Some suggested earlier in the week that Penn State was in agreement with BYU head coach Kalani Sitake.
Unfortunately, it sounds like Sitake went back on his verbal agreement, at least according to reports. It remains uncertain what really happened on that front, but Penn State now finds itself in a position it wasn’t expected to be in.
Unfortunately for Penn State, while Sitake stayed with BYU because it thought Penn State was grabbing him, it was also reported that JMU head coach Bob Chesney verbally agreed to a deal with UCLA. However, nothing has been signed yet, according to The Athletic, and some from The Athletic believe Penn State needs to do whatever it takes to go out and land him now.
“If you’re Chesney, you should get it: Penn State was locked in on Sitake, a successful Power 4 coach, and was keeping you warm in the bullpen. If you’re Penn State, you should get it: Chesney couldn’t just wait around forever and was pressed by UCLA. And now? It’s time for both sides to make it right. Chesney is the young, success-at-every-level coach the Nittany Lions need for long-term stability. Chesney knows damn well how much better of a job Penn State is than UCLA. Has he signed? Has he not signed? Even if Penn State has to compensate UCLA, do it. It will be worth it,” Joe Rexrode wrote.
I said early on that Chesney would have been one of the best options for Penn State in both the short and long term.
He’s young for a coach, has proven every step of the way that he can win, and seems to be a rather good dude.
However, for whatever reason, it didn’t seem like Penn State was that high on him to start its search, and as a result, he now finds himself likely headed to UCLA.
As The Athletic touched on, though, because nothing has been signed, it can’t be ruled out that he wouldn’t be willing to take a Penn State deal.
Perhaps he feels slighted by Penn State for not offering him the job right away, but this is something that happens in college sports. Oftentimes, if coaches really want to be in a certain place, they can look beyond that.