The Penn State Nittany Lions shocked the college football community by firing long-time coach James Franklin. He had a solid overall record at PSU, but his repeated struggles in key games ultimately led the school to move on.
Following Franklin’s firing, head coaches like the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ Matt Rhule and the Texas A&M Aggies’ Mike have been tabbed as the next potential coaches of Penn State. However, their overall fit in Happy Valley is still uncertain.
Penn State’s Search For Next Head Coach May Involve a Big SEC Coach
In his podcast on Tuesday, On3’s Josh Pate once again expressed his thoughts about Penn State’s decision to fire Franklin, while touching on Rhule’s potential in Happy Valley.
“Matt Rule has since resigned with Nebraska,” Pate said (48:00). “Frankly, he’s lost a couple of games, and everyone’s cooled on Matt Rule, which sort of illustrates how insane the logic is behind coaching searches or lack thereof behind coaching searches sometimes. But anyway, here’s the deal.”
Pate then turned to Elko’s potential with PSU, saying he strongly believes Elko is an “ideal fit” for the Nittany Lions and that the program could offer him a lucrative contract. However, he is more convinced by Texas A&M’s effort to secure Elko.
“I think they’re gonna make him every bit as happy as Penn State ever could,” Pate said (49:10). “So, my official stance on Mike Elko is I think Mike Elko is going to be the head coach at Texas A&M next year and will be mildly to moderately shocked if he’s not.”
Next came Pate’s big recommendation for the Penn State job. “If you look at Pete Nakos’ hotboard here, his second name, Clark Lea,” Pate said (50:00). “Clark Lea makes a lot of sense to me at Penn State. And Clark’s done big things at Vanderbilt the last couple of years.”
Lea was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2024, after leading his team to a 7-6 record and a Birmingham Bowl victory. That remarkable season also included a 40-35 win over Alabama, which was Vandy’s first win over the Crimson Tide since 1984.
This season as well, Lea’s squad is going strong with a 7-2 record, which included a 31-24 win over the LSU Tigers on Oct. 18. The Commodores were ranked No. 16 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year, released this week. They are also the No. 17 team in the nation, according to the PFSN CFB Playoff Meter.
Lea’s original contract was for six years. It was extended by three more years in 2023, keeping him at Vanderbilt through the 2029 season. He is set to earn $3.7 million in 2025, before bonuses. His total contract value exceeds $33 million through 2029.
According to USA TODAY Sports’ 2025 compensation survey, Lea’s contract makes him the 56th-highest-paid coach in college football.