When Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft decided to fire football coach James Franklin in October, it was a move that felt like it came with pressure from the fanbase. When the firing happened, it had to do with results on the field, but it also had to do with the frustration growing among fans.
As soon as he was fired, he vaulted to the top of the list for Virginia Tech, which fired Brent Pry, Franklin's former defensive coordinator at Penn State, just a couple of weeks earlier. Franklin became the hottest name on the coaching market, and Virginia Tech's search committee didn't waste time making a move for him.
It took longer than a lot of people would have liked to seal the deal, but Franklin was officially named the next Hokies head coach two weeks ago, and he has hit the ground running. Meanwhile, at Penn State, things go from bad to worse by the day. Tuesday, it may have hit rock bottom for Kraft.
BYU coach Kalani Sitake to remain at school
After being linked to the Penn State opening and being considered the frontrunner, Pete Thamel of ESPN reported late Tuesday afternoon that Kalani Sitake, who was the leading candidate for the job, was going to remain with the Cougars, and he also reported that Penn State was informed of his decision. Talk about a nightmare.
Early signing day is Wednesday, and Penn State has no coach in place. Franklin is plucking their Class of 2026 recruits left and right and bringing them to Blacksburg. Any commits that remain committed to the school have no idea who their next coach is. Not good.
Usually, when a coach is fired, the school has a plan in place. Pat Kraft and Penn State didn't have a plan in place. Instead, they did what made the fanbase happy, and now they are paying for it. Nearly every coach that has been linked to the position at State College has received a contract extension at their current school, along with a pay raise.
This is a nightmare scenario for Penn State and Pat Kraft with no end in sight. Meanwhile, James Franklin is cooking in recruiting at Virginia Tech and just beginning to put his mark on the program that is quickly trending upwards, while Penn State is quickly trending downward.