Penn State Has a New Favorite to Become its Next Football Coach

Brohm recently has emerged as a potential candidate to replace James Franklin, according to a source outside the Penn State program. On3's Pete Nakos also reported that Brohm is considered a candidate at Penn State.

Louisville is 7-1 and ranked 14th in the latest AP Top 25 this season, Brohm's third at his alma mater. ESPN gives the Cardinals a 21 percent chance of making the College Football Playoff this season.

Brohm has put together successful teams at his last three college stops. He led Western Kentucky to consecutive Conference USA titles and two bowl wins. In six seasons at Purdue, Brohm' had three winning seasons, including a 9-4 campaign in 2021, when the Boilermakers won the Music City Bowl.

Brohm became head coach at Louisville in 2023 and has compiled a 26-9 record so far. Penn State might have a difficult time prying Brohm from his alma mater and could be acclerating negotiations for a contact extension. However, Brohm is an offensive-minded coach who would bring a fresh approach to Penn State.

Scouting the other candidates

Of the candidates in Kalshi's futures market, Drinkwitz is the most likely to have staying power. On3's Nakos reported that the Missouri coach is generating consistent buzz for the job.

In his sixth season at Missouri, Drinkwitz has a 44-26 record with a 2023 Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. He's another offensive-minded coach who was a coordinator at three different programs before becoming a first-time head coach at Appalachian State in 2019.

However, Drinkwitz has better odds, according to Kalshi, of becoming Florida's next coach (21 percent) than Penn State's. He also faces a huge game Saturday against another Penn State candidate.

The 19th-ranked Tigers host No. 3 Texas A&M in a key SEC game Saturday. Missouri still has an outside chance at making the College Football Playoff, while Texas A&M is the nation's highest-ranked SEC team.

Meanwhile, Aggies coach Mike Elko would appear to be a natural fit at Penn State. He's an accomplished head coach who has been successful at Duke and Texas A&M. However, Penn State 1) might not be willing to wait for Elko's season to end if Texas A&M makes the playoff and 2) might not be able to afford him of Texas A&M offers a big new contract.

Other candidates to watch are Ohio State's Hartline, whose offense recently put up 38 points in a win over Penn State, and Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea. Penn State also could circle back to Manny Diaz, the Duke head coach who has the Blue Devils at 5-3 in his second season.

Despite the futures-market odds, Fitzgerald is unlikely to make his return to coaching at Penn State. Northwestern fired him following allegations of hazing in the football program. Fitzgerald and Northwestern settled a lawsuit in August for an undisclosed amount.

Kelly, recently fired from LSU, also is an extreme long shot to replace Franklin at Penn State. A recent article in The Athletic catalogued the fractured relationship between Kelly and LSU.