Penn State Football Coaching Search: The Case For and Against Joe Brady

However, this is not his only tie to Penn State. Penn State mega booster Terry Pegula happens to also be the owner of the Buffalo Bills (Joe Brady’s current employer).

If Pat Kraft gets a recommendation from Terry Pegula regarding Joe Brady, it could go a long way in the coaching search as Pat Kraft is not only looking to replace a head coach, but also looking to inject more resources into the football program to take the team to an “elite” level to win a national championship.

Quarterback development

One of the biggest reasons that James Franklin is no longer the head coach at Penn State is the inability to develop Drew Allar into the player and top NFL prospect that his recruiting ranking suggested. Penn State has not been able to develop elite level quarterbacks under James Franklin during his tenure with the Nittany Lions.

Joe Brady may give the Nittany Lions a better shot at that development. While Josh Allen has certainly been a top quarterback in the NFL over his eight years in the league, Joe Brady was able to take Allen’s game to another level as offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills.

In Brady’s first full season as the Bills offensive coordinator, Josh Allen won the NFL MVP award and led Buffalo to a 13-4 record. With Allen as the example, Brady can use his NFL success in the recruiting world to entice quarterback talent to Happy Valley.

The Case Against Joe Brady as Penn State’s Next Head Coach

Never been a head coach

No matter who it is, taking on a first-time head coach to replace one of the longest tenured head coaches in the nation is a risk. Joe Brady has never been a head coach in his 13-year coaching career.

Every head coach gets a start somewhere, but a program with expectations to improve on top 10 finishes and with national championship desires could be a lot of pressure for a first-time head coach.

We also do not know how Brady will do assembling a staff and running an entire college program, which is much different with the emphasis on recruiting than the NFL.

Most of Brady’s experience is in the NFL

Another point against Joe Brady is how his coaching and leadership will translate to the college game. Brady has spent the eight of the past nine seasons coaching in the NFL, with the lone season in college with LSU.

With the emphasis in the college game on recruiting and the transfer portal, will Joe Brady be able to learn on the fly to produce the results that Penn State is looking for in those areas?

As passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at LSU, Brady is credited by 247Sports in recruiting five-star tight end Arik Gilbert and four-star wide receiver Koy Moore to LSU, however his experience in recruiting is extremely limited.

With Pat Kraft’s emphasis in Penn State’s coaching search press conference on finding a coach who will recruit elite talent to Penn State and someone who will attack the transfer portal, there is certainly a question of fit with Joe Brady’s lack of history in that department.

Timing issue on starting as head coach

There is also a timing issue for Penn State if Pat Kraft wants Joe Brady as the next Penn State head coach.

Buffalo’s regular season does not end until January 4th, and the Bills are a lock to make the playoffs after that as well.

With a shot at the Super Bowl with Josh Allen under center, when would Joe Brady be able to start as the head coach in Happy Valley? Penn State is already losing almost its entire 2026 recruiting class with the coaching turnover. With players on the current roster expected to hit the transfer portal when it opens, Penn State’s next coach will need to build next year’s roster with a thorough examination of the transfer portal and the remaining 2026 recruits that do not sign early in the early signing period December 3-5.

At a minimum, Penn State and Pat Kraft would need a coach that is able to start before the January 2 through 16 transfer portal window to be able to recruit the current roster to stay on board at Penn State and fill out the 2026 roster before other teams grab all of the talent.

This timing could run afoul with Brady’s commitments to Buffalo for the remainder of the NFL season.

Joe Brady is certainly a candidate to keep an eye on, especially if Terry Pegula starts throwing his influence (and money) around. However, with the negatives of the timing of Brady potentially starting and his lack of experience in the college game, there may be better candidates out there for Pat Kraft.