New coach

PSUalum2007

Freshman
Apr 8, 2008
99
61
18
Not many people write $5 million checks. Fewer do it casually. Even fewer do it repeatedl

1) Given his track record, I doubt that ANYONE is going to come in and offer Rhule $10 Million per year - or whatever his current Nebraska pay is (with the possible exception of an uber-desperate Pat Kraft, should it come to that). So it is all likely moot.

2) If someone did, and Rhule wanted to jump ship, what does that look like?
You have an athletic program (Nebraska) who's coach wants to "not be there" anymore - Nebraska could say:
"Nope, you gotta' stay - or pay us $15 million". How is that relationship going to do :) ? You want to pay $10 million per year for a coach who doesn't want to be there?
Or, if Rhule (really, his potential future employer) says: "I'll give you $5 million as a parting gift - and we part at that"? What would Nebraska do - keep a disgruntled coach, pay him $10 million per year, out of spite? Or take the $5 million and go hire a coach who wants to coach at Nebraska?

Do they possibly haggle back-and-forth? Sure. And maybe Nebraska gets lucky and some idiot AD at another university writes them out a check for $15 million. Maybe Nebraska get's frustrated and says "Just get the *** out - and don't come back". Or, more likely, they settle on something in the middle (but Rhule's camp would be crazy to offer anything close to $15 million)
Agreed, 100% accurate.
 

Grant Green

All-Conference
Jan 21, 2004
3,269
4,414
113
They were in contact seems like he doesn't want to leave ISU. Not saying they offered just that he was iffy about whether he would leave and how interested he was. Personally I like the guy a lot.
I liked Matt Campbell when he was at Toledo, but what has he done at Iowa State that is that impressive? He has one double-digit win season in 10 years. Zero conference titles. 3-4 in bowl games. He had Brock Purdy and Chubba Hubbard on the same team and still couldn't get to 10 wins.
What am I missing?
 

RolexKong

Sophomore
Aug 15, 2025
118
106
43
1) Given his track record, I doubt that ANYONE is going to come in and offer Rhule $10 Million per year - or whatever his current Nebraska pay is (with the possible exception of an uber-desperate Pat Kraft, should it come to that). So it is all likely moot.

2) If someone did, and Rhule wanted to jump ship, what does that look like?
You have an athletic program (Nebraska) who's coach wants to "not be there" anymore - Nebraska could say:
"Nope, you gotta' stay - or pay us $15 million". How is that relationship going to do :) ? You want to pay $10 million per year for a coach who doesn't want to be there?
Or, if Rhule (really, his potential future employer) says: "I'll give you $5 million as a parting gift - and we part at that"? What would Nebraska do - keep a disgruntled coach, pay him $10 million per year, out of spite? Or take the $5 million and go hire a coach who wants to coach at Nebraska?

Do they possibly haggle back-and-forth? Sure. And maybe Nebraska gets lucky and some idiot AD at another university writes them out a check for $15 million. Maybe Nebraska get's frustrated and says "Just get the *** out - and don't come back". Or, more likely, they settle on something in the middle (but Rhule's camp would be crazy to offer anything close to $15 million)
It's simpler than that. Rhule is off the table until: a) his buyout comes back to earth; or b) Nebraska fires him and it's moot.
 

Catch1lion

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,908
4,398
113
Lane is going to be getting a raise prolly sooner than later . Is having the family tour Baton Rouge a good idea ? (I’ve never been) Also checked out UF.

 
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DaytonRickster

All-Conference
May 29, 2001
1,809
2,042
113
I have no doubt that he would be an upgrade for PSU for 2026 and beyond. Franklin had peaked with his success here and was unlikely to reach that peak again. He had unprofessionally checked out.

A fair question is Drink worth what it would take to hire him? He’s supposedly making $9M. Just because PSU may be able to spend more, should they open up the Brink’s truck on a hire there could be a question about.

I’m more inclined to go with Chesney. Would think he’d be available for a good raise with incentives making it possible to be Brink’s truck worthy if he was successful enough to make the PSU fans happy.
I'm on the Chesney train unless somehow Deboer is truly in play.
 

PSUFTG

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2021
1,866
3,007
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It's simpler than that. Rhule is off the table until: a) his buyout comes back to earth; or b) Nebraska fires him and it's moot.
If Rhule is "off the table", it is because no other program is dumb enough to match/exceed what Nebraska is paying him. 🤣
 

Ludd

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,695
3,160
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Franklin absolutely ruined thee mental and physical toughness of this program. New coach should get a year or two to reverse that and get back to winning a few big games. And dare I say, a few tough road games (Franklin has zero in 11+ years).
But winning 10 games in the Big Ten is easy because all the teams are so bad, so no, the new coach’s floor is 10 wins in the first season.
 

Ludd

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
2,695
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I still think an agreement will get done around Thanksgiving or the week after. Who that may end up being is anyone's guess at this point. I don't fault Kraft for kicking tires and doing his due diligence on this search, but I mean man it is getting old for me.
Maybe he’s not doing his due diligence, maybe nobody he is interested in wants the job.
 
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PSUFTG

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2021
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Then he was never on the table because Nebraska didn't increase his base compensation.
Well, I don't think anyone would argue against that.

Personally, I think the only contender to do something so unwise would be an uber-desperate PK. So, time will tell.
 

LMTLION

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2008
727
1,230
92
I should not have watched the press conference with Terry Smith. I almost want to give him the job at this point! Here’s a man that really loves PSU. Let’s play a reality in which he is given the job. At this point you keep Knowles. Who is the OC? Terry is not going to bankrupt the budget, so you have big money to spend on a big-time OC.
 

Ludd

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
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We didn't want Franklin. Now we don't want anyone else either. Classic.
That’s because no one fits the requirements of this board. When you set unrealistic expectations it’s not surprising that no one can live up to them.
 

Itraindogs

All-Conference
Nov 28, 2024
876
1,580
93
I agree that he may in fact fit that same type of mold and could be great for us, but he holds a lot of risk not having any power football experience at any level. As we’ve talked about in the forum, Cignetti had decades of power football experience at various levels.
I agree there is a fair risk here, but personally I like the fact of someone having had to play with all the pieces of a puzzle at a lower level before transitioning up to a higher one. At JMU he was responsible for identifying and hiring coordinators, position coaches and so on. He has experience with dealing with ADs and university administrators, and so on. I also like his familiarity with the NE. He is also a proven winner. And no, I am not comparing him to Cignetti. Cignetti is a unicorn and until I see someone turn a program like Purdue into the next Indiana overnight I reserve my judgment as to how probable this is.
 

LMTLION

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2008
727
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Chesney, Hartline and Terry Smith for that matter would need significant training wheels to get up and running and be successful. They each need different training wheels. Chesney needs people that can recruit the hell out of the northeast and mid-Atlantic. Most of his experience has been at schools smaller than my own high school, but obviously he seems like he’s one hell of coach. Who are those resources for him?
 

PaForest75

Freshman
Oct 20, 2025
57
57
18
I should not have watched the press conference with Terry Smith. I almost want to give him the job at this point!

I'm starting to think he controls his own destiny on it. If he can get these guys to win out after they appeared to give up on Franklin, it's going to be tough to hand it over to these names left on the list.
 

Itraindogs

All-Conference
Nov 28, 2024
876
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Yes, Franklin will take everything he can to stick it to PSU.
I do not think it will be to "stick it" to Penn State, but he wants to be successful and he knows PSU players because he helped recruit them. For all his faults James was a players coach (more than many appreciated) and a relationship guy. I would be surprised if several of the younger DMV players and several staff do not follow him to VT.
 
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PSU4U

All-American
Aug 6, 2019
6,565
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Maybe he’s not doing his due diligence, maybe nobody he is interested in wants the job.
There are people who absolutely want the job and DeBoer is still interested no matter what some people think. Not saying it will be him but you have to continue to pursue a guy like him. There are others who have said they would take the job if offered.

But to your point after all the interviews and after the no's of Cignetti and Elko maybe there wasn't all that much interest in Key and Brohm as we've been led to believe. If (IF) that's so then just give Terry Smith a three-year contract then go from there.

If Smith were hired roster retention probably wouldn't take that big of a hit and maybe outside of Knowles and the OC Franklin doesn't get to raid the staff of our best coaches. Just food for thought assuming you're right.
 

LMTLION

All-Conference
Mar 20, 2008
727
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I'm starting to think he controls his own destiny on it. If he can get these guys to win out after they appeared to give up on Franklin, it's going to be tough to hand it over to these names left on the list.
Just think, if he had even an average OC rather than the dumb m’fer that we have now, he would’ve beaten Iowa and Indiana at the very least. He also had the disadvantage that the players are only now starting to learn the Knowles defense, which we have been told repeatedly took two full seasons for OSU players to understand. I’m not sure how good of a head coach he could be, but the players certainly put in a lot more effort for him than they did for Franklin. We’re behind Many blue bloods on NIL. Maybe Terry Smith is able to tap into the PSU “ old money” that has been sitting on the sidelines.
 

Rudy4526

Senior
Oct 13, 2010
679
775
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I do not think it will be to "stick it" to Penn State, but he wants to be successful and he knows PSU players because he helped recruit them. For all his faults James was a players coach (more than many appreciated) and a relationship guy. I would be surprised if several of the younger DMV players and several staff do not follow him to VT.
What I am saying is he took what he took from Vanderbilt to PSU. Cignetti did the same. He is taking most of the coaches and players. Only coaches I do not see leaving is Terry Smith, Knowles, and Dan Connor. Everyone else I see gone either to coach elsewhere or go with him. Players on the team now who have been injured not injured are leaving. Recruits are going to sign with him. We have no HC. There is a lot of opinions and names but we are nowhere near having a HC. PSU normally takes a very long time to find and hire a Coach.
 
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Jun 26, 2025
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I'm starting to think he controls his own destiny on it. If he can get these guys to win out after they appeared to give up on Franklin, it's going to be tough to hand it over to these names left on the list.

Naming Smith HC with a short-term renewable contract gives PSU some optionality at the same time it solves the elephant in the room problem. Smith would be able to begin work immediately at stabilizing the 2026 roster and defend the roster from the predators at the gate. Smith is the lowest-risk option as he can begin work immediately addressing the glaring hurdles Kraft has self-created and attempt to stabilize the 2026 roster (or do the very best he can addressing the elephant in the room), while paying him very little and having all the optionality (pure upside if he's successful and PSU can see who does what in terms of up-&-coming coaches and hire them if it's clear Terry isn't going to cut it.).
 
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PSU4U

All-American
Aug 6, 2019
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I liked Matt Campbell when he was at Toledo, but what has he done at Iowa State that is that impressive? He has one double-digit win season in 10 years. Zero conference titles. 3-4 in bowl games. He had Brock Purdy and Chubba Hubbard on the same team and still couldn't get to 10 wins.
What am I missing?
Recruiting to ISU has to be one of the hardest jobs in all of power 4 football. The guy has done way much more with less that's for sure. He has been at the top of the list for a lot of searches at big schools and just chose not to leave. He doesn't seem to be motivated by money or notoriety. He really does seem to be quite happy where he is.
 
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