Whether you're an athlete or a coach, there’s no worse label than being known as the guy who can’t win the big one.
Unfortunately for James Franklin, that’s exactly the tag he carried after failing to deliver a National Championship to Penn State.
After a three-game skid and what became a lost season, Penn State finally decided to let Franklin go on Saturday night.
Now, as the program looks ahead, we bettors have to sift through the Penn State next head coach odds.
Penn State next head coach odds
| Coach | Odds |
|---|---|
 Matt Rhule |
+200 |
 Bill O'Brien |
+500 |
 Fran Brown |
+500 |
 Lane Kiffin |
+800 |
 Joe Brady |
+800 |
 Matt Campbell |
+1000 |
 Curt Cignetti |
+1200 |
 Will Stein |
+1600 |
 Manny Diaz |
+1800 |
 Brent Key |
+1800 |
| Jon Gruden | +1800 |
Odds as of 10-13
Why did Penn State fire James Franklin
- September 27: Everything was going according to plan for Penn State. The Nittany Lions were 3-0 and ranked No. 3 in the country ahead of their primetime “White Out” game vs. No. 6 Oregon. They erased a 17-3 fourth-quarter deficit and even led by seven after the first overtime, but an Oregon touchdown, followed by a Drew Allar interception, handed Penn State its first loss and once again spotlighted Franklin’s inability to win the big one.
- October 4: Coming off that emotional gut punch, Penn State traveled across the country to face 0-4 UCLA, a team that hadn’t scored more than 23 points all season. What followed was a complete collapse. The Nittany Lions gave up 42 and lost outright as 24.5-point favorites.
- October 11: The final nail in the coffin came with a home loss to Northwestern. Penn State was outgained, outplayed, and embarrassed from start to finish — another defeat as 20.5-point favorites. The move to fire Franklin came soon after.
James Franklin buyout information
Franklin was under contract through 2031, earning about $8 million per year. However, a clause in his deal states he’s owed the full $50 million buyout, minus a $500,000 retention bonus — the second-largest in college football history, behind only Jimbo Fisher’s at Texas A&M.
Penn State next head coach favorites
Matt Rhule
There are many things that point to Matt Rhule taking over at Penn State, chief among them being his long-time friendship with Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft.
However, for my money, and for your money at (+200), I believe this would be a bad hire.
Rhule has a losing record in games against ranked competition, which would be like hiring a worse James Franklin.
Not to mention, Rhule has the Nebraska Cornhuskers at 5-1 this year, and has already seemingly gotten over the difficulty learning curve that faces head coaches who take over programs in disarray.
We saw what he did to the Carolina Panthers in his brief stint in the NFL, so I don't think I would trust his talent evaluation and recruitment moving forward.
Bill O'Brien
At 1-5, Bill O'Brien seems to be swimming upstream at Boston College.
A change of venue to Penn State would give him a roster capable of competing in the Big Ten and a chance to get back into the National Championship picture after doing so with the Alabama Crimson Tide back in 2021.
A brief stint in the NFL after Tuscaloosa didn't do him any favors, but O'Brien has proven to be someone who can get the most out of a talented offense.
Fran Brown
Fran Brown is a coach getting some serious attention after taking over the Syracuse Orange and leading them to a 10-3 season last year.
This year, however, the shine has worn off a bit, as the Orange are fighting the injury bug and, as a result, are 3-3. Given the odds, I'm not sure there's enough value here.
Penn State is a national brand, and I don't think the brass make a signing that doesn't send shockwaves through the college football ranks.
Curt Cignetti
Perhaps there's value here with Curt Cignetti at +1200, but Cignetti does not strike me as the type of guy who will jump ship for greener pastures.
After all, he's got Indiana rolling and ranked No. 3 in the country in the latest AP Poll. He's putting in great work with the Hoosiers, and I don't see him leaving them high and dry.
Although everyone does have a price...
Matt Campbell
And finally, we round out this list with Iowa State's Matt Campbell.
He's been a household name in the rumor mill for some time now, but has yet to budge from his perch at Iowa State. He's a coach capable of getting the most out of his roster and churning out NFL-caliber players along the way.
He's someone to watch, and quite frankly, may be the best fit.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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