David Pollack makes case for Matt Rhule, Matt Campbell, Eli Drinkwitz as Penn State candidates

Following a 3-3 start to the season and back-to-back losses to UCLA and Northwestern, Penn State parted ways with James Franklin after 12 seasons on Sunday.

Over his 12 seasons in Happy Valley, Franklin led the Nittany Lions to a 104-45 (64-36) record with six 10-plus win seasons and an appearance in the 2024 College Football Playoff. Last season, Franklin led Penn State to a top-five finish ranked inside the season-ending polls for the first time since 2005. Just six games later however, he is searching for a new job and the program is searching for a new head coach.

This coaching search marks the program’s first since the 2014 offseason, when they brought in Franklin from Vanderbilt after former head coach Bill O’Brien departed for the Houston Texans. Ahead of that search, college football analyst David Pollack floated a few potential names on the latest edition of ‘See Ball Get Ball with David Pollack‘.

“Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan. They’re the teams in the Big Ten,” Pollack said. “They’re the teams with probably the most talent, history, the most talked about. So you’re gonna have to win in a position where you’re not the first fiddle. You’re not winning the helmet game. You’re not dropping the helmet out there and people will say ‘oh, they’re coming.’ That’s gonna happen at those other schools a little bit more. Understanding that, I need to work in that parameter.”

Candidate No. 1: Nebraska‘s Matt Rhule

The first head coach that Pollack floated was Nebraska‘s Matt Rhule, who is seemingly the early favorite to land the job. Rhule, who didn’t shut down the rumors when he was asked about them on Monday, is an alum of Penn State and has previously worked with Penn State AD Pat Kraft at Temple. Rhule has been at Nebraska for three seasons now, where he’s led the Huskers to a 17-14 record (0-7 against ranked opponents).

“Matt Rhule is the first name that comes to mind because it’s his alma mater. He’s worked for the AD now that’s at Penn State. He was at Temple with him. He’s also been in the Big Ten at Nebraska, which is a little bit different. They’re not a big name in the Big ten, they have to develop and recruit. He worked at Baylor. Not a big name in the Big 12. You’ve got to recruit. You’ve got to be a little different. You’ve got to be about development.”

“You have to be able to take players who are good and make them great players, which (Curt) Cignetti has done (at Indiana). He’s done that. I think he’d make perfect sense. I loved his answer. He was very clear about how much he loves Nebraska, but he didn’t say he wasn’t taking the job. And that’s gonna continue to come his way. But if you look at the Penn State job, they get more talent than Nebraska more consistently. Nebraska‘s history is great, but I think Penn State has more talent and probably an easier job to win.”

Candidate No. 2: Vanderbilt‘s Clark Lea

The second head coach that Pollack floated was Vanderbilt‘s Clark Lea. This one seems highly unlikely, as Lea is a Vanderbilt alum and has finally propelled the Commodores to national relevance. Penn State also wouldn’t likely go back to the Vanderbilt pipeline, as Franklin was hired from the University back in 2014. Lea has led the ‘Dores to a 21-34 record in five seasons, but they are 13-7 over the past two seasons.

Clark Lea is another name that’s mentioned. I don’t see Clark Lea leaving his alma mater when he’s starting to get it built, and you hear how much conviction he has. He’s heck-bent on making his alma mater a program, and he’s done it. He’s starting to build that. Do you leave now? Probably not. How about Penn State? Do you do the Vandy pipeline again? I don’t think so either. Are you gonna go to Vanderbilt again when you went there for Franklin? Listen, he’s had success and James won a lot but they won’t do that again.”

Candidates No. 3 and No. 4: Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell and Missouri‘s Eli Drinkwitz

Finally, Pollack brought up Iowa State‘s Matt Campbell and Missouri‘s Eli Drinkwitz as potential options at Penn State. Campbell has led the Cyclones to a 69-53 record and one 10-win campaign over 10 seasons, while Drinkwitz’s Missouri program is 43-25 since 2020 with two consecutive 10-win campaigns. These two both fit Pollack’s criteria of being able to win while not being one of the premier teams in your conference.

“So who’s next on the list? Who fits the criteria? Matt Campbell. I think Matt Campbell is a really, really good one. He’s done it at Iowa State, where he’s done it with less talent. He wins close games and always puts good offense and discipline on the field. They’ve struggled fresh off a Colorado loss and that’s not a good place to be. Probably a couple of years ago the name was hotter, but he’s still a heck of a football coach.”

“How about another guy who fits that category? Eli Drinkwitz. You know what I love about Eli Drinkwitz? He’s got that moxie and that attitude. He likes to be the agitator and say things that are unconventional. He’ll bring some clout and fun with him to Penn State, so I think that would be a good fit. He’s used to winning at that level, but does it a bit differently. He’s always hired well and always has a good offense. He’s done a great job of adapting to NIL and the Portal. Wouldn’t it be something if he went and got his quarterback and brought his quarterback (Beau Pribula) back to Penn State?”