Penn State could target two high-profile coaches to replace James Franklin

The Penn State Nittany Lions are in need of a new head coach, and two rather significant names are already being linked to the job.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti and Nebraska coach Matt Rhule have already been mentioned as possible candidates for the job, according to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic. Both currently coach rival Big Ten programs, but have potential ties to the school.

Cignetti is a Pittsburgh, Pa. native who has turned Indiana’s program around. He emphasized that on Saturday with a huge road win over Oregon that establishes the Hoosiers as a real candidate to contend for the national title.

The Hoosiers did sign Cignetti to a massive contract extension a year ago, but Penn State could presumably give him a raise if they were serious about hiring him.

Rhule is in his third season at Nebraska, and has the Cornhuskers off to a 5-1 start. He has plenty of success at the college level, and current Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft was the athletic director at Temple when Rhule was head coach there.

Both Cignetti and Rhule would be expensive propositions, and their current schools would fight hard to keep them. However, Penn State is a prestigious program with immense resources, and it would be a hard job to turn down.

Franklin was fired on Sunday after a 3-3 start to the season and back-to-back losses against UCLA and Oregon. Penn State owes him a huge amount of money, which could impact their coaching search.