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McAfee has wild idea for Penn State's next HC that just may work
Pat McAfee. Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Pat McAfee has wild idea for Penn State's next HC that just may work

By Andrew Kulha  |  Last updated Nov 12, 2025 11:05 PM ET

Brian Daboll is on the open market after he was fired by the New York Giants earlier this week. The Penn State Nittany Lions fired their long-time head coach, James Franklin, earlier this season.

Terry Smith is the interim head coach in Happy Valley for now, but a head coaching vacancy as big as Penn State's almost demands a big name to take it over.

There have been several names mentioned for the gig — including former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz (currently the head coach at Duke), Vanderbilt's Clark Lea and even Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline — but one coach who could be very interesting for the Nittany Lions is Daboll.

He's a big name, and he has big-time coaching experience. Sure, his stint with the Giants didn't work out, but he would absolutely be considered a blockbuster hire for a college program like Penn State.

Pat McAfee certainly thinks so. In fact, he was the one to mention Daboll as an option for Penn State on his show.

“Daboll getting fired from the Giants seemingly opens the door for Penn State to make a move that everybody will like up there,” McAfee said (h/t On3). “I assume Pat Kraft and everybody that’s making the decision is like, ‘Hold the phone, we got a guy who wants to be here very, very bad seemingly and has a big name.’ That could be a home run for them. …We would like to say to Daboll, if you go to Penn State college football would be pumped. He would be electrifying.”

Fueling this moment from McAfee was absolutely the latest and only picture we've seen of Daboll after he was fired by the Giants. He was seen outside, walking in the snow, in a Penn State hoodie.

That's enough of a connection for someone like McAfee, but it should be worth noting that it's not a terrible idea for the Nittany Lions.

Brian Daboll would be a very intriguing option for Penn State 

For all his faults in New York, Daboll is undoubtedly a stellar offensive mind. He helped develop Josh Allen into an MVP quarterback when he was the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, but that's just a recent accomplishment. It's easy to forget because of Daboll's 20-40-1 record as head coach of the Giants, but Daboll was an extremely successful assistant coach at multiple levels.

He won three Super Bowls as part of Bill Belichick's staff with the New England Patriots from 2000-08. He coached Brett Favre as a quarterback coach for the New York Jets in 2007 and 2008. Daboll won two more Super Bowls in his second stint in New England as the tight ends coach from 2013-16. He also won a college football national championship as Alabama's offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017-18 and was part of the developments of both Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa.

So yes, it's more than just the hoodie. If the Nittany Lions are looking for someone who could really shake things up as their next coach, they've got a great option right in front of them.

Daboll is a highly successful football person, and if he can get his head around recruiting in today's NIL and transfer portal era, he absolutely would be a great hire for Penn State.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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