The Penn State Nittany Lions’ head coach search has severely impacted their 2026 recruiting class, as the program labors to find a replacement for James Franklin, who was fired 54 days ago. Interim coach Terry Smith managed to barely scrape bowl eligibility on the last day of the regular season as the Nittany Lions won a thrilling game against Rutgers.
Kalen DeBoer Latest to Be Linked to Penn State Job
Several names have been linked to the vacant Nittany Lions job, including Nebraska Cornhuskers’ Matt Rhule and BYU Cougars’ Kalani Sitake, who both signed contract extensions to remove themselves from the race.
During Wednesday’s segment of the CBS Sports podcast, analyst Tyler Donohue linked the Nittany Lions to a last-ditch bid to appoint Alabama Crimson Tide coach Kalen DeBoer to their vacant head coaching position.
“Terry Smith is probably where you gotta start. He’s a guy who has a lot of people rallying around him,” Donohue said.
“I think beyond him (Smith), if they still want to take a big swing, Kalen DeBoer has been one of those white whales that Captain Ahab (Pat Kraft) has been pursuing. I don’t know if that’s attainable, but that’s probably the last big swing in play if Alabama were to miss the playoff.”
DeBoer signed an eight-year contract worth a mammoth $87 million, which runs through 2031, when he replaced Nick Saban as coach of the Crimson Tide last year. He has led Alabama to a 19-6 record and, in his second season, has reached the SEC championship game against the Georgia Bulldogs, and according to PFSN’s College Football Playoff Meter, the Crimson Tide has a 55.8% chance of being included in the 12-team field.
On Wednesday, The Athletic’s Ralph Russo linked Iowa State Cyclones coach Matt Campbell to the Nittany Lions job. Campbell signed an eight-year contract worth $40 million just before the current college football season started.
Joel Klatt Drives DeBoer to Penn State Rumors
During Wednesday’s segment of the ‘Joel Klatt Show’, Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt further drove the DeBoer to Happy Valley rumors, crediting athletic director Pat Kraft for having an ace up his sleeve in the program’s coaching search.
MORE: Analyst Reveals Bleak Forecast for Penn State Football As Recruiting Woes Mount
“The fact that it’s lasted this long leads me to believe that there’s a guy still coaching this week that’s a head coach that might be a target,” Klatt said. “Is it Kalen DeBoer? I don’t know. You start the process of elimination. Why’s it taking this long?
“Why haven’t they announced something? Is that coach still coaching? Who’s locked up? Who’s not locked up? Maybe they’re targeting Kalen DeBoer, but I’m not totally sure.”
James Franklin managed to flip 11 of his former Penn State 2026 recruits to power the Virginia Tech Hokies to a top-30 recruiting class. After signing a top 20 class in the country for 10 consecutive years, the Nittany Lions languish at No. 150 according to 247Sports rankings as their coaching search drags on.
