College Football: Penn State scores big in the end

Credit is due Pat Kraft and the Penn State administration. Kinda.

Oh, no doubt, all criticism that came their way was warranted for most of the past two months after the ridiculous dog and pony show they put on in a head coach search following the firing of James Franklin back in early October.

But when push came to shove, or, really, even past that point, they came through.

They got “their” guy. A good guy. A good head coach.

In Matt Campbell, they got a high-quality individual to lead their football program

Kinda like the guy they let go.

Call him James Franklin 2.0: The full Caucasian version.

Sorry, if that offends anyone, but the man is what he is – a near-carbon copy of his predecessor (which, by the way, is NOT a bad thing) with a little less melanin in their system. Well, that and he’s not quite as brash.

He’s also the guy, or type of guy, PSU should have targeted right from the outset in the search.

Thinking that dumping Franklin, the coach who made the Nittany Lions nationally relevant again, like a load of bad asphalt was going to automatically open a Pandora’s box of high-profile candidates just dying to live in Happy Valley was the type of concrete-dense thinking that sets back programs decades, not years.

Making a move was fine. Shooting for the moon after it was, too. But, jeezus, at least have a solid, sane and secure landing plan in place should that swing-for-the-fences fail.

Check that, swings for the fences.

With all the misses, starting with retired coaching legend Urban Meyer and seemingly culminating with CFP-bound Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer, you lose count. Was it five? Seven? More?

Ultimately, and fortunately for PSU, it didn’t matter. With the avalanche of openings in the fall, head coaches were moving about at a head-spinning rate, so much so that even a known commodity such as Campbell got lost in the shuffle. Almost like a running back hidden by the mass of bodies blocking at the line of scrimmage.

Then a clearing finally occurred (Kalani Sitake stayed at BYU and DeBoer proclaimed no interest), he became visible and PSU attacked him like one of the program’s legendary linebackers would.

Only this time with a positive result for both sides, the Lions’ and Campbell’s.

Time will tell if the match is made in heaven or hell … or the same kind of purgatory PSU fans proclaim the Franklin years were.

Thing is, this pairing was the best possible ending that Kraft and Co. could have hoped for … right from the start.

The PSU AD’s incompetence heading the search was embarrassing, from the childish and unprofessional comments made by him behind closed doors that leaked out to his failure to land someone, anyone for almost 60 days.

The duration of the search cost the Lions an entire recruiting class – at minimum.

But the Lions got the guy in the end probably best suited to run their program … this side of Franklin.

Which is why, despite all the stumbling, bumbling and fumbling before they sealed the deal with Campbell, their hiring is going to rank high on the list that follows.

POWER 4 HC HIRING GRADES (In order)

1-James Franklin, Virginia Tech. Called this one before he was even fired. Hell, called it before the season even kicked off. The vibes of Nittany Nation toward Franklin had grown so toxic, Kraft had his finger on the eject button, just itching to press it. Franklin losing 3 straight after starting the season ranked No. 2 and 3-0 was more than enough for Kraft to finally release some tension in his sweaty palm. Here’s the deal with Franklin and Tech, though. They’re perfect together. The Hokies need a rebuild. Franklin has mastered the art, pulling it off at Vanderbilt and Penn State. He has recruited the bejesus out of the region his entire career, both as a head coach and assistant, and his first class – built in essentially a week – may be the best Tech has ever had. His brashness also should play well at a place that could use a little ’tude at the top. Grade: A+.

2-Matt Campbell, Penn State. It may be a fluke that he finally landed with the Lions. But he did. He’s not the household name Franklin is, but his path to this point has been remarkably similar to guy he has replaced. Like Franklin, started as an HC in 2011, first at Toledo for 5 years and then Iowa State for 10. He succeeded at both and he was loyal to both, remaining while offers to leave for bigger-name programs and the NFL piled in year after year. But PSU was a fit for him, on a personal and professional level, and if any time was right to make the move up, it was now. Good for him. Good for PSU. He’s already been far more accepted than Franklin ever was by Nittany Nation. Grade: A.

3-Alex Golesh, Auburn. Forget the rankings, he built the best program in the AAC in three seasons at South Florida and got the school so pumped about things that the Bulls will have a new on-campus stadium to call their own by 2027. His is a fascinating story: Born in Russia, moved to the U.S. at age 7, grew up in Brooklyn and Ohio, went to Ohio State, paid his dues as an assistant, killed it as an OC at both Central Florida and Tennessee, and then got his first HC gig at USF in 2023. He’s a star on the rise with an ability to connect with, and motivate, both players and staff. Grade: A.

4-Jimmy Rogers, Iowa State. Cyclones AD Jamie Pollard had no sooner finished wiping the tears from his eyes after thanking Matt Campbell for all he did during his time in Ames than he had his next HC in place. It was a brilliant move. At 38, Rogers is the youngest among our top 7 and is the only one here who can claim a natty as an HC, achieving that in his first season running the show at his alma mater, FCS-level South Dakota State in 2023. The Jackrabbits made the national semis under his watch a year later. This fall, Rogers salvaged what he could in what turned out to be a one-year assignment at Washington State. Take note: His Cougars went toe-to-toe with then-No. 4 Ole Miss, then-No. 18 Virginia and CFP qualifier James Madison, losing only by 24-21, 22-20 and 24-20 – all on the road. Grade: B+.

5-Jon Sumrall, Florida. He gets a lot more pub from the media than Golesh does, but might find himself in a more pressure-cooker situation. The Gators really haven’t got it right since Meyer first retired (before eventually coaching at Ohio State and winning his third national title) after the 2010 season. Either they hired the wrong guy (Will Muschamp, Jim McElwain, Billy Napier, etc.) or let go of possibly the right one (Dan Mullen) too soon. Sumrall has been HC at Troy and Tulane over the last 4 years and has the Green Wave in the CFP this season. He initially took his name out of the running for the Gators’ gig, but then resurfaced once Lane Kiffin opted for LSU. Grade: B.

6-Lane Kiffin, LSU. Yeah, he was the big fish during this coaching carousel and he’s a good coach. He also has a rather unhealthy Peter Pan complex, so don’t be surprised if he jumps ship and hightails it to Michigan, or Alabama should the Tide’s DeBoer take the Wolverines’ gig and the road opens for Kiffin to Tuscaloosa. Again, he’s a good coach, a really good offensive mind. But he’s talked about as if he’s some multi-national championship winning HC and he hasn’t even played for a conference title yet, never mind emerge victorious in one. Here’s the rub: Is he really better than the guy LSU just fired, Brian Kelly? Evidence says no. Grade: B.

7-Bob Chesney, UCLA. He’s another Group of 5 guy moving up who the media pumps up more than Golesh, but he certainly has more HC experience than Sumrall does. After 3- and 5-year stints at the D3 and D2 levels, respectively, he won four straight Patriot League titles at FCS-level Holy Cross and then earned a CFP berth in just his second season with James Madison this fall. He has a great curriculum vitae to be sure, but the task in Westwood is daunting – not just for the job itself but for the fact that Chesney will be a fish out of water, having spent his entire career in New England and the Mid-Atlantic before this. Grade: B.

8-Will Stein, Kentucky. His background is great for the Wildcats: High school star in the state, former QB at Louisville, standout OC at both UTSA and now the last 3 years at Oregon. But running an SEC program in your first chance as a HC, especially at a place forever hoping to recapture the Bear Bryant in blue days? Yeesh, that’s a big task. Especially for the youngest (36 years old) guy on this list. Grade: C.

9-Tosh Lupoi, California. He’s from the Bay Area, played for the Bears, and currently serves as the DC at Oregon. He’s been DC at Alabama, too, winning a natty in 2017, and coached for 3 years in the NFL, too. Super. But he’s going to have to completely change the culture at Cal if he wants it more in his defense-first image. Grade: C.

10. Pat Fitzgerald, Michigan State. Love what he did at Northwestern, both as a player and a coach. But not sure his tough-love, emotions-on-his-sleeve act will play outside of Evanston … and you have to wonder if he lost a step as a HC after being let go by Northwestern in 2023 due to the fallout from a hazing scandal. It would be great to have my concerns quashed. Just not counting on that. Grade: C-.

11. Pete Golding, Ole Miss. He’s been a DC the last 10 years, including 7 at the Power 4 level (Alabama and Ole Miss). He won a natty with Bama in 2020. So he probably deserves an opportunity to be an HC. It’s just he seems to be the nearest kneejerk replacement for Kiffin after the latter bolted for LSU. Basically the Rebels’ rebound HC. Grade: D.

OUTSIDE THE POWER 4

Most interesting hire: Brian Hartline, South Florida. A good player at Ohio State who blossomed into a two-time 1,000-yard receiver with the Miami Dolphins only to become the WR Whisperer while an assistant and OC back at Ohio State since 2017, he snubbed Penn State for the job in Tampa. A smart move on his part. Tackling a Big Ten program your first time as HC could be a bit overwhelming. Besides, USF has potential to be something more than a CFP contender out of the Group of 5.

Strangest hire: Jim Mora Jr., Colorado State. My man loves the Pac-12 apparently. A part of the conference as a player under Don James at Washington during the Pac’s heyday, he later was HC at UCLA before it moved into the Big Ten and now heads to Colorado State as it moves into the newly reformed (or deformed) Pac-12. Sounds great … except he’s leaving UConn, a program he made quite appealing over the last 4 seasons. Like, far moreso than the Rams are.

Worst hire: Neal Brown, North Texas. He was a major disappointment at West Virginia, posting a 37-35 record in 6 seasons, after coming in with such promise following the success he had at Troy, where he won 31 games in his final 3 seasons (going 3-0 in bowl games). Perhaps dropping down from the Big 12 to the AAC will help him. But the AAC is still a step up from his days in the Sun Belt with Troy, and the Mean Green have expectations now after going 11-2 and playing for the AAC title his fall.