We've gotten a ton of new insight on what the Penn State Nittany Lions might decide to do in their head coaching search, with a decision likely coming within the next month or so.
Penn State will wait until the end of the season, likely, unless it absolutely finds the perfect candidate.
If Penn State decides to go the NFL route with someone like Brian Daboll, perhaps that decision could come in the upcoming weeks.
But there are also other candidates for the Penn State job, and according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, there are many that we haven't even considered. According to Feldman, Penn State has done a lot of work on who it wants to be its next head coach and has reached out to many.
“We’ve heard Penn State is exploring a lot of options, including Georgia Tech’s Brent Key and James Madison’s Bob Chesney. Only two seasons removed from coaching at FCS Holy Cross, the 48-year-old Chesney is viewed inside the coaching world as someone with big upside. There has been a lot of speculation about Penn State having interest in Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea, but at this point, that seems to be just that — speculation.
“Industry sources have also said Penn State has vetted some top assistants, such as Oregon’s Will Stein and Ohio State’s Brian Hartline. Another name to know is former Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald, who we hear has some strong supporters in Happy Valley. Fitzgerald was fired after an investigation found hazing in his program,” he wrote.
If Penn State were to end up with any of those head coaches, I wouldn't see any problem with it.
As crazy as it might sound, I actually like Bob Chesney out of James Madison the most. Chesney did an excellent job in the Northeast over the past few years and has continued that during his time at James Madison.
Of course, there are always some worries about hiring a head coach who is taking a major step up to a program like Penn State, but he's won at every step.
That's something Penn State will have to factor in if it wants to hire him.