The college football coaching carousel is officially spinning at full speed, and Lane Kiffin just gave it a serious push. Over the weekend, Kiffin made the bold move to leave a College Football Playoff-bound Ole Miss squad for LSU-a blockbuster decision that sent shockwaves through the SEC and beyond. And just like that, the dominoes started falling.
Florida, hoping to land Tulane’s Jon Sumrall, ended up landing him after all-though some viewed it as a backup plan. Auburn, which had its eyes on Sumrall too, pivoted quickly and hired Alex Golesh away from USF.
Arkansas followed suit by tapping Memphis head coach Ryan Silverfield, while Ole Miss stayed in-house, promoting defensive coordinator Pete Golding to the top job. That’s a lot of movement in a short span, and it’s reshaping the landscape of the sport heading into bowl season and early signing day.
But that’s not the end of it. Michigan State made headlines of its own by firing Jonathan Smith and setting its sights on former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Oklahoma State brought in Eric Morris from North Texas, Stanford went with Tavis Pritchard, and James Franklin appears to be settling in at Virginia Tech. And yet, amid all this chaos, Penn State remains unusually quiet.
The Nittany Lions have struck out on their early targets-Curt Cignetti, Matt Rhule, and Mike Elko are all off the board. And any pipe dreams about luring Kalen DeBoer from Alabama were put to rest after his Iron Bowl win on Saturday.
Despite the early signing period opening on Wednesday, athletic director Pat Kraft is playing the long game. Whether that patience pays off remains to be seen.
There are a few names still in the mix. Interim head coach Terry Smith is an internal option, and BYU’s Kalani Sitake-currently prepping for the Big 12 Championship Game-has been floated as a possibility. But with the carousel spinning faster by the hour, Kraft may soon be forced to make a move.
Meanwhile, Kentucky just threw its hat into the ring in dramatic fashion. On Sunday, with most of the top-tier coaching talent already spoken for, the Wildcats parted ways with longtime head coach Mark Stoops. It was a surprise move, especially this late in the cycle, but Kentucky wasted no time identifying its next targets: Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein and Ohio State’s Brian Hartline.
Both Stein and Hartline are young, sharp-minded offensive coordinators under 40. Neither has head coaching experience, but both bring serious upside.
Stein is regarded as one of the top play-callers in the country, while Hartline has built a reputation as a relentless recruiter and elite developer of talent. For a program like Kentucky looking to reenergize its identity, either one could be a home-run swing.
And here’s the kicker-Penn State should be paying close attention.
With the big names off the board, the Nittany Lions are at a crossroads. They can play it safe with a proven, if uninspiring, hire like Sitake, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Louisville’s Jeff Brohm, or even Manny Diaz, who just guided Duke to the ACC Title Game despite five losses. Or, they can swing for the fences.
Because while hiring a first-time head coach comes with risk, it’s also how some of the sport’s best leaders got their start. Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman-all were coordinators who stepped into big roles and delivered.
The blueprint is there. The question is whether Kraft is willing to follow it.
Kentucky seems ready to roll the dice. And if Penn State wants to break through the ceiling it’s been bumping up against for over a decade, it might be time to do the same.