Big Ten Shocker: Who Will Step Up as Penn State’s New Head Coach After Cignetti’s Unexpected Indiana Commitment?

Let me just say, Penn State’s decision to part ways with James Franklin wasn’t a shocker to anyone paying attention. They found themselves trapped in this maddening cycle—winning seasons, sure, but never quite breaking through when it counted the most. It’s like watching a movie on repeat, hoping for a new ending that just doesn’t come. Franklin crafted a solid winning culture — but let’s be real — when you’re 1-10 against Ohio State and can’t close out the big matchups, a ten-win season starts to look like just a consolation prize. Now, the Nittany Lions crave a leader who can push beyond that plateau, someone with a track record of real glory. Enter the twist: Indiana’s Curt Cignetti just dropped a bombshell by signing a hefty contract extension, tossing a major wrench into Penn State’s master plan. So, who’s next? The Southern California Football Roundtable is weighing in—offering some intriguing takes on who could steer Penn State back to prominence now that Cignetti is off the table. LEARN MORE

Penn State moved on from James Franklin because PSU got stuck doing the same thing year after year. James Franklin has created a culture of winning at Penn State, but that winning has a ceiling. Penn State can’t ever seem to win the big games. 10-win seasons are nice, but when you go 1-10 against Ohio State and you lose to big teams consistently, the wins do not mean as much. The Nittany Lions are looking for more, so their next head coach might have to be a proven winner. However, a monkey wrench was thrown into Penn State’s plans when Indiana’s Curt Cignetti signed a massive extension on Thursday.

In our Southern California Football Roundtable, the writers at Trojans Wire and UCLA Wire discuss who will be the next Penn State head coach. Here are each of the writers’ thoughts on who the next best choice would be for Penn State with Cignetti no longer available:

Editor Matt Zemek

Matt Rhule is probably the favorite, if only because I didn’t see Curt Cignetti leaving Indiana. Why would he want to leave IU? He is getting paid a lot of money. He owns that state. He is a king and will be revered for a long time. Why go to Penn State, where the expectations are higher and the scrutiny is much greater? I don’t think Rhule is a lock for this job, but he probably is the percentage choice until another strong alternative emerges, especially with Cignetti now out of the picture.

Trojans Wire Writer Micah Huff

Curt Cignetti leaving Indiana always did seem like a pipe dream. Matt Rhule, on the other hand, was blushing, talking about Penn State. He wants to be there, and it is clear as day. Penn State might not even have to offer him big money. The question is how many more big games does Rhule win than James Franklin did?

Trojans Wire Writer Ethan Inman

In the Happiest of Happy Valley scenarios, Nick Saban. The Nittany Lions fired Franklin because they want to compete for national championships. Franklin was a winning coach until this season, and the weakness that got him fired was not winning the big game. None of the other rumored replacements for Franklin feel like upgrades except for Curt Cignetti, and I didn’t think Cignetti was ever leaving Indiana. he seems to like the unique journey he is on with that program and wants to ride that wave to a national title in Bloomington. The Nittany Lions will throw the house at Saban, and what better way for him to back the SEC superiority narrative that he pushes in the media than going to the Big Ten and showing everyone how easy it is to win there?

Trojans Wire Writer Adam Bradford

I’m going to say Manny Diaz. He was great as the defensive coordinator at Penn State, and has done a solid job at Duke. That being said, I do not think that Nittany Lions fans would be thrilled about this hire. (It would also create a rather ironic fun fact—the two largest coaching buyouts in college football history were both replaced by the head coach at Duke who was the former DC at said school.)

UCLA Wire Writer Ryan Lorenz

Not Curt Cignetti because it was always super unlikely he would decide to pick up and leave Indiana after revamping one of the best teams in college football. In practicality, it’s probably Matt Rhule. He has ties to the school, has had collegiate success as a head coach, and the Nittany Lions will work hard to pry him away from Nebraska.

UCLA Wire Writer Dylan McNeill

Penn State will shock the world and hire DeShaun Foster. OK, maybe not. My actual prediction is Duke’s Manny Diaz. Diaz is familiar with the Nittany Lions’ program and I don’t see Penn State prying Curt Cignetti from Indiana and I don’t view Matt Rhule as much of an upgrade over James Franklin. With Diaz, Penn State gets a young head coach who could grow with the program while having the talent on-hand to compete immediately.