When 12 NCAA schools fired their coaches before Halloween, their plan was to sweep in and hire one of the top guns in the game or perhaps coax Urban Meyer or Nick Saban out of retirement.
Tired of losing or missing the national championship, Penn State, LSU, Florida and the rest wanted to make a big splash, find a coach who could harness NIL and the portal and lead their school back to its glory years. At Penn State, they dumped a guy who was 149-104 in 12 seasons with five Top Ten finishes, including reaching the College Football Playoff semifinals last year.