$87 million championship coach surprisingly floated as Penn State candidate

Penn State continues to be the crown jewel job in the current college football coaching carousel. Rumors are swirling about who could be Penn State’s next coach, but there may be some surprise candidates along the way.

The Nittany Lions could turn to fellow Big Ten foes in Indiana’s Curt Cignetti or Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, just two of the names being linked to Happy Valley. Yet, Penn State could also have their eyes on some even bigger fish.

ESPN’s Heather Dinich floated Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer and Ohio State’s Ryan Day as two potential names who should not be ruled out at Penn State.

“Is Kalen DeBoer happy at Alabama at the end of the season?” Dinich noted during an interview on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday. ” I mean, Dan Lanning’s probably pretty set at Oregon.

“How happy is Ryan Day? I don’t know the answer to all these questions. Would they leave? Would they leave? Right, that’s part of the question.”

The obvious question is why Day would leave Ohio State for Penn State, especially after a recent national title run. It has been well documented how much pressure Day has been under at Ohio State.

Day’s family experienced hardship following Ohio State’s loss to Michigan in 2024. The challenge is Penn State is not exactly a job without pressure.

Fans just witnessed Penn State surprisingly cut ties with James Franklin just one season removed from a College Football Playoff run. After the Buckeyes’ national title, Day signed a seven-year, $87.5 million contract extension, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Penn State’s chances of poaching Day away from Columbus appear to be extremely low, unless the Buckeyes’ season ends in disaster. The bigger point is that Penn State is going to at least kick the tires on some bigger names.

“I would not rule out anyone at this point,” Dinich explained. “Wide net, no rush to make (a decision). All the money in the world to do it.”