Since firing head coach James Franklin earlier this season, the Penn State coaching search has taken a series of twists and turns.
Early speculation linked Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska’s Matt Rhule to the job, but both candidates signed lucrative extensions to stay at their current programs. Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz was another potential candidate who emerged, but he signed an extension this past week to remain with the Tigers.
With Penn State losing potential options, rumors of a “mystery” hire have started to swirl. Multiple names have been linked to the job amid speculation, but one has begun trending as a favorite to be named the next head coach of the Nittany Lions.
BYU Cougars head coach Kalani Sitake / Rob Gray-Imagn Images
According to the latest predictive odds on Kalshi, BYU head coach Kalani Sitake now has the second-highest odds of being the next Penn State head coach. He trails James Madison head coach Bob Chesney, who has been the favorite on Kalshi for the past week.
As of Saturday morning, Sitake has a 24% chance of being named the next Penn State head coach.
Sitake has been linked to a few head coaching jobs this season, most notably the UCLA job when DeShaun Foster was fired. He was briefly mentioned as a potential candidate for the Penn State job during a roundtable about who the program should target to replace Franklin.
Sitake returned to his alma mater in 2016, where he played fullback from 1997-2000. Over his 10 seasons as head coach, Sitake has compiled an 82-44 overall record with seven bowl appearances. The Cougars defeated Colorado in the Alamo Bowl, securing a spot in the AP Top 25 poll for the third time in Sitake’s tenure.
He addressed the coaching speculation earlier this season, saying the Cougars were focused on making a run to the College Football Playoff.
“I try to keep focused on the young men,” Sitake said. “We have amazing young men and an amazing culture in our program. I just want to make sure we are focused on that. But I’m always down to talk to the boys about anything they want to talk to me about.”
This season, BYU is 10-1 overall (7-1 Big 12), with its only loss coming against Texas Tech in a Top 10 matchup. The Cougars have already clinched their spot in the Big 12 championship game, which will feature a rematch against the Red Raiders.
The Cougars will close the regular season against UCF on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for Noon CT on ESPN2.
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