Who Will Penn State Hire to Replace James Franklin as HC? Insiders Reveal Top Target

A new name reportedly has emerged as Penn State's top target in its head coaching search.

Per On3's Brett McMurphy, Chris Low and Pete Nakos, BYU's Kalani Sitake is the Nittany Lions' top choice, and "the two sides have had extensive conversations in recent weeks."

Blair Angulo of 247Sports reported that BYU called an impromptu meeting on Monday, though the details of that meeting are unknown.

Sitake, who played fullback at BYU in the late 1990s, has been with the Cougars since 2016, amassing an 83-44 record as head coach. In his time as BYU's head coach, he's collected four seasons with 10 or more wins.

The last two seasons have been especially successful. In 2024, he went 11-2, just missing out on the Big 12 championship and the College Football Playoff.

BYU improved to 11-1 with its season-finale win over UCF and will face Texas Tech in the Big 12 title game with a trip to the College Football Playoff on the line. It marks the Cougars' first conference title game appearance since joining the Big 12 in 2023, and a CFP bid would be a first for the program.

Sitake said Monday that his focus is solely on what lies ahead for BYU.

"We're trying to finish the season the right way, it's on us to be our best to play against Texas Tech," Sitake said. "So as we go through this week and go through the prep, I also want them to live through all the moments and have a great experience and not waste a moment thinking about anything else. ... This is a great distraction to have, let's be honest. But you know, right now we need to be focused on making sure that we're giving our best shot in this game against Texas Tech."

Since Penn State fired James Franklin in October, a handful of names have come up in its coaching search, though many of those names have since bowed out. Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Texas A&M's Mike Elko, Missouri's Eli Drinkwitz, Nebraska's Matt Rhule and Vanderbilt's Clark Lea have all signed extensions with their respective teams.

Even though BYU is a program on the rise, it's fair to say that Penn State would be a promotion for Sitake. Whether he'll be coaching in Happy Valley next season remains to be seen.