One coach stands out as person to return Penn State to glory

The Penn State Nittany Lions made the shocking, but necessary, decision to fire James Franklin on Sunday. 

After three straight losses, including two in which Penn State was favored by 20+ points, his days were numbered. It looked like the team quit on him in a shocking home loss to Northwestern, one that came on the heels of a an equally shocking loss to previously winless UCLA.

This was supposed to be the season that they finally broke through and won a national championship after returning a ton of production from last season's national semifinalist team. Instead, the narrative surrounding Franklin being unable to win big games was solidified with a loss to Oregon, and then things spiraled with the stunning losses to UCLA and Northwestern.

Concluding that Franklin had taken the program as far as he could, Penn State will now look to find the coach who can take it over that final hump.

One coach stands out as the man who can turn this team into an instant title contender. He coaches in the Big Ten, too.

The Penn State Nittany Lions need to hire Curt Cignetti

Hiring Curt Cignetti is the only answer for the Nittany Lions.

Cignetti is a Pennsylvania guy, hailing from Pittsburgh. He's 64 years old, so he's ready to win right now, much like Penn State is. He led the Indiana Hoosiers to the College Football Playoff in just one year, and now he has them ranked third in the country and primed for a second consecutive playoff appearance.

Cignetti has a sparking record of 36-6 in four seasons as a head coach. He went 19-4 in two seasons at James Madison, leading the Dukes to appearances in the AP top 25 in each season. He's been even better at Indiana, going 17-2 through one-and-a-half seasons. After starting the 2024 season unranked, the Hoosiers rose to as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll en route to their playoff berth. They started this season ranked No. 20 and have already risen to No. 3.

It won't be easy to lure Cignetti away from Bloomington. He is very comfortable there, and his AD gives him the resources he needs. Indiana is also not a pressure-packed program like Penn State is.

Still, the Nittany Lions need to do whatever it takes to bring Cignetti into the fold. This is the hire that could finally give them a realistic shot at a national championship.