Penn State's decision to fire James Franklin took the college football world by storm over the weekend. In a year that was supposed to the the year, the Nittany Lions suffered their third straight loss on Saturday, falling to Northwestern by a score of 22-21. After losing to Oregon in overtime on Sept. 27, Penn State lost to UCLA and Northwestern after being favored by more than 20 points. Franklin's buyout reportedly exceeds $45 million.
Naturally, names of potential replacements are circulating online. Names like Indiana's Curt Cignetti, Nebraska's Matt Rhule, and Ole Miss' Lane Kiffin have been among the most popular names making the rounds among college football fans on social media.
According to Sports Illustrated, one potential name to watch in the Penn State head coaching search is none other than LSU head coach Brian Kelly. Sports Illustrated's Bryan Fischer writes that a match between Kelly and Penn State could be a win all around.
"There’s a case to be made that Kelly and Franklin were the two most successful head coaches not to have won a national title and that going from one to the other will only produce the same results in State College, Pa. But Kelly is a serial winner and seems like a much better cultural fit at Penn State than LSU. A change of scenery on the coach’s end and a big name on the school’s end could be a win all around."Bryan Fischer, Sports Illustrated
Would Brian Kelly leave LSU for Penn State?
Kelly inked a 10-year contract with LSU in 2021, and owns a 34-12 overall record and 19-8 mark in SEC play with LSU. He currently has the Tigers ranked as the No. 10 team in the country with a 5-1 record so far in 2025. But his tenure in Baton Rouge has been an interesting one. He isn't on the hot seat, but it's certainly been warming over the past few seasons.
Kelly has everything he needs to win in Baton Rouge, but it hasn't materialized on the national stage yet. The Tigers have played for an SEC title just once and have yet to appear in the College Football Playoff under Kelly. A battle with No. 17 Vanderbilt is on deck for this weekend in Nashville, and if Kelly loses that game, the voice of LSU fans wanting Kelly elsewhere would grow louder.
A move to another school like Penn State would reset Kelly's timeline. Kelly thought that he helped Notre Dame reach its ceiling, which prompted his departure for LSU. It's obvious LSU hasn't been anywhere close to its potential in 3+ seasons under Kelly, which has been a cause of frustration among Tiger fans. Winning cures everything, and Kelly hasn't done himself any favors with 3+ regular season losses in each of his first three seasons in Baton Rouge.