With the 2025 college football regular season officially in the books, the Penn State Nittany Lions’ head coaching search is becoming a main talking point amongst fans prior to the upcoming offseason.

One name that is beginning to swirl in the Nittany Lions’ head coach rumors is BYU Cougars’ head coach Kalani Sitake after an impressive showing within the Big 12 Conference this season.

Sitake, in his 10 years with the Cougars, has done a terrific job of elevating the program throughout the decade, posting an 83-44 record. In addition to his strong resume, Sitake has led BYU to seven bowl games in nine seasons, with the school set to make another bowl game appearance in 2025.

After the Cougars made the switch to the Big 12 Conference, Sitake struggled in their first year, ending the season with a 5-7 record. However, this quickly changed over the next two seasons, as BYU is 22-3 since 2024 with a chance to make the 2025 College Football Playoffs.

Now that Penn State has officially ended its regular season, athletic director Pat Kraft will begin to ramp up the head coach search.

Just one day after the conclusion of the regular season, however, multiple Power Four schools have already found their next head coach, with the LSU Tigers landing Lane Kiffin and the Florida Gators nabbing Jon Sumrall.

Looking at the rest of the head coach landscape, interim head coach Terry Smith continues to make his case to become the next coach of the Nittany Lions.

The former alumni has done an excellent job of getting the program back on track this season, winning his last three games to make Penn State bowl-eligible in 2025.

When asked about his desire to become the head coach, Smith told reporters last week that “no one knows Penn State” better than him.

"No one knows Penn State better than me,” Smith claimed. “Of all the candidates that are out there, I know the history of Penn State. I know the culture, the DNA. I know the locker room. I know the administration. I think I'm a good leader. I think I'm a leader of men."