Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1541276
2 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 J ames Franklin's dismissal after nearly 12 full seasons in Happy Valley came on Oct. 12 following a loss to North- western that dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3 on the season. Now, athletics director Patrick Kraft is faced with one of the biggest decisions of his career. Penn State is in the midst of only its fourth head coaching search since 1966, and really only its third, given that Joe Paterno had been handpicked to succeed Rip Engle. With the 2025 regular season still ongoing, the process continues to play out in a measured manner. The first few weeks were all about gathering informa- tion, vetting candidates through mutual contacts and figuring out the best ap- proach for the next phase of the search. Penn State hasn't struck out with its top targets, but the exploratory part of the process is about to give way to something much more serious. Here's a look at the state of play. Potential Contenders Jeff Brohm Louisville head coach 2025 salary: $5.98 million Fitz's take: According to Kalshi, an online exchange and prediction market, Brohm is the clubhouse leader for Penn State's opening. As for what we're hear- ing, he's on the list, but not at the top, nor is there a reason just yet to believe he's going to be the eventual pick. Kraft is do- ing his due diligence to figure out how the Louisville coach fits and whether he even has any interest in taking over the Nittany Lions' program. Brohm went back home to Louisville in 2023 after coaching at Purdue. He is 26-10 in three impressive seasons with the Cardinals. That includes a 24-21 up- set of Miami on Oct. 17, though Louis- ville suffered an upset of its own on Nov. 8 when it fell in overtime to visiting Cal, 29-26. Prior to Purdue, Brohm was the head coach at Western Kentucky. He's also been connected to the Florida open- ing, so the cart seems to be ahead of the horse on those PSU predictions. Pat Fitzgerald Former Northwestern head coach 2025 salary: N/A Fitz's take: There's a whole lotta vet- tin' going on right now with the former Northwestern head coach. Despite how it all ended in Evanston, he's well-regarded in several circles for the job he did at his alma mater. Speaking of how it all ended, though … Fitzgerald just settled with North- western in a wrongful-termination law- suit stemming from hazing allegations in 2023. He was 110-101 as head coach at his alma mater from 2006-22. That included a 4-20 mark over his last two COACHING SEARCH COACHING SEARCH HOT BOARD HOT BOARD With the regular season winding down, Penn State's pursuit enters a more serious phase S E A N F I T Z | S E A N . F I T Z @ O N 3 . C O M Texas A&M coach Mike Elko appears to be at the top of Penn State's wish list. The New Jersey native is in his second sea- son with the Aggies, having led them to a 9-0 record this year and a likely spot in the College Football Playoff. PHOTO COURTESY TEXAS A&M ATHLETICS