Josh Heupel

BCS PSU

Senior
Jun 2, 2001
499
948
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Josh Heupel‘s Tennessee team just got blown out at home 45-24 to that powerhouse Vanderbilt team.

Heupel is now 4-4 in the SEC and his seat just got simmering hot.

Any more posters supporting Heupel as Penn State’s next coach?

I didn’t think so.
Vandy is a better team than this Tennessee team; they are a legitimate top 10 caliber team this season. They finished 10-2 while playing a SEC schedule.
 

Blair10

All-Conference
Dec 30, 2002
1,739
3,580
113
Vandy is a better team than this Tennessee team; they are a legitimate top 10 caliber team this season. They finished 10-2 while playing a SEC schedule.

Try telling that to the Tennessee fan base. They are angry right now.
 

Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,611
2,655
113
No excuses. I read right here that a high school coach could win10 games at PSU.
According to the experts here....the worst coach in history stumbled PSU to the semi finals. Every PSU fan should expect sustained excellence at the highest level. In Kraft we trust.
Absolutely. Multiple Big and Natty Championships coming soon. Nothing to it.
 
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Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,611
2,655
113
He is a solid coach. He won at Purdue. Graveyard for coaches before and after Joe Tiller.
Franklin is a solid coach. I thought the goal was to hire someone who would win Big and National Championships. Are we to lower our expectations already?
 
Jun 26, 2025
688
555
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If there is any truth to this, yikes. If anything, it points to PSU being turned down by everyone else.

How is possible that Kraft has let this drag on to the point of still interviewing into December?

Just give it to Hartline.

Laughable - do not give it to Hartline (zero head coaching experience and duhO$U didn't even trust his abilities to be OC by himself....) half an OC and zero HCing experience at any level, no thanx. Way rather go with Chesney who is a proven successful HC at all levels - in addition, will bring players which is going to be hugely critical when Smith and our entire roster (and recruits) go to Blacksburg.
 
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doctornick

All-Conference
Sep 4, 2007
642
1,010
93
If true about the interview this search has been a colossal failure

Agree. I would like Heupel, but it is a bad idea to delay this any longer - if there hasn't been some secret previous interview with him already then he should be off the list.

I get that there may have not been any "home run" option out there but you have to make the best choice among the candidates you can get and get them signed and announced. I've been willing to give Kraft the benefit of the doubt because realistically any candidate wasn't going to be announced as signed until today but as this day goes on without anything official I have become much more worried. If it is Hartline or Chesney or Sitake (or even someone like Campbell or Key) then it should be announced today.

I fully expect someone to hire Chesney - if not us then UCLA it seems - so the fact that he hasn't been announced as signing somewhere suggests to me that he's other going to be the hire or he's a backup for us to someone else we are negotiating with and we are stringing him along. Personally, I wouldn't want to lose him over a wish for someone else and would rather they just get it done with him and move on.
 
Dec 14, 2021
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I wouldn't hate it. May be in the minority. Full disclosure, I was all in on Meyer. Once he was out, I liked Drinkwitz. Actually think Heupel is a better choice than Drinkwitz. Hoped it would be done before signing day, but that probably wasn't realistic. Need a very strong portal presence and recruiting focus beginning in 2027. And need to try to keep key players from leaving.
 
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Bwifan

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,537
4,437
113
Laughable - do not give it to Hartline (zero head coaching experience and duhO$U didn't even trust his abilities to be OC by himself....) half an OC and zero HCing experience at any level, no thanx. Way rather go with Chesney who is a proven successful HC at all levels - in addition, will bring players which is going to be hugely critical when Smith and our entire roster (and recruits) go to Blacksburg.
Who is the OC for OSU this year?
 
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TheWizardofCamelot

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2015
991
1,295
93
Laughable - do not give it to Hartline (zero head coaching experience and duhO$U didn't even trust his abilities to be OC by himself....) half an OC and zero HCing experience at any level, no thanx. Way rather go with Chesney who is a proven successful HC at all levels - in addition, will bring players which is going to be hugely critical when Smith and our entire roster (and recruits) go to Blacksburg.
Chesney has no experience AT THIS LEVEL and no thanks to his JMU roster. Moot point anyway, he’s headed to UCLA.

Hartline is the best recruiter in the country. Provide him with a good supporting cast and see what happens. A La Lanning at Oregon.
 

doctornick

All-Conference
Sep 4, 2007
642
1,010
93
Chesney has no experience AT THIS LEVEL and no thanks to his JMU roster. Moot point anyway, he’s headed to UCLA.

Hartline is the best recruiter in the country. Provide him with a good supporting cast and see what happens. A La Lanning at Oregon.
And Hartline has no experience AS A HEAD COACH. To me that’s a far bigger concern than not having coached at power conference school.

If Chesney were going to UCLA for sure, he already would have been announced. I’m confident that he’s still in play/high option for PSU (or at least some other non-UCLA school)
 
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Bwifan

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,537
4,437
113
And Hartline has no experience AS A HEAD COACH. To me that’s a far bigger concern than not having coached at power conference school.

If Chesney were going to UCLA for sure, he already would have been announced. I’m confident that he’s still in play/high option for PSU (or at least some other non-UCLA school)
Least of my worries. So many good coaches had no HC experience before getting their shot. As long as they had good HC to learn from that is all I need.
 

LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
9,112
12,756
113
And Hartline has no experience AS A HEAD COACH. To me that’s a far bigger concern than not having coached at power conference school.

If Chesney were going to UCLA for sure, he already would have been announced. I’m confident that he’s still in play/high option for PSU (or at least some other non-UCLA school)
Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Ryan Day. None had HC experience. Heck, Joe Paterno didn’t have head coaching experience before he was named HC at PSU.
 

leinbacker

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
2,406
3,837
113
Yup. I’m getting that you are using that as a negative, but I thought BO’B did a fine job.

No, BOB was fine given what he had to work with. Thinking about it, if the portal existed when he coached, he may have done better with the limited roster size. He could bring in experienced players rather than recruit
 
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doctornick

All-Conference
Sep 4, 2007
642
1,010
93
Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman, Ryan Day. None had HC experience. Heck, Joe Paterno didn’t have head coaching experience before he was named HC at PSU.
I’m not saying a coach can’t successfully jump to being a HC without prior experience but IMHO there’s more to worry about whether a position coach has the skills to be a HC than if an established HC has the ability to perform on a Power 4 team as HC. Chesney IMHO is lower risk than Hartline with similar level (albeit very different) of upside. If we aren’t getting someone like DeBour - we aren’t - I hope it’s Chesney.
 
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LB99

Heisman
Oct 27, 2021
9,112
12,756
113
I’m not saying a coach can’t successfully jump to being a HC without prior experience but IMHO there’s more to worry about whether a position coach has the skills to be a HC than if an established HC has the ability to perform on a Power 4 team as HC. Chesney IMHO is lower risk than Hartline with similar level (albeit very different) of upside. If we aren’t getting someone like DeBour - we aren’t - I hope it’s Chesney.
I appreciate your perspective. I’m ok with Chesney. However, I think it is a huge jump from G5 to B1G football. I think perhaps, a coordinator in the P4 may know the interworkings of a P4 roster and coaching staff more than a G5 HC. I hope I’m wrong if it is Chesney.
 

TheWizardofCamelot

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2015
991
1,295
93
And Hartline has no experience AS A HEAD COACH. To me that’s a far bigger concern than not having coached at power conference school.

If Chesney were going to UCLA for sure, he already would have been announced. I’m confident that he’s still in play/high option for PSU (or at least some other non-UCLA school)
Chesney will still be there in four years if this hire doesn’t work out for us. UCLA isn’t a destination job, let them do the Clone Cignetti experiment.
 
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