Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
1 4 D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M An Experienced Head Coach Would Reignite Enthusiasm Ryan Snyder: I can make a strong case for both sides of this debate, but I'll lean toward a proven head coach, mainly because I believe that athletics director Patrick Kraft set a high bar when he met with the media on Oct. 13. Kraft said the Nittany Lions were going to find someone who "can achieve excellence at the highest level, doing it with confidence and conviction." That person would be able to "attract elite talent, retain players in the NIL era and make Penn State a destination." Whether Kraft is able to hire a qual- ity head coach who already leads a winning Power Four pro- gram is where I have some hesitation. With jobs like Auburn, Florida and LSU open, and with several others possibly vacant soon, it's not going to be easy to make the kind of splashy hire a lot of Penn State fans have been clamoring for ever since James Franklin was fired. Something else I can't help but wonder about is how Beaver Stadium's revitalization project will impact Kraft's decision- making. With so many more premium seating options be- coming available, Kraft knows he has to hire a coach who will excite fans. Many readers might not be thinking about that angle, but there's a lot of money at stake at the moment. Also, aside from Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, the vast majority of BWI subscribers are still dream- ing about a proven winner like Texas A&M's Mike Elko, Ala- bama's Kalen DeBoer or Louisville's Jeff Brohm. Whether the athletics department can hire away one of those proven coaches is what I wonder about the most, but I expect Kraft to go that route. A Talented OC Could Fix Penn State's Most Vexing Problem Greg Pickel: Penn State athletics director Patrick Kraft is preparing to make the most consequential hiring decision of his career. The success or failure of whoever he picks to suc- ceed the recently dismissed James Franklin will go a long way toward setting the course of his tenure in State College. Thus, the bar to clear to be his final pick — while acknowledging that some of it is out of his control — should be high. A sitting head coach would be preferable. After all, Penn State is not a learn- on-the-job kind of program, even if it has been struggling mightily throughout the 2025 season. With that said, there is plenty of history in college football of first-time head coaches from the coordinator ranks thriv- ing quickly. Most of them have a background on offense. Penn State desperately needs to upgrade its attack, and veteran coaches like Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and Ohio State play-caller Brian Hartline have the credentials and ex- pertise to do that. If I were looking at it from Kraft's perspective, the perfect fit would be a sitting head coach who oversees a strong offense and has a history of employing people who can recruit talented skill players and then develop them in a system that puts up points. But if that dream person does not exist, the next best thing would be someone who has a history of putting points on the scoreboard from the coordinator ranks. They'll likely come at less cost, too, which wouldn't hurt matters. That's why pursuing a coordinator could make sense for the Lions, even though Ryan's side of this point/counterpoint is the most likely outcome in the end. Point – Counterpoint Should Penn State Hire A Proven Head Coach Or A Coordinator? After turning around a struggling Purdue program, Jeff Brohm returned to his alma mater, Louisville. Now approaching the end of his third season, he's gone 26-10 with the Cardinals. PHOTO COURTESY LOUISVILLE ATHLETICS Brian Hartline has been at Ohio State since 2017 and is best known for developing some of the top wide receivers in college football, such as Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith- Njigba and Jeremiah Smith. PHOTO COURTESY OHIO STATE ATHLETICS