The idea of Penn State firing James Franklin was to go out and find a head coach who could take them over the top in the near future. However, with some of these new job openings, it's only fair to question if Penn State has the best job on the market.
According to college football analyst Joe Klatt, Penn State not only has the best job opening, but it's by far the best available due to some of what Penn State has done in terms of history and other factors.
“I think this is going to be the best job that comes open in this cycle,” Klatt said. “I don’t care if those other jobs open — Florida, Florida State, Wisconsin — Penn State is the apple of the cycle.”
History is an important factor in college football, as we typically see many of the same programs year in and year out among the best in the nation.
While Penn State hasn’t accomplished what it's been looking for, obviously searching for a national title, it's also important to note that this program has still been very good.
Under James Franklin, Penn State was a consistent top-10 team with at least 10 wins each season. We can look at some of the losses to Ohio State and other programs, which Penn State has to get under control eventually, but the program has still been excellent.
“The support is there,” he said. “The athletic director is fantastic. They’re just putting in nine figures plus into that stadium, which is already one of the best environments in college football. You have a history of success, a legacy, a tradition. Everything is there to win a championship.”
And perhaps more important than anything, it sounds like the school is bought into trying to win a national title.
If Penn State allocates the necessary funds for them to win it all, there's reason to believe it could happen. A lot has to break everybody's way to win it all, but Penn State is in a very good spot, and if it can hit this coaching hire out of the park, it has to feel good about what's coming.
“This is a pivotal moment for Penn State,” Klatt said. “They’ve been a premium product, but there has been a ceiling with James Franklin. Like Georgia with Mark Richt, you want to bring somebody in who can take you to the next level.”