A new name has entered the mix for the Penn State Nittany Lions’ head coach vacancy, according to a college football insider.

After an abysmal start to the 2025 college football season for the Penn State Nittany Lions, the program has ultimately decided to fire head coach James Franklin following the team’s week seven loss to the Northwestern Wildcats.

During his 11-year tenure with the program, Franklin managed to get the struggling school back into the spotlight, as he posted a 104-45 record throughout his time in Happy Valley. And despite his impressive efforts on the recruiting trail in recent memory, Penn State’s 3-3 record after seven weeks forced the team out of the AP Top 25 after being the No. 2 team in the nation to kick off the 2025 season.

Now, in order for the Nittany Lions to regain their high status amongst the rest of the college football landscape, it’s clear that athletic director Pat Kraft must take a home-run swing in his efforts to find a new head coach.

Luckily for the fanbase, there are multiple names that have been floated around as potential replacements for Franklin. While Ohio State’s Ryan Day and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer have been mentioned in the conversation, the odds of Penn State landing either coach should be considered slim-to-none. However, college football insider Pete Nakos reported on Tuesday that Kraft could take a swing at Notre Dame’s head coach, Marcus Freeman.

As the current head coach of the Fighting Irish, the 39-year-old head coach managed to tally a 37-12 record in four seasons. This includes a successful 2024 campaign, which resulted in a national title appearance against the Buckeyes. Freeman struggled to get the ball rolling this year, as his team lost their first two games against the Miami Hurricanes and the Texas A&M Aggies. Fortunately for Notre Dame, the program was able to win four straight games and looks to be on the cusp of another playoff appearance if they can win the rest of their regular-season games.

If Kraft can somehow poach the highly-touted head coach from the Fighting Irish, Penn State would be in an excellent spot for the future. Freeman’s combination of youth, experience in big games, and his incredible run on the recruiting trail makes him the ideal candidate for the Nittany Lions.

However, while it may seem like a perfect match for Penn State, Kraft will have an uphill battle if he pursues Freeman this upcoming offseason. Notre Dame has all the elements to become a potential dynasty in the coming years, along with the program not having to deal with a conference schedule.

Other names that have been highlighted in the coaching rumors have been Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Duke’s Manny Diaz.

The Blue Devils’ current head coach spent two seasons with the Nittany Lions as the defensive coordinator before taking the head coaching position at Duke. His familiarity with the program could give the well-known coach a huge advantage if Kraft decides to pursue Diaz