We are going on nearly 40 days of the coaching search, but with the regular season winding down the next two weeks, there is an end in sight. This gave us a good time to get together as a staff and discuss who we’d pick to be Penn State’s head coach. Who we think will be a discussion for another day (tomorrow, actually). But if we were Pat Kraft and in charge of making the call, who would we hire out of the *realistic candidate pool?
*For this exercise, Kalen DeBoer is not realistic. Sorry.
Lando:
Brian Hartline
This is for no other reason that he has proven he can develop wide receivers.
Just kidding. He also has youth and the ability to recruit top talent on a consistent basis. In a perfect world. Hartline’s PSU staff would involve retaining most of the current defensive staff (Poindexter, Terry, and Deion Barnes for sure imo), as well as Stan Drayton, and hiring more experienced offensive line and QB coaches. It would be ideal if those coaches had DMV ties, especially with Virginia Tech’s hiring of James Franklin. I know people prefer a coach with experience, but I’m a sucker for more energetic/passionate coaches.
Patrick Koerbler: Jeff Brohm
Honestly, I can’t say I see any slam dunk hire out there. There would be a number of hires I’d be happy with, but basically none that would have me over the moon. Every coach will come with their fair share of strengths and weaknesses. When I look at the realistic targets though, the guy I feel most assured by is Jeff Brohm. Like I know Brohm is a good football coach. He won at Purdue (won the Big Ten West AT PURDUE) and despite the last two games, he’s done a very good job at Louisville (26-11 record through 3 seasons) as well. He’s going to have good offenses and he’s going to get the most out of his quarterbacks. And despite him being on the “safer” side of things when it comes to candidates, I do think there’s some real upside given the resources Penn State could provide him.
Tim Aydin: Brent Key
Since the name I would select isn’t allowed for this particular roundtable topic, I’ll go with a guy who’s got his Alma mater at Georgia Tech that had been dormant for a while squarely in the mix for a CFP berth. With Key you can bet you will get solid play in the trenches and a modern day version of “smash mouth” football with the goal of running the ball down the opponent’s throats. I understand him being a lifelong Southerner could be a concern, but I would think he would have guys on his staff who are native to the North. It’s not like Nick Saban being a lifelong Northerner prevented him from being wildly successful in the SEC.
Colin Murphy: Jeff Brohm
The biggest issue with the James Franklin era was the inability to win games against top five teams. If even a few of those games went the other way, we would not be writing this post today. Brohm has pulled out four wins against the top five since 2018 at programs with less talent than Penn State has. He has certainly had his brain farts, but his offenses are usually good and he has proven he can win big games.
Eli Moreta-Feliz: Anyone But Eli Drinkwitz
In this order, my wishlist is: Jeff Brohm, because he can beat the good teams, and losing to the bad ones doesn’t hurt you as much anymore. Kalen Deboer, because he made it to the title game and Alabama seems to hate him for having the audacity to not be Nick Saban. After seeing Notre Dame’s defense fall off a cliff this season, I’ll give Al Golden a shot. I think he did a bang up job not just with the defense but actually showing Marcus Freeman how to be a head coach. Lastly, I’d be OK with Brian Hartline or Bob Chesney if it comes down to that. One lacks experience, but has the upside, the other is a G5 coach, that comes from the source of the current hottest name in town.
Bennett: Who Cares? I’m Tired.
I’m just exhausted by this whole thing. It’s been funny seeing coach after coach get locked up to deals – starting with Cignetti, who I mentioned to folks as a guy I would target if Franklin ever decided to move on (I didn’t see things playing out this way in 2025). Penn State is a good football program that will have money to spend, so there are resources available for any number of guys to be successful. But again, I’m just tired of the watching the landscape change with every individual win or loss that somehow either elevates a guy to a multi-year extension or makes him someone we wouldn’t want.
