Dozens of college football head coaches are fired every autumn, but Penn State's firing of James Franklin is one of those moves that will be remembered for years. His near-$50 million buyout is the second largest on record, but Franklin and Penn State set a record for the fastest fall from near-peak to valley. Three games ago, then-No. 6 Penn State held a lead on then-No. 3 Oregon in overtime. Now, Franklin is out of a job and Penn State is looking for a new head coach.
Of course, Sunday's move was not just about Oregon 30, Penn State 24. It was about the subsequent losses to UCLA and Northwestern, which made the Nittany Lions the first team in a generation to lose consecutive games as 20-plus point favorites. It was also about his 1-18 record against Big Ten top-10 teams. "This was not a 3-game thing," AD Pat Kraft said Monday. "What is the trajectory of this program?"
Things were as good as they were going to get under Franklin, Kraft determined, and so what had to be done eventually had to be done immediately. "I just felt there was no other course. I have to be the leader, I have to make hard decisions."
Now that the eventually has been done immediately, Kraft outlined what he's looking for in the next Head Nittany Lion. One word, three letters: fit.
"Our next coach needs to be able to maximize elite-level resources, attack the transfer portal, and develop at the highest level. This person has to fit Penn State," he said. They need to represent the toughness, the blue-collar work ethic, and the class that defines this institution. We want someone who honors our tradition but isn't afraid to evolve. Someone who understands the weight of We Are and leads us forward with a vision of championships. The right coach will rebuild the unity and pride that defines this historic program, and they will ignite this fan base around a shared belief that we're capable of greatness and we're going to do it the right way. We are the best program in the country. We have made significant investments in this program, we compete in the best conference in the country, and we have the best fans in the country.
"I have nothing but confidence in our ability to attract an elite leader for our Penn State football program."
The search begins in many ways with Matt Rhule. Rhule is not only a former walk-on Nittany Lion linebacker; Kraft was the deputy AD at Temple when Rhule took the job ahead of the 2013 season. The Owls went 2-10 in that '13 season; by 2015, Temple was undefeated and ranked 21st when No. 9 Notre Dame came to a sold-out Lincoln Financial Field to play in an ABC prime time game. The Owls lost that game, but went 20-7 with a conference title from 2015-16. That success landed him the Baylor job, where he executed an arguably more impressive turnaround in a shorter amount of time.
Hearing Kraft speak, it was remarkable how similar in look and personality he is to Rhule. Both middle-aged men with salt-and-pepper beards are gregarious talkers who are more than comfortable in front of a podium. A hypothetical interview between the two men might last 15 minutes or 15 hours.
Rhule was asked about the Penn State job on Monday. "I’m not going to talk a lot about job openings when they come," he said. "I absolutely love it here. I want to continue to take the steps needed to turn this place."
Of course, Rhule is not the only Midwest/Atlantic Corridor native with success as a major college head coach. Pittsburgh native Curt Cignetti is 18-2 and has Indiana ranked No. 3 in the country. Ohio native Matt Campbell has taken Iowa State to two Big 12 championship games.
Kraft didn't mention any candidate by name, except interim head coach Terry Smith.
"Absolutely," Kraft said when asked if he would be a candidate. "I'm going to do everything in my power to help him run the table."
Penn State has a lot of football left, Kraft said, and said after the press conference he would turn his attention toward helping his team beat Iowa on Saturday.
A task made easier, in Kraft's estimation, by removing James Franklin from the building. What an historic turn of events.