With less than half a season left for the Penn State Nittany Lions in 2025, fans are becoming eager to find out who will be the team’s next head coach of the future.
After a disappointing 3-2 start to the season, athletic director Pat Kraft decided to fire head coach James Franklin following the brutal loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. Now, Kraft and the rest of the athletic department will have to compete against the likes of Florida and LSU to land their next head coach.
As of Friday afternoon, here are the current odds for Penn State’s next head coach, according to Kalshi:
- Eli Drinkwitz - 21%
- Brian Kelly - 20%
- Brian Hartline - 18%
- Matt Campbell - 14%
- Jeff Brohm - 13%
- Urban Meyer - 10%
Prior to a massive shift in odds, Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm held a commanding 40 percent chance to become the next coach. However, this quickly changed, with both Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and former LSU head coach Brian Kelly leapfrogging the highly-touted ACC coach.
Drinkwitz, who has spent the last six seasons with the Tigers, has managed to turn the program into a top-25 team despite a brutal SEC schedule. In his past three years with Missouri, the 42-year-old head coach has held a 27-7 record while finishing second in the Eastern division in the conference in 2023.
Outside of Drinkwitz, the rumors continue to swirl around Kelly and the Nittany Lions. However, many of the issues surrounding Franklin during his tenure with the program are similar to why Kelly was fired from LSU. His inability to elevate the Tigers raises skepticism amongst fans.
One name that has begun to gain traction as of late: Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline.
This would not be the first time that Penn State has swindled a coach from the Buckeyes if they hire Harline, as defensive coordinator Jim Knowles spent last season with the program. Hartline has proven to be a tremendous recruiter and developer of talent, with many of Ohio State’s recent wide receivers going on to have prolific careers in the NFL.
Hartline would be a perfect fit for the Nittany Lions, as his ability to recruit high-end players could pave the way to success if he were to land the job.