There was a lot of noise coming from all directions concerning the state of Penn State football.

Long time head coach James Franklin, who recently took the Nittany Lions to the College Football Playoffs last season for the first time in program history, was fired Sunday afternoon after an embarrassing stretch, losing to UCLA, and then Northwestern this past Saturday. 

Understandably so, it was a bit of a shock to the football world, all things considered. For the 11 years he’s run the program, it always felt like Franklin’s seat was hot with his inability to win big games, but the university continued to show belief in him.

Back in 2021, Penn State showed the utmost sign of confidence in Franklin, signing him to a 10-year, $75 million contract, which would’ve concluded in 2031.

Now with him getting shown the door, Penn State has a hefty buyout on its hands – $49 million to be exact.

And now, Athletic Director Patrick Kraft has a lot of work to do. Who steps in as a replacement? What about the recruits?

Let’s jump in and see the possible options to step in for next season.

Curt Cignetti

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is a name we have been hearing ever since the firing.

Cignetti has taken Indiana’s football program to places it hasn’t seen. Last season, he led the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record, second in the Big Ten, and the program’s first ever College Football Playoff appearance.

And now this season, the Hoosiers have continued that level of dominance, ranking third in the FBS – the highest the program has ever reached, along with a 6-0 record.

Kraft has apparently had his eyes set on Cignetti, and after Saturday’s impressive win against Oregon, it’s not a surprise.

Matt Rhule

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule is another intriguing opportunity, especially since Kraft and Rhule already have a connection.

Kraft was the Athletic Director at Temple while Rhule was working there as the head coach.

It’s a very much “who you know” business, and Rhule could be an interesting option for a program that not only has the connection, but expects greatness as well.

He graduated from Penn State in 1997 and met his wife there, so in hindsight, it would probably end up being a dream job. But for the time being, perhaps it wouldn’t be wise to address moving onto a new program in the middle of the season.

"I'm not going to talk about those things ever, I'm not going to talk about my contract here, I'm going to talk about the team. I absolutely love it here (in Nebraska). I want us to continue to take the steps needed for us to turn this thing into a beast. ... I'm really happy here.”

He continued, "I love Penn State. I met my wife there. It's my alma mater. Fan since I was born, think I probably had a Penn State shirt on when I was born. I love Pat Kraft."

Dan Mullen

The coach of the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels is purely fascinating because Dan Mullen is a fantastic coach who helped the Florida Gators win the Peach Bowl and the Orange Bowl in his first two seasons.

Then, he helped Florida reach the College Football Playoffs in the following season.

One aspect of Mullen that may not be as enticing for a guy like Kraft is that he’s not the best recruiter. After the firing of Franklin, a ton of dominos fell and recruits for 2026 and  2027 began to decommit.

Mullen may not be the ultimate guy to replace Franklin’s high end abiility to  recruit.

All things considered though, he’s done a fabulous job bringing UNLV to a 6-0 record in his first season. And as a Pennsylvanian himself, one has to think that it at least seems enticing.