staff who have a handle on the day-to-day of Penn State football and the financial hurdles. Penn State football is a massive organization, grossing over $120 million annually and — counting staff, players and interns and others who work at least part of the time on football — it numbers up to 250 people.
Even if they do not stay with the regime long-term, it would be wise for the new head coach to spend as much time as possible with such long-time Penn State football executives as Kevin Threlkel (chief of staff), Andy Frank (GM of personnel and recruitment), Kenny Sanders (director of player personnel) and Will Reimann (director of football research and strategy). They were a big part of Franklin’s secret, behind-the-scenes sauce at Penn State.
Obviously, the new coach will be bringing several of his own people. But, some of those positions must first be posted officially by Penn State and be part of the normal hiring process. This can take time. Franklin circumvented this a bit when he was hired in 2014, creating a shadow staff/cabin off-site that would work daily on logistics and onboarding.
4. THE BUDGET. In almost every instance, part of the new head coach’s decision-making process — and that of his new roster members, in fact — will be predicated on the dollars available to sign them. We’re not just talking about how to pay the new offensive coordinator — we can assume that Kraft will spare no expense, based on recent history. Moreso, the numbers that count are those that comprise the player payroll. Which comes in a few flavors:
4a.) Penn State Athletics’ player payroll. This is the pot of money PSU ICA opts to pay its athletes as a result of the House v. NCAA settlement. Penn State has $20.5 million at its disposal for all of its teams in 2025-26, with approximately 80% going to football ($16.4 million). That goes up by 4% next year (about $650,000 more for football). The new head coach and his bean-counters will need to do the math — what Penn State football players are contractually owed money in 2025-26, what legal promises have been made for the future and how much money will be there for transfers, recruits and players who stay?
4b.) This is why Penn State football needs a general manager — i.e., high-profilers like Ron Rivera at Cal and Michael Lombardi at North Carolina. The GMs at Ohio State and Oregon both make $900,000, according to On3. And, certainly, the new head coach will be working with Kraft — who I think would make a great GM himself — to craft a new, expanded Penn State football front office that will negotiate contracts with players (current and future) and their agents, evaluate prospects and figure out how to do it under the internal salary cap. Just how many and which current Penn State football staffers stay will have a big impact on the institutional knowledge that the new staff can tap into.
4c.) The new GM will also be working with Penn State’s NIL collective, Happy Valley United, and others to see what additional marketing and financial opportunities the new staff can offer its players — especially their new ones. When the GM makes an offer to a new (or current) player, it will part PSU ICA money and part NIL money.
5. CLASS OF 2026 HIGH SCHOOL RECRUITS. At the time Franklin was fired, Penn State had 26 verbal commitments in its Class of 2026. Now, after the de-commit of Top 100 O-lineman Kevin Brown on Sunday, that number is 13 — and still shrinking. According to veteran recruiting analyst Ryan Snyder of Penn State On3, 11 of those are looking at other options. By the time the first signing date of Dec. 3 rolls around, Synder said he expects Penn State’s “2026 class to be very minimal,” he told me Sunday. “I don’t expect many to stay.”
As Snyder has reported, Penn State’s remaining commits don’t have to sign during that Dec. 3-5 window. “Those who want to enroll early can elect to hold off, giving them time to get to know the new staff. However, December is also set to be a dead period for the first time, meaning no on- or off-campus visits are allowed. Recruits can still communicate with coaches over the phone, as well as via text message and email. But when you add in the financial contracts that surround modern-day recruiting, fans should expect other schools to pressure these recruits into signing at the risk of accepting less money later. That makes it all the more difficult for recruits to risk waiting, and thus is another reason why this class is likely to end up smaller than it currently is.”
The new head coach will not be counting a big incoming class of signed recruits, though he may be bringing a few of his own. And what about the traditional National Signing Day on Feb. 4? According to Snyder, a very large percentage of the top recruits nationally will already be contractually signed, sealed and delivered by then. The pickings may be pretty slim.
6. THE PORTAL. It is not hyperbole that Penn State could lose more than 30 players in the portal, and gain 40 or 50…or more. Part of the exodus could follow Franklin, wherever he ends up (No. 10). And part of the influx could come from the new head coach’s former school. With that many players leaving — and arriving — there will be a huge strain in almost every direction, in Lasch, in athletics and in some ways across campus. (See Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7.)
6a. Here are two new FBS/FCS transfer portal rules to know, approved in October by the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee:
• “Division I football student-athletes may enter the NCAA Transfer Portal during a 15-day period, from Jan. 2-16.” (Remember, the Jan. 16 deadline is just for declaring for the portal. Players may shop for schools and ultimately pick and commit to a new destination after that — after comparing deals and opportunities, making visits, engaging on negotiations.)
• “A change to the head coach departure exception that allows student-athletes to enter the Transfer Portal after a head coaching change. Football student-athletes will have a 15-day window beginning five calendar days after the hiring or public announcement of a new head coach.”
7. CLASSES. Ostensibly, the transfer-portaling student-athletes will be looking to matriculate at The Pennsylvania State University for the academic experience. Either way, timing-wise — as Franklin has noted in the past — PSU is at a disadvantage.
Transfers must apply; have their transcripts reviewed by Penn State academic officials; be deemed eligible to transfer; and then be admitted. It’s a process that can normally take weeks, even months. The portal truncates that process considerably. This is where being on the semester system hurts PSU football. University Park spring semester 2026 classes start Monday, Jan. 12 and the official late drop is Friday, Jan. 16. There’s some latitude, athletes or not, for students to add a class in Week 2. By the start of Week 3, on Jan. 26, they’re pretty much at Penn State. Or not. At least until May.
7a. Penn State’s biggest Big Ten and CFP-bound opponents have a lot of latitude in this regard; each can admit players later than Penn State, giving the entire recruiting and contractual process more time, and ensuring that transfers have plenty of runway to enroll and still make spring practice. For example, in spring 2026:
Indiana — full-term session starts Jan. 12
Indiana — 13-week session starts Feb. 2
Indiana — 2nd 8-week session starts March 9
Ohio State — 1st session starts Jan. 12
Ohio State — 2nd session starts March 4
Oregon — winter session starts Jan. 5
Oregon — spring session starts March 30
7b. Portal transfers face myriad other logistical challenges, in addition to classes: potential campus visits (unofficial in December, official in January), transportation, housing, winter workouts, implementing NIL ideals, attending class.
8. SPRING PRACTICE. This is why Penn State’s Jan. 12 start of classes matters much. With wholesale rosters changes, Penn State’s new head coach would surely like to have as many of his new players — and the retained ones, too — on board for a full slate of spring practices, to learn new schemes, make real-time evaluations and install a new offense and defense (this is a case for retaining Jim Knowles). Hence, the conundrum of starting class in January.
8a. There are, however, exceptions: Penn State linebacker Amare Campbell (North Carolina) and wide receiver Trebor Peña (Syracuse), who both missed spring practice in 2025, are statistical leaders of the Nittany Lions. Campbell leads PSU in tackles (76) and unassisted tackles (47), and is second for tackles for loss (8). Peña leads the Nittany Lions in receptions (36) and yards receiving (369).
9. BOWLING. It is a major goal of Smith as interim head coach — and justifiably so — to win out and play in a bowl game. Would this help a new head coach who starts early, overlapping with Smith & Co.? Very likely. He’ll get to see how the current operation and facilities run, meet one-on-one with coaches, staff and players, and make real-time/real-life assessments. If Penn State (4-6) loses to Nebraska (possible) or Rutgers (not likely) and does not make a bowl game, then Lasch could become an empty shell, as the possibility exists for more of a move-on and every-man-for-himself mentality.
10. THE FRANKLIN FACTOR. If/when Franklin gets a new head coaching gig, it is very likely that some of his assistant coaches, staff and players — and original Class of 2026 recruits — will follow him. In some ways, this may make the new head coach’s task of separating the wheat from the chaff easier. On the other hand, Penn State will no doubt lose some quality coaches, staff and players. It would not be surprising if Franklin — a very relationship-oriented guy with deep roots to scores of current Penn State folks (and, in players’ cases, their parents) — has stayed In touch with many people at PSU, in each of the aforementioned categories.
