Prugar’s Penn State Coaching Search Pros and Cons: Could the DeBoer be Opening?

Kalen DeBoer is a name that’s been thrown around lately as potentially wanting a change of scenery from despite only being in his second season with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

The coaching carousel is at a fever pitch and Penn State is well in the middle of it with its coaching search well underway.

Less than a year removed from a College Football Playoff Semifinal run, Penn State is in a tailor made position to have success with their coaching hire.

Let’s take a look at some of the candidates and why it makes sense or doesn’t for both the candidate and the program:

Kalen DeBoer – Alabama

Pros for Penn State

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• Prying somebody from a blue-blood such as Alabama would speak volumes for the tenacity of Patrick Kraft being willing to go out and get someone nobody really seemed to be available.
• DeBoer has had success at all of his stops and even has recent success as a coordinator in the Big Ten having been at Indiana in 2019 under former Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Allen.
• This would be the splash hire everybody expected from Kraft, but it would open up a new area of recruiting for the Nittany Lions with DeBoers new southern ties as well as his west coast ties from being at Fresno State and Washington.

Cons for Penn State 

• This might not be a great cultural fit given DeBoer has minimal ties to the northeast, but does at least have Big Ten familiarity.
• Him leaving Alabama could be immediate or it could last most of the month of December depending on how the Crimson Tide’s season unfolds.
• If he’s willing to leave Alabama for a better opportunity, who’s to say that’s not the same situation he’s in with moderate success at Penn State.

Pros for DeBoer

• Following in the footsteps of James Franklin is far more manageable than the expectations of following in the footsteps of Nick Saban at Alabama.
• The Big Ten features a much more simpler path at reaching the College Football Playoff each year and without Ohio State on the schedule for the next few seasons, it’s a more favorable schedule.
• Penn State is in win-now mode very much like Alabama and Kraft has proven he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get the Nittany Lions to the top of the mountain.

Cons for DeBoer

• Expectations for Penn State have never been higher and that means it’s Big Ten Championship, National Championship or bust for the Nittany Lions and while those are lofty expectations, it’s nothing different for DeBoer it’s just from outside the shadow of Saban
• Alabama has unlimited resources and opportunities in the SEC and leaving there is far from a sure bet for success after.
• Alabama is the top of the College Football world given the program’s rich championship history. Leaving the Crimson Tide is a bold choice, but is it the right one even with the pressure that comes with the position.

DeBoer would check the boxes of splash hire and strong culture Kraft is looking for in the next head coach, but luring him away from Alabama is a tough job. Can Kraft pull it off and take advantage of DeBoer looking for a fresh start at a program out of the shadow of the greatest of all time.