The Penn State Nittany Lions will be looking for a new head coach after firing James Franklin.

A season that was supposed to offer Penn State fans a chance at a national championship has crumbled nearly as quickly as it started.

Following a 3-0 start to the season against teams the Nittany Lions were expected to handle easily, the team faced its first true test. Going up against Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks was always going to be a battle. They took Oregon to overtime before coming up short in heartbreaking fashion by a final score of 30-24.

Despite a tough loss against a top-ranked team, Penn State was still in great shape. The team had shown that it could contend against one of the best in the nation.

Unfortunately, the season started to unravel the very next game. Losing on the road to an unranked and previously 0-4 UCLA Bruins team was a crushing blow. That led to last week's embarrassment at home against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Just like that, the Nittany Lions no longer had a chance to reach the College Football Playoff.

Due to the three straight losses, Penn State made a tough decision. James Franklin was fired as the team's head coach. Now, all talk and attention has shifted to who might be brought in to replace him.

Plenty of big names have been suggested for the job. Indiana's Curt Cignetti has been the biggest buzz candidate, but it seems very unlikely that he would choose to leave the Hoosiers for the Nittany Lions. Other names have included Matt Rhule and even Urban Meyer.

While all of those names are interesting to think about, could Penn State turn to the NFL for its next head coach?

Joe Brady, the current offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills, could make a lot of sense. He's ready for a head coaching job. Many have expected that job to come in the NFL, but why not one of the top head coaching jobs in college football?

In the past, Brady had a two-year stint with Penn State under Franklin. He was a part of the 2026 Big Ten championship team. His previous connections with the program would make him a logical choice for the job.

Add in the fact that Brady is one of the best young offensive minds in the NFL and things get even more interesting. He could revolutionize the Nittany Lions' offense.

With Drew Allar's college career coming to an end due to an injury suffered against Northwestern, Penn State will need an offensive mind for the future. Brady is great at the X's and O's, but he's also good at developing young talent. Those are qualities that the Nittany Lions will need.

It's just an idea and there's no guarantee that Brady would want to make the jump from the NFL to college football. But, if he's open to the idea, there would be no better fit than Penn State for him.

At the very least, Brady is an option that the Nittany Lions should strongly consider as they enter their coaching search.