Penn State's Coaching Carousel Becomes a Cautionary Tale
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A botched mid-season firing and a chaotic search have left the Nittany Lions reeling under new leadership.
Penn State is currently 3-2 and 12th in the Big Ten under first-year head coach Matt Campbell, as CBS Sports first reported. The program has suffered two consecutive losses, including a 34-13 defeat to Northwestern where the Nittany Lions were outgained 506-291.
This slump follows a volatile transition period that began on Oct. 12 of the previous year, when Athletic Director Pat Kraft fired James Franklin after a loss to Northwestern dropped the team to 3-3. CBS Sports reports that despite Franklin leading the team to a College Football Playoff semifinal the prior season, the administration sought a coach capable of winning a national championship.
The subsequent 54-day search proved disastrous. CBS Sports notes that early targets, including Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Texas A&M's Mike Elko, and Nebraska's Matt Rhule, were not viable, while Alabama's Kalen DeBoer was never a serious option. Other candidates considered included Louisville's Jeff Brohm, former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll, and then-James Madison coach Bob Chesney. The process culminated in a failed attempt to hire BYU's Kalani Sitake, who ultimately stayed with the Cougars.
The instability triggered a recruiting collapse. CBS Sports reports that 24 recruits decommitted, causing a top-20 class to plummet outside the top 60. The program signed the third-worst class in the Big Ten, finishing behind schools like Rutgers, Syracuse, and Temple. Notably, 11 former commitments followed Franklin to Virginia Tech, where he is currently 4-1.
To stabilize the roster, Campbell brought 24 Iowa State players, including quarterback Rocco Becht, to State College. While Penn State's current recruiting class is ranked 20th by 247Sports, it remains only the seventh-best in the Big Ten.