New coach

PaRURALGUY35

Redshirt
Nov 30, 2025
32
43
18
You don't fire a Top Coach, who has Top Classes coming in unless, and until, you have a very good idea.... and extremely confident.... that you are going to replace him with a new coach of equal, or better, standing in the profession. Just going around willy-nilly firing one of the 5 most successful coaches in FBS over the prior 3 years (thereby creating an instant competitor for your entire roster and classes) with zero idea of who you're going to replace them with is just plain incompetent management of the situation - not to mention beyond laughably stupid.

How Kraft even still has a job is baffling - he just made PSU the laughingstock of CFB by becoming the first team in CFB history to have no recruiting class for the upcoming season.
While I see your point and its a very valid take, I can't get there without knowing what was going on inside the locker room/ program. It very well may be cut and dry like you posted or there may be other factors that came to play and forced hands.
 

Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,608
2,655
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It does not. I think this conspiracy theory stems from fans' disbelief that the value of the Penn State job is not what they believe it to me and that other nefarious forces are at work.
Precisely. That and making excuses for Kraft.
 

PaRURALGUY35

Redshirt
Nov 30, 2025
32
43
18
LOL so if Hartline interviewed with PSU and USF ..so either Kraft or Hartline said no. Question if Hartline said no and said yes to USF something is very wrong here and by the way this puts to bed 'about any coaches waiting for playoffs to finish' before they announce
I'm guessing that Kraft passed, just based off the reports that he didn't like Will Stein for the job because he was to raw. Just assuming this though.
 
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Player2BNamedL8r

All-Conference
Jan 3, 2012
1,093
2,237
113
I don't think Kraft's current pursuit will pan out. BYU has taken Sitake's salary to over 6 million removed two people who stood in his way on NIL and recruiting gave him NIL money that match's TT's will raise assistant salaries. All coming from the Mormon church which Sitake grew up in. Sitake a dedicated leader within the Mormon church at Salt Lake City, I still don't see him leaving. But it seems anything can happen at this point.

I was a long time Franklin supporter then he publicly dissed the university among other stupid things thereby setting himself on fire. Up until this point I have been a Kraft supporter and now it appears he may be flaming out. So, now anything could happen.
I’ve said before, I never believed Sitake was a serious consideration. Never passed the sniff test, especially considering I doubt he ever even interviewed. If he got a raise because his agent used PSU as leverage, good for him.
 

Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,608
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While I see your point and its a very valid take, I can't get there without knowing what was going on inside the locker room/ program. It very well may be cut and dry like you posted or there may be other factors that came to play and forced hands.
The issue isn’t whether Franklin should have been fired but how Kraft is handling or mishandling finding a replacement.
 

Texas Lion

Sophomore
Aug 10, 2018
145
191
43
I apologize to the board. The stat I re proposed from Tengwell is for this cycle of hiring's. Sorry for my dumbness.
 
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Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,608
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Did we really want Hartline? He doesn't seem to be a cultural fit at PSU with the DWI's and do we want a guy with all those tats representing the school?
At this point a valid question may be whether Kraft really can find anyone to coach the team.
 

SRURock24

Senior
Jul 25, 2017
549
801
93
I'm guessing that Kraft passed, just based off the reports that he didn't like Will Stein for the job because he was to raw. Just assuming this though.
Obviously afraid to roll the dice on a coordinator but that may wind up costing him his job. This search is depressing. Still hoping he can pull a rabbit out of the hat but very doubtful. Benapudi should have insisted on a search firm to assist Kraft and company.
 

TheBigUglies

All-Conference
Oct 26, 2021
1,279
2,047
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So Sexton and/or his agency would decline a massive pay raise for his client (OC to HC $$) simply because he has a huge grudge against our AD? Is that really the prevailing wisdom here? As if Kraft is the first AD to fire one of his guys. I suspect he didn’t climb to the top of the mountain by allowing petty disputes get in the way of huge paydays.
Yes. Is USF a better job then PSU? 1764775355417.png
 
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SwampLion

Redshirt
Dec 3, 2025
3
6
3
With Hartline to USF and Sitake staying at BYU I can't help but wonder if we still have a big fish on the line. Someone who is still in the conference championship games. Someone who may be playing in the CFPs. Why would Hartline choose to coach at USF if Penn State really wanted him, since Penn State would probably have a bigger NIL pot and offer him a better salary? I can't believe that Kraft would unexpectantly fire Franklin so early in the season, if he hadn't already been talking to someone. It would just be weird. Hate that the new coach isn't in place for the beginning of signing day, but if we do get a big name coach to come the portal will compensate for losing some good high school players. I'm going to hope for the best, until I have a reason to cry.
 
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EricLAllen

Sophomore
Dec 2, 2025
79
115
33
Chesney to UCLA, Hartline to USF, nobody to PSU. WTF, I'm still going to the stadium anyway. Maybe it won't cost out the *** for parking anymore if it's just a deserted valley.
 
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Ludd

All-Conference
Oct 12, 2021
3,580
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It seems like Kraft is in panic ego mode to me. He will likely try a few things: swing and maybe land or miss again on a decently big name, or have to do one of the following:
1. Hire Terry Smith to a short term deal while continuing to look at a long term answer over the next 24 months
2. Hire Manny Diaz away from Duke (he knows the recruiting area and the program)
3. Hire Al Golden (he has been a HC and beat PSU head to head last year, and knows the recruiting territory)

Those are the options, unless he can grab a Matt Campbell, Jeff Brohm, or someone of that ilk.

None of those are terrible options if I'm honest. Maybe Al Golden wouldn't be great, but at this point i'd probably take that over Daboll or some unproven guy.
Have to go with Brohm…he can bring a lot of talent from Louisville. I like Diaz but he doesn’t have as much talent to bring as Brohm does.
 

NoSoup4U

Senior
Jan 17, 2002
636
886
93
I'm guessing that Kraft passed, just based off the reports that he didn't like Will Stein for the job because he was to raw. Just assuming this though.
Ok I'll bite the list seems to be dwindling day by day. The notion that coaches are too raw by Kraft's definition is probably 99% of the coaches out there the "non raw" coaches all got reupped or signed with other teams ...its staggering how this was played by Kraft from start to apparently never ending finish. the hits just keep on coming.
 
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PSUFTG

All-Conference
Nov 1, 2021
2,079
3,285
113
something is very wrong here and by the way this puts to bed 'about any coaches waiting for playoffs to finish' before they announce
In a world of dumb rationalizations put forward by the "insiders" and the head-in-the-sand gangs, that one was maybe the dumbest.
 
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SRURock24

Senior
Jul 25, 2017
549
801
93
Did we really want Hartline? He doesn't seem to be a cultural fit at PSU with the DWI's and do we want a guy with all those tats representing the school?
I don’t care if the guy has a nose ring and Hells Angels tattooed across his back at this point as long as he can do the freaking job.
 
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NoSoup4U

Senior
Jan 17, 2002
636
886
93
With Hartline to USF and Sitake staying at BYU I can't help but wonder if we still have a big fish on the line. Someone who is still in the conference championship games. Someone who may be playing in the CFPs. I can't believe that Kraft would unexpectantly fire Franklin so early in the season, if he hadn't already been talking to someone. It would just be weird. Hate that the new coach isn't in place for the beginning of signing day. If we do get a big name coach to come the portal will compensate for losing some good high school players. I'm going to hope for the best, until I have a reason to cry.
you are missing one thing. you are assuming Kraft had a plan or at least logically should have had one. If Kraft is just incompetent well ... if its a duck
 

Alphalion75

All-Conference
Oct 24, 2001
14,710
3,729
113
LOL so if Hartline interviewed with PSU and USF ..so either Kraft or Hartline said no. Question if Hartline said no and said yes to USF something is very wrong here and by the way this puts to bed 'about any coaches waiting for playoffs to finish' before they announce
Well.....Florida certainly is more attractive the Pa. ;)
 

Fred8811

Sophomore
Aug 27, 2006
220
129
43
Daboll

I’d take him as our OC


Sitake can recruit a lot of those tough Tongon and Hawaiian players as well as areas from west coast and mountain states players. If Pat could keep Terry as part of the organization he can recruit Pa. quite well. Next year will be tough either way. Cignetti bringing 30 highly experienced players from JMU iwas a big deal but Indy will get their asses handed to them when they are all gone next year. Indy will struggle to get top talent next year going against B10 recruiters. A flash in the pan 1 year great Indy team will struggle next season. Saban liked Daboll for our coach hard to say how that would work out.
 

Dbsteel

Sophomore
Jan 15, 2014
127
179
43
With Hartline to USF and Sitake staying at BYU I can't help but wonder if we still have a big fish on the line. Someone who is still in the conference championship games. Someone who may be playing in the CFPs. I can't believe that Kraft would unexpectantly fire Franklin so early in the season, if he hadn't already been talking to someone. It would just be weird. Hate that the new coach isn't in place for the beginning of signing day. If we do get a big name coach to come the portal will compensate for losing some good high school players. I'm going to hope for the best, until I have a reason to cry.
I'd say there is no chance this is the case. He's just butchered it.
 
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PaRURALGUY35

Redshirt
Nov 30, 2025
32
43
18
The issue isn’t whether Franklin should have been fired but how Kraft is handling or mishandling finding a replacement.
Totally understand that, my only point on the timing was not knowing if there was some other factor(s) that forced the decision. Not defending Kraft or the process, just wondering if there were other internal factors that forced the decision to happen when it did, but at this point its irrelevant either way.
 

Moogy

All-Conference
Jul 28, 2017
3,852
2,664
113
Currently, Penn State looks like a guy who is a 6, at best ... who is somehow married to a pretty good-looking, smart woman with some flaws. Meanwhile, he's constantly telling his buddies he deserves a 10. He points to the chick he dated back in high school, who was a smoke show (in his mind, at least ... by the time she graduated, she was a bit of a mess, and then things got worse).

So, he divorces his wife, she quickly gets remarried to a decent guy, and we're at the bar every night trying to pick up women, and they're all shooting us down ... even the ugly and/or dumb ones want nothing to do with us. We're scrambling at last call every night, and they're all using our creepy attempts to pick them up to be saved by another guy swooping in to save them.

Congrats, guys ... you deserve better this.
 

Bvillebaron

All-Conference
Feb 4, 2004
2,608
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View attachment 1048790

Yep. Just asked that of Tengwall myself. because it would have been hard to believe LT would stake such a wrong claim (he is generally pretty solid on his "stuff")
And the point is what? Sexton out to screw Penn State out of spite? Doubtful, but if so, does Sexton represent every competent coach on the planet? Stop the BS.