Essentials Inside The Story

• Former UCLA Bruins head coach warns Penn State
• James Franklin's early struggles to become an icon
• Exploring Terry Smith's chances to become HC

Penn State Nittany Lions’ coaching chair has been collecting dust since James Franklin got the pink slip. Interim Terry Smith is holding the wheel, but suddenly chatter about Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer jumping ship heats up. A former head coach then dropped some ‘yikes’-worthy warnings about Penn State’s rumored DeBoer move. 

On the November 23rd episode of the Dan Patrick Show, former UCLA Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel arrived as a guest. When asked about whether Penn State made a mistake by firing Franklin, he agreed.

“What name are you going to get that’s out there going to do that? Now, Kalen DeBoer might, but that also is going to require a major check-writing campaign,” stated Neuheisel.

As reported by The Centre Daily Times’ Penn State beat reporter, Jon Sauber, DeBoer has become a top target for Penn State. After Franklin’s termination, multiple head coaches are on their radar. Going by Penn State’s following head coach odds at Kalshi, Bob Chesney stands at the top with 35% probability.

Notably, DeBoer is climbing the charts with 18% chances, followed by Eli Drinkwitz at 12%. The chances of Smith taking up Franklin’s baton sit last in the list at 11%.

“DeBoer is the other candidate at the top of the list right now and is still the program’s primary target,” Sauber wrote.

Penn State is swinging big; they want a ready-made winner who can step into the Big Ten’s new era and compete from day one. That’s why Sauber believes DeBoer fits the mold much like Franklin once did. The ex-head coach’s early years didn’t bring out the goosebumps. Penn State sputtered under 2,000 rushing yards and managed just 21.9 points a game.

But once his system clicked, the entire operation detonated.

By 2017, PSU was an 11-win machine nearing 6,000 yards, McSorley was rewriting the record books, and the offense was scoring like it was 1994 all over again.

Cut to DeBoer: he’s built from the exact blueprint, slow ramp-up, then full-blown offensive fireworks, which is precisely why Penn State sees him as a natural fit.

Alabama’s offense never really found its spark last season. They finished in the middle of the pack at 42nd in total offense and 56th in passing, a flaw exposed in the 24-3 loss to Oklahoma that came to define their 9-4 letdown.

Enter Ryan Grubb, and the shift was immediate.

The passing game jumped from 236.4 yards in 2024 to 292.5 in 2025, while total offense nudged up from 410.2 to 415.7 per outing. In short, the Tide didn’t just avoid another stall; they leveled up. But Paul Finbeaum is not buying into DeBoer taking up Franklin’s seat.

“I know this would be a good time for me to get on a soapbox and give a manifesto on the absolutely pathetic state of sports reporting and journalism, but I think that’s already been done,” said the ESPN analyst. 

Penn State is already paying heavily for firing Franklin. Will they listen to Smith’s plea?

Penn State’s Terry Smith makes his pitch to fill James Franklin’s shoes

Ever since Franklin left, 17 players had hit the exit door. The effect has also impacted the 2027 class. Gabe Jenkins, a 4-star 2027 linebacker, wasted zero time hitting the eject button. Less than 20 minutes after Franklin’s firing went public, he became the first Penn State commit to decommit from the class.

To stop more dominoes from falling, Terry Smith made a sales pitch for himself as Franklin’s successor.

“No one knows Penn State better than me, the interim head coach said.

Of all the candidates out there, I am familiar with the history of Penn State. I know the culture, the DNA, the locker room, administration. I think I’m a good leader, a leader of men.”

Terry Smith has been in Happy Valley since 2014, arriving just after James Franklin took over. The locker room hasn’t checked out on him. After Penn State’s 37-10 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a player crashed his press conference, waving a “HIRE TERRY SMITH” sign.

With Franklin already locked into a $41.7 million deal at Virginia Tech Hokies through 2030, Penn State now has a choice to make: swing big for an SEC head coach or stick with the steady hand they’ve trusted for a decade.