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Penn State fires James Franklin
The James Franklin era is over at Penn State.
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Noise has begun to pick up after a relatively quiet seven weeks in Penn State’s search for a new head football coach. The Nittany Lions fired James Franklin on Oct. 12 and have spent the last 50+ days vetting candidates, conducting interviews and drawing conclusions on who they want to lead the program.
Now, a new top target has emerged and has caused a stir on social media. Where do things stand, according to multiple sources, on Day 51?
Let’s take a look.
Who is in play for Penn State?
Penn State’s top target, as reported multiple places including initially by On3, is BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. He has been with the Cougars for nearly a decade and has the team at 11-1 with a matchup on Saturday against the Texas Tech Red Raiders for the Big 12 title. He was interviewed relatively early in the cycle and impressed the top brass with the Nittany Lions, according to multiple sources, which has kept him involved in the search ever since. Sitake fits the mold of what Penn State AD Pat Kraft is looking for in a head coach, bringing in toughness, physicality and a clear vision for how to build a championship roster by utilizing high school recruiting and the transfer portal.
That’s not to say he is the only candidate Penn State wanted from the beginning — interest in Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko was very real — but he was in the top group and right now he is at the top of the list, although a deal is not quite done.
If everything were to fall apart, Penn State would circle back on other candidates it has interviewed and would not restart the process — one that narrowed significantly after a very wide net was cast.
When will Penn State hire a head coach?
The Nittany Lions are not expected to announce a hire this week, which makes sense since BYU plays in the Big 12 title game on Saturday and the Cougars are in the throes of their preparation for that matchup. That being said, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the contract was signed — it currently isn’t — and everything was over sometime next week.
What has Kalani Sitake said?
Sitake was asked about coaching rumors and how he addresses them during his Monday press conference ahead of the Big 12 title game.
“I have to address it cause the world is small now and people can see stuff on social media and everything,” Sitake told reporters. “And you guys do a great job of covering things, so yeah I’ll address it. But [the team is] used to me saying this is a good sign, things are going well for us. But I will say that this isn’t about me. What I’ve asked our team to do is to be focused on what we’re trying to accomplish. There are marks of finishers and that’s what we’re trying to do.
“We’re trying to finish the season the right way and get after it. It’s required of us to be at our best to play against Texas Tech. So as we go through this week and go through the prep, I also want them to live through all the moments and have the great experience and not waste the moment thinking about anything else. I’ve asked our team to be focused on what we can control. Right now we control what we’re doing as a team and not worrying about all the distractions. This is a great distraction to have, let’s be honest. But right now we need to be focused on making sure that we’re giving our best shot in this game against Texas Tech.”
Head Coach Kalani Sitake of the Brigham Young Cougars reacts to a call during the second half of their game against the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs at LaVell Edwards Stadium on November 15, 2025 in Provo, Utah. Chris Gardner Getty Images
This story was originally published December 2, 2025 at 12:31 PM.
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Jon Sauber
Centre Daily Times
Jon Sauber covers Penn State football and men’s basketball for the Centre Daily Times. He earned his B.A. in digital and print journalism from Penn State and his M.A. in sports journalism from IUPUI. His previous stops include jobs at The Indianapolis Star, the NCAA, and Rivals.
