For all the heat around a disappointing season, Penn State’s bigger problem is what happened after it decided to move on from James Franklin.
A year ago, Pat Kraft made the kind of move that’s supposed to signal ambition. Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12 after a loss to Northwestern dropped the Nittany Lions to 3-3. Franklin had taken Penn State to a College Football Playoff semifinal the season before, but the program had grown tired of his act after 12 seasons and believed a higher ceiling was available.
Instead, the school ended up with a warning label.
Penn State spent 54 days chasing a replacement, and the search never felt clean. Early targets such as Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko and Indiana’s Curt Cignetti were quickly off the board.
Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer was never truly in the mix despite the speculation. As the process dragged on, the whole thing looked messier by the week.
That kind of search can do real damage. Once a coaching opening turns into a public slog, everybody gets involved - boosters, trustees, former players, current players.
Recruits notice. So do the guys already in the building.
Penn State’s recruiting class fell apart. Twenty-four recruits decommitted after Franklin was fired, dropping what had been a top-20 class all the way outside the top 60.
The Nittany Lions signed the third-worst class in the Big Ten and finished nationally behind Syracuse, Rutgers, Appalachian State, Temple and Franklin’s Virginia Tech program. Eleven former Penn State commitments followed Franklin to Blacksburg.
Kraft’s search eventually narrowed around a few names, including Bob Chesney, Brian Daboll and Jeff Brohm. Then the focus appeared to settle on BYU’s Kalani Sitake. Penn State thought it had Sitake lined up, only for him to stay put after the Cougars reached the Big 12 Championship Game.
Sitake is still having success at BYU, but the fit questions were obvious. He was born in Tonga, played at BYU and had only coached outside Utah at Eastern Arizona and Oregon State. That would have been a major culture shift, and there were questions about whether his recruiting style would translate in Happy Valley.
When Sitake stayed home, Kraft pivoted to Iowa State’s Matt Campbell. On paper, that looked like a steadier ending to a chaotic search.
Campbell had built a strong résumé at a place with far fewer resources, and he had long been selective about leaving Ames. Penn State felt like the kind of job that could finally lure him away.
But the roster he inherited was already stripped down by the portal and by the recruiting fallout from Franklin’s firing. Campbell brought 24 Iowa State players with him to State College, including quarterback Rocco Becht. Even so, there were immediate questions about how a group that went 8-4 at Iowa State would hold up in the Big Ten.
So far, the answer has been not well.
Penn State is 3-2 under Campbell. The Nittany Lions opened the season ranked No. 18, then lost back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Northwestern.
They’re already 12th in the Big Ten and face No. 19 USC this weekend before taking on a Michigan team that is also slumping.
Northwestern outgained Penn State 506-291 in a 34-13 win last Friday.
There is still time for Campbell to turn it around. He has a track record that says he can coach.
But Penn State is not Iowa State, and the expectations are not even close to the same. Six seasons of seven- and eight-win football can keep you comfortable in Ames.
In State College, that kind of return can get you run out.
Recruiting has at least started to improve. Penn State currently has the No. 20 class in 247Sports’ rankings, which is still only seventh in the Big Ten.
And the back half of the schedule does look more manageable. Still, getting blown out by Northwestern changes the mood around everything.
That’s the lesson here for every athletic director thinking about making a midseason move: are you sure, and are you sure the timing helps?
Nearly a year after Penn State shocked the sport by firing Franklin, no Power Four school has followed with a coaching change yet this season. The rush to fire a coach and jump ahead of signing day and the portal has limits. Penn State has shown just how high the cost can be when the replacement plan goes sideways.
Patience, for once, might be the smarter play.
In Other News...
Penn State Heads Into White Out With One Huge Offensive Problem
Penn State heads into the White Out still searching for something more dependable on offense after Matt Campbell acknowledged the issues that surfaced in the loss to Northwestern. The head coach said the group has not settled into an identity, and he pointed to the need for better play across the unit as the Nittany Lions try to steady themselves in a big home atmosphere.
Koby Howard remains part of the longer-term conversation, with Campbell saying the wide receiver is still a few weeks away from returning. For now, the bigger concern is whether Penn State can turn frustration into structure, because Campbell has made clear that building a consistent team culture has to go hand in hand with fixing the offense. [Read more 🡒]
Penn States Transfer-Heavy Roster Faces A Bigger Big Ten Problem
Penn States promising climb from No. 18 to No. 13 has hit a rough patch in Big Ten play, with back-to-back losses exposing the kinds of issues that tend to show up when the schedule gets heavier and more physical. The Nittany Lions fell 24-20 to Wisconsin and then were beaten 34-13 by Northwestern, a stretch that has turned attention back to a roster built largely through transfers and the growing pains that can come with that kind of overhaul.
James Franklin has pointed to consistency and physicality as the main concerns, and linebacker Cael Brezina has echoed that message from the defensive side. With USC next on the schedule, the coaching staff is leaning into more physical practices and a return to fundamentals, hoping that the group can sharpen the details before the Big Ten grind raises the stakes even further. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Still Waiting On A Key Weapon For Michigan
Penn State will head into its October 17 matchup with Michigan still short one of its most productive pass-catching options. Coach Matt Campbell said receiver Koby Howard is not expected back for that game and is likely still a couple of weeks away from returning, leaving the Nittany Lions to keep piecing together their offense without one of the conferences more effective receivers.
Howard had been playing at a high level before the injury, sitting near the top of the Big Ten receiving charts and giving Penn State a reliable weapon in the passing game. The earliest possible return now appears to be the October 24 game against Purdue, which at least gives the Nittany Lions a target date as they navigate a difficult stretch without him. [Read more 🡒]