Off-the-wall James Franklin replacement keeps coming up for Penn State

New York Giants v Chicago Bears - NFL 2025 | Todd Rosenberg/GettyImagesMany of Penn State’s top candidates to replace James Franklin as the program’s head coach have already been taken off the board. Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule have both signed contract extensions to stay put long-term, leveraging the Penn State opening for a pay raise, and Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm is reportedly doing the same.

So, with a shrinking pool of candidates that was limited from the beginning, and multiple other national powerhouse jobs open in the same hiring cycle, Penn State may need to think outside the box for its next head coach. One name that has started to gain traction in the past week is…