Before 1:00 Wednesday afternoon, two more names fell off the board in the Penn State coaching search.
First, South Florida hired Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, who had been talked about throughout the search.
Hours later, news broke that Georgia Tech had extended head coach Brent Key, who is wrapping up his third full season in charge at his alma mater.
Neither transaction should come as much of a surprise. Although a portion of Penn State fans wanted Hartline, there isn’t much to suggest Penn State was all that interested in making him their head coach.
Key’s candidacy, on the other hand, was more realistic due to his head coaching experience, but ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Georgia Tech’s extension had “been in the the works for weeks.”
This follows a theme of possible Penn State candidates getting richer, and here’s a rundown:
CURT CIGNETTI, INDIANA
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 23: Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti talks to his players during the game against the Indiana Hoosiers and the Ohio State Buckeyes on November 23, 2024, at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, OH. (Photo by Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire)
Days after Penn State fired James Franklin, Indiana coach Curt Cignetti, who many expected to be one of, if not Penn State’s top target, inked an eight-year, $93 million extension, keeping him in Bloomington. Cignetti was thought to be a fit for the job because of his PA roots (he grew up in Pittsburgh) and, most importantly, his success at Indiana, where he’s 23-2 thus far.
Unfortunately for athletic director Pat Kraft and Penn State, Cignetti was off the table before he had much time to be on it.
MATT RHULE, NEBRASKA
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 27: Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule during the Big Ten Conference Media Days on July 27, 2023 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Rhule was right there with Cignetti among the names people talked about the most early in the Penn State coaching search. The fact that Rhule played at Penn State and grew up in State College— and has a close friendship with Kraft— made his name one that was frequently discussed.
If Nebraska giving Rhule a two-year extension in late-October didn’t eliminate him from contention, Nebraska losing four of its last six games— including one at Penn State— surely did.
MIKE ELKO, TEXAS A&M
COLLEGE STATION, TX – NOVEMBER 16: Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko shouts encouragement to Texas A&M Aggies offensive lineman TJ Shanahan (67) after a penalty on third and one play during first half action during the football game between the New Mexico State Aggies and Texas A&M Aggies on November 16, 2024 at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire)
With Elko being from New Jersey and not being extended by A&M despite a 9-0 start, people wondered if Penn State would be able to convince him to take the job. But Elko and A&M ended that speculation when Elko inked a six-year extension worth upwards of $11 million a year.
ELI DRINKWITZ, MISSOURI
Drinkwitz was a guy who Nittany Sports Now reported early in the process was a candidate for the Penn State job. But by late November, the buzz surrounding Drinkwitz and Penn State had slowed down, and when Missouri extended Drinkwitz on a six-year deal worth $10.75 million, all the speculation of him being the next coach ended.
Drinkwitz was also a candidate for the Florida job, which might have been a better fit considering Drinkwitz’s SEC background. But at the end of the day, Drinkwitz will stay at Missouri a while longer. Through almost six seasons at Missouri, Drinkwitz is 46-28 overall and 26-24 in the SEC. The Tigers were in the top 10, but factors such as an injury to former Penn State QB Beau Pribula led to the team losing three of its last five games and finishing 8-4.
CLARK LEA, VANDERBILT
There was never much smoke about Lea leaving his alma mater, and Vandy made sure that didn’t happen.
KALANI SITAKE, BYU
This is the one that got away. Sitake, for a moment, was the favorite to take the Penn State job. But BYU rallied together, and Sitake ended up staying at his alma mater. BYU extended Sitake to a long-term deal, the terms of which have not been made public by the University.
