Heather Dinich mentions Ryan Day, Kalen DeBoer, Mike Elko as potential candidates for Penn State job

The Penn State head coaching search is underway after the firing of James Franklin and ESPN’s Heather Dinich gave a dream list. Whether there is smoke or not, Dinich rattled off some massive names to look out for since Penn State can hire whoever they want, based on the money they have, per Dinich.

Sure, there are the usual suspects listed as of Sunday like Matt Rhule, Curt Cignetti and more. But Dinich looked elsewhere in the Big Ten and even at top SEC teams!

Look, are these going to be shut down immediately? Maybe, but Dinich threw them out there since Penn State might have to swing for the fences.

“I mean, look down the stretch. Is Kalen DeBoer happy at Alabama at the end of the season,” Dinich said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I mean, Dan Lanning is probably pretty set in Oregon. How happy is Ryan Day? I don’t know the answer to all these questions, would they leave? Would they leave? Right? That’s part of the question.”

Since Dinich is measuring happiness at the end of the season, that’s simply based on predictions. Currently, Day leads the No. 1 team in the country at Ohio State, just won a national championship and could do it again. DeBoer has won five in a row at Alabama, arguably the premier job in college football depending upon who you ask. The of course, there’s Lanning.

Lanning has backing from Oregon, is 5-1 this year and 40-7 overall, just won the Big Ten last year and has Phil Knight and Nike money. Everything’s up to snuff out in Eugene.

“Well, they’re not rushing this decision, because what they don’t want to do is zero in on a coach right now who might have a downward spiral in the second half of the season, right so let it play out, see how it goes,” Dinich said. “And their AD Pat Kraft said today publicly that they will absolutely give interim head coach Terry Smith a chance at this thing. 

“And Pat Kraft said, I will do everything I can to help Terry Smith run the table and win the rest of the season. But don’t count out a name like Texas A&M coach Mike Elko as well. He’s done a fantastic job. I would not rule out anyone at this point. Wide net. No rush to make it, all the money in the world to do it.”

To continue, Elko has an undefeated team at Texas A&M, a school that will certainly invest in football of course. Elko left Duke after two successful seasons and is now 14-5 in a year-plus at A&M. Going to Penn State might be a lateral type of move.

One thing’s for sure, Penn State’s head coaching search isn’t the first or last this cycle. But it could certainly be the most intriguing.