Penn State’s 45-7 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday marked the true beginning to the Post-Paterno Era.
While the Nittany Lions have yet to find out which bowl they will be attending, the conclusion of the regular football season brings much greater speculation about who will be named the head coach in Happy Valley.
There are undoubtedly dozens of coaches who would please some portion of the Penn State faithful. But in the interest of time, we’ve identified 10 candidates who might be a good fit in Beaver Stadium next season.
The first five are profiled here below; the next five will be presented Wednesday on StateCollege.com. (UPDATED on Dec. 1: Here’s the piece profiling the other five; an extra set of five is profiled here.)
Note: These are presented in no particular order.
Current interim head Coach Tom Bradley (age 54)
- Pros: Good with the media, friendly with fans, and a defensive mastermind. All of these things have long made Bradley a frontrunner for the conclusion of the Paterno Era. His ability to connect and communicate with players only helped his cause and was on full display during his excellent handling of the media firestorm over the past few weeks. If not for personal grudges held by some administrators at Pitt, Bradley wouldn’t even be an option.
- Cons: Bradley represents the continuation of an era that has already ended. In any other situation, Bradley would have been an obvious choice to replace Paterno. However, since the scandal, Bradley’s employment at Penn State feels more like a slow and painful separation from something that once was. If there is anything holding him back, it is his connection to what has become a painful time in Penn State history. From a football standpoint, Bradley has admitted to having been away from the offensive side of the ball. This doesn’t take Bradley off the table, but for the most part, head coaches have more recent offensive experience than Bradley does.
Houston Coach Kevin Sumlin (age 47)
- Pros: Sumlin has put together a 35-16 record at Houston and is considered by many to be one of the hottest coaches in the nation. A former five-year offensive coordinator under Bob Stoops, Sumlin has coached Houston to the sixth-ranked spot in the current BCS standings behind a Case Keenum passing attack that has yet to score fewer than 35 points this season. Sumlin also has Big Ten roots as a four-year starter, having played at linebacker for Purdue. On another front, Sumlin has seen his name mentioned in the Arizona State coaching search. If Penn State wants to grab a coach on the rise, Sumlin would be the one.
- Cons: The only knock on Houston’s offense is its dependency on Keenum’s passing ability. Having thrown for 4,726 yards and 43 touchdowns, the offense is so one-dimensional, it is almost gimmicky. If Sumlin is able to transition from Conference USA to the Big Ten, it will almost certainly necessitate a more diverse offensive strategy.
Mississippi State Coach Dan Mullen (age 39)
- Pros: Mullen has become the unofficial favorite among Penn State fans. His Pennsylvania ties, Urban Meyer apprenticeship and moderate success in a difficult SEC division helped him become a favorite to replace Tom Bradley. Born in Philadelphia, the 39-year-old Mullen attended Ursinus College, where he played football. Mullen later was an assistant under Meyer at Bowling Green, Utah and Florida. He has served as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, teaching the likes of Alex Smith and Tim Tebow. Now as the head coach at Mississippi State, Mullen is the prime example of a coach looking to take a step upward.
- Cons: How you look at Mississippi State’s commitment to football dictates how you view Mullen’s 20-17 record. Mullen’s run-spread-option-oriented offense helped the Bulldogs go 9-4 in 2010 but put up only two wins in the conference in 2011. With limited resources at his disposal in the SEC West, a division that boasts Alabama, LSU and Auburn, Mullen might be looking for a change of scenery. That being said, Mullen is a coach who seems to have the tools to succeed. His limited success at Mississippi State, for whatever reason, does raise an eyebrow.
NFL Ex-coach Tony Dungy (age 56)
- Pros: Having one of the most successful NFL coaches of the modern era on your sideline is good enough. Having one of the NFL’s most respected men dealing with a crisis, as well, is even better. Dungy would bring the complete package to Penn State — assuming that the transition from the NFL to college would be smooth. Dungy has a great reputation, a strong Xs-and-Os background and a personality capable of dealing with issues off the field.
- Cons: Dungy has been out of the game for a while and has never coached at the college level. While there isn’t any reason to suspect he wouldn’t be able to make the jump, it might be a risk Penn State can’t be willing to make. Even if that means letting go of a pretty good-looking deal.
Northwestern Coach Pat Fitzgerald (age 36)
- Pros: If Penn State were able to draw up a picture of a young, emotional, education-oriented coach it’s looking for, Fitzgerald would be the guy. The Northwestern head coach and alumnus has done a solid job turning the Wildcat program around and has put together a 40-35 record at his alma mater. Experience coaching in the Big Ten is a strategic plus but not a necessity.
- Cons: While Fitzgerald is a popular name to throw around, it’s a name that will be hard for Penn State to land. Fitzgerald has said on several occasions that he is committed to Northwestern and building its program. If Fitzgerald were lured away from the Wildcats, his biggest issue would be on the defensive side of the ball, where Northwestern has struggled.
Check back with StateCollege.com on Wednesday for five more coaches worth watching during Penn State’s coach search.
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