Penn State’s coaching search drags on. Who’s left?

Fifty-three days ago, Penn State decided it needed new blood and energy injected into the program after a 3-3 start in James Franklin’s 12th season at the helm.

Fresh off a College Football Playoff semifinal appearance and a program-record 13 wins, Penn State had expectations to again compete for a title. To say the least, that did not happen, and Franklin was fired as a result.

The mid-season timing was meant for Penn State to get an early start on the coaching search. Athletic director Pat Kraft was adamant on Oct. 13 that “a new leader can help us win a national championship.”

» READ MORE: Penn State’s recruiting class takes a hit as its search for a head coach continues

Fifty-three days ago, and counting.

By the time the calendar changes to December, most college football teams want to have their head coach in place, if they do decide to make a change. Consider this: Penn State had a coaching opening before LSU, Florida, Colorado State, and Auburn, and those programs all hired their next coach before the Nittany Lions. South Florida, Kentucky, and Michigan State all had coaching changes happen last weekend and each hired a new coach by Wednesday’s early signing day for the 2026 recruiting class.

Brigham Young’s Kalani Sitake emerged as a top candidate for the Penn State opening earlier this week before he decided to stay in Provo, Utah, and received a contract extension. Other candidates like Nebraska’s Matt Rhule, Georgia Tech’s Brent Key, Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz, and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea opted to sign extensions instead of jumping ship.

» READ MORE: Terry Smith wants to be Penn State’s next head coach

There were opportunities to hire James Madison’s Bob Chesney (now heading to UCLA), a Kulpmont, Pa., native, and Ohio State offensive coordinator Brian Hartline (now heading to South Florida). Instead, the Nittany Lions chased after bigger targets, like Sitake, Texas A&M’s Mike Elko, and Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer to no avail. And Franklin not only got a new job at Virginia Tech, he took several former Penn State commits with him.

Brian Daboll, the former New York Giants coach, is a candidate, per FootballScoop, but the coaching search has now passed early signing day, and Penn State has just two players committed to its 2026 recruiting class.

The pool of candidates has shrunk considerably. The Nittany Lions’ current players and staff will have decisions to make in the coming week with a bowl game looming and the transfer portal opening next month. And at this point no matter who is hired, whether it’s Terry Smith getting an internal promotion or an outside candidate gets the job, the program will be relying heavily on the transfer portal.

» READ MORE: Villanova signs 13 players on early signing day before FCS playoff matchup vs. Lehigh

After dominating Harvard at home last weekend, Villanova travels to Lehigh (12-0) on Saturday (noon, ESPN+) for a spot in the FCS playoff quarterfinals.

The Wildcats (10-2) will need to slow down Lehigh’s No. 4-ranked rushing attack (235.3 yards per game), which is led by running back Luke Yoder (110.8 yards per game). Quarterback Hayden Johnson also brings a dual-threat element to Lehigh’s offense, rushing for 426 yards and four rushing touchdowns in addition to his 18 passing touchdowns and 62.5% completion percentage.

Lehigh’s pass rush is among the most prolific in the FCS. The defense has collected 40 sacks, the fourth most nationally. Lehigh also has the stingiest run defense in the FCS, allowing just 73.7 rushing yards per game, and is the No. 2 scoring defense (13.9 points allowed).

As opposed to last week, when the Wildcats dominated Harvard with 319 rushing yards, the offense will likely need to win this game on the arm of Pat McQuaide. He was efficient in last week’s win, throwing for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Lehigh ranks 50th in the FCS in passing yards allowed per game (207.9), so there should be opportunities for McQuaide to find playmakers Luke Colella and Lucas Kopecky downfield.

The winner will face either Tarleton State or North Dakota next weekend.

Fresh off its first-ever postseason victory, Eastern University (10-1) will host Susquehanna University on Saturday (noon, ESPN+) in its first ever playoff home game for a spot in the Division III quarterfinals. Head coach Billy Crocker is a former Villanova and Connecticut defensive coordinator who has quickly built up Eastern’s football program in its fourth year of existence.

The offense is led by quarterback Brett Nabb, who ranks ninth in D-III in rushing yards and is Eastern’s top ball carrier with 1,307 yards. He had four touchdowns in last week’s 28-24 win over Franklin & Marshall.

Susquehanna ranks 23rd in rushing yards allowed per game (81.1 yards). The River Hawks have played two high-scoring playoff games in consecutive weeks with wins over Washington and Jefferson College and Christopher Newport University, surrendering 28 or more points in each game.

» READ MORE: Temple signs its largest recruiting class in program history in K.C. Keeler’s first full offseason

If Eastern wants to slow down Susquehanna’s high-scoring offense, which ranks 16th in scoring (43.3 points), it starts with the passing offense, which averages 273.2 yards. Eastern’s pass defense has been solid, allowing 158.1 passing yards per game, and its defense ranks top 30 in points allowed (15.8 points) and top 15 in total defense (249.3).

The winner will face either Salisbury or Johns Hopkins next weekend.

33: The number of recruits for Temple’s early signing day class, finalized on Wednesday, which was more than Villanova, Penn State, and Penn combined. That number was also the Owls’ largest in program history, and was ranked the top class in the American Athletic Conference, according to 247Sports.

Big Ten championship: No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 2 Indiana (8 p.m., Fox29)

Though both teams are CFP bound no matter the result, the two top-ranked teams in college football will square off in Indianapolis on Saturday night. Heisman hopeful Fernando Mendoza, Indiana’s quarterback, is a projected top 10 pick in the 2026 draft class.

Ohio State’s defense is loaded with talent, from linebackers Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles to safety Caleb Downs.