Next Penn State Football Coach Odds: Who Will Lead The Nittany Lions Next?

By Christopher Boan

Dec 4th, 2025 1:09 PM EST

The Penn State football program has moved on from James Franklin. (USA TODAY)

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It has been more than seven weeks since Penn State fired James Franklin as head coach. The program’s former leader has since taken a new job at Virginia Tech while leaders in State College continue to search for his replacement.

To get a sense of where Nittany Lions athletic director Patrick Kraft might go next, Bookies.com broke down the odds on who Franklin’s college football replacement will be in Central Pennsylvania. A current college head coach and a former NFL boss top our chart.

Next Penn State Football Coach Odds

These odds are exclusive to Bookies and not available at leading sportsbook sites.

The Nittany Lions carry both a championship pedigree, and a long-established pipeline to the NFL. Given the Lions' new deal with adidas, NIL money shouldn’t be much of a problem. Never mind what Franklin’s replacement may cost.

Next Penn State Football Coach Odds: Top Candidates

After Penn State whiffed on its quest to land BYU head coach Kelani Sitake this week, it looks like another Power Four coach could be on the market for the Nittany Lions.

That’s because longtime Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell appears to be Penn State’s top candidate, with the 10th-year Cyclones’ coach sitting at +400 odds on our board.

Campbell is currently earning $5 million a year via an extension he signed in August, well below the $8 million a year that Penn State paid Franklin. That kind of contract could speed things up for the Nittany Lions if they choose him.

Another name to remember is recently fired New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll. He has no direct tie to Penn State, but Daboll has served as an NCAA assistant under Nick Saban as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and QB coach in 2017. The Giants fired him on Nov. 13 after New York started 2-8 in the middle of his fourth season in charge.

Other Penn State candidates include current interim head coach Terry Smith (+550), Duke head coach Manny Diaz (+1000) and Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (+1750).

In Diaz’s case, the second-year Blue Devils’ salary isn’t available as the ACC member is a private university. He has gone 16-9 since arriving in Durham in 2024 and his Blue Devils are in Saturday’s ACC Championship Game against Virginia.

Patricia is one of the highest-paid assistants nationally, earning $2.5 million a year to lead the Buckeyes’ high-powered defense. That price tag for the former Detroit Lions head coach would be no issue for Penn State to pay out. The Buckeyes are consensus national title favorite, with FanDuel Sportsbook offering the best odds at +185 as of Dec. 4.

Who Else Could Get Penn State Job?  

We list a handful of longshots, including Houston’s Willie Fritz and Jeff Monken of Army, who both are at +2000 odds on our board to replace Franklin.

Fritz is in the middle of a five-year, $22.5 million deal in Space City, meaning he’d be an attainable target for Kraft and company if they’re interested. Monken is even more affordable, earning $2.4 million a year to coach the Black Knights via an extension (signed in 2023) that runs through 2027.

Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Tommy Rees and Chip Kelly, who was just fired as Las Vegas Raiders OC last week, are listed at +2500. Two more current Power 4 FBS head coaches round up our list: Virginia’s Tony Elliott and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, both at +5000 odds. That would translate to a 2% implied probability if this prop were offered at the best sports betting apps.

Rees has NCAA coaching experience, having served as Alabama’s offensive coordinator and QB coach in 2023 and in similar roles at his alma mater (Notre Dame) from 2017 to 2022. Kelly most famously led Oregon to a 46-7 (.868) record as coach from 2009 to 2012 before taking a turn at UCLA, where he had less success, going 35-34 (.507) across six seasons in Tinseltown.

DeBoer earns $10.250 million a year in Tuscaloosa and would be an extremely expensive target. He has led Bama to Saturday’s SEC Championship Game against Georgia.

Elliott led the Cavaliers (10-2) to their first 10-win campaign since 1989. He has set the stage for UVA’s potential College Football Playoff debut, if they defeat Diaz and the Blue Devils on Saturday in Charlotte. The Cavs are a 4.5-point favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook. Elliott earns $4.4 million a year to coach the Cavaliers, which would make him an affordable option for Kraft and company.

Penn State has gone more than 50 days without a full-time head football coach. The pressure is amping up on Kraft and his associates to finish the job in State College soon.

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