I think PSU is extremely serious about winning a title. One of my concerns in the post Paterno world was that PSU was going to continue to try to win like they did in the Paterno era, expecting more with less, which IMO is not really possible in today's college football. But I think PSU has taken a few actions that are public statements that they intend to compete with the best programs:
1. Hiring Franklin. At the time he was one of, if not the biggest, coaching commodity in CFB. PSU went and got him and showed a willingness to spend what it takes to hire one of the most in demand coaches on the market. At the time, I did not expect PSU to spend what it took to get him.
2. Hiring Knowles. They hired the most sought after DC in the sport and made him the highest paid coordinator in CFB history. Regardless of his performance to date, that is a move made by programs that are serious about winning and have secured the investments to back it up.
3. Firing Franklin. Getting rid of a coach that routinely wins you 9-10 games a season and is a great cultural fit for your university is a sign that above average isn't necessarily good enough. I do think if Franklin beats UCLA and NW he still has a job today. But when you ask your boss and boosters to go all in for a title in 2025 and follow that up with what might be the worst performance in your 11 year career, there are going to be consequences. There wasn't a single game this season where the team looked like a championship team, every game was a struggle. Despite that, I think Franklin can make it to the end of the season but once the locker room was lost and the home fan interactions became toxic, something had to be done. Letting Franklin stay longer risked setting back the program long term, making it harder to recover. Additionally Kraft has to sell new premium stadium seats, we can't risk losing all of the recruits, we can't risk boosters jumping ship. All of this is rationale for them to fire him now, but the action is still symbolic and indicative of a program that is willing to take steps to reach an elite level.
The next big statement is hopefully whoever Kraft hires. I feel like Rhule is the "safe" hire and I would argue it doesn't show you're trying to become elite. Financially he may be the optimal candidate given the stadium renovation and costs. He may take the job for less money than some others, may not even have a Nebraska buyout if leaving for PSU, is probably willing to keep many of the PSU letterman on the current staff, he probably opens some NIL wallets of old time fans that previously weren't available. But his big game record isn't what you want and the media narrative will immediately become about why you fired Franklin for a guy with an even worse record against ranked teams.
The problem is there are only a handful of names that would make a splash, some of which aren't a good fit for PSU (Dabo, Urban) and some of which are unrealistic because there is no chance they are leaving their current jobs (Smart, Lanning, Day, Saban). Of the names that have been floated so far, I think only Cignetti and Freeman might even be semi realistic hires that would make a splash. I think both are a longshot, with Cignetti maybe being a bit more possible. Both will likely be coaching into the playoffs and PSU needs a coach in place before signing day. Cignetti is old and has the backing of Mark Cuban, so he may not want to leave. Freeman has ND money and an easier path to the playoff being an independent.
Given all of this does Kraft hire an up and coming coordinator without head coach experience? It wouldn't be a splash, but the guys I'd put on that list are Will Stein, Joe Brady, and Brian Hartline.
But my fear is Rhule becomes the guy, he performs much like Franklin winning 9-10 games a year, and we ride that for a few years until in a better spot financially to make a huge splash hire and then reassess the situation at that time.
