From Curt Cignetti to Matt Rhule, you’ve likely heard of every top possible college coach who’s a candidate to replace James Franklin at Penn State by now. However, FOX Sports’ Chris “The Bear” Fallica believes there’s an NFL coach worth keeping an eye on in the Penn State sweepstakes: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if, behind the scenes, [Terry] Pegula — the owner of the Bills, big money guy and is kind of the one footing the bill for most of the buyout — maybe there’s some things going on behind the scenes [where he’s saying], ‘I’ll ante up the buyout money, but Joe Brady’s going to be our next head coach,'” Fallica said on “Bear Bets.”
“I don’t know if that’s going on, but there’s a connection there between Pegula and Penn State. Obviously, Joe Brady, how great he was in college at LSU and now with the Buffalo Bills, an offensive-minded head coach. That’s the biggest thing about Penn State right now. People are so aggravated about the lack of development with the quarterback play and on the offensive side of the ball.”
As “The Bear” mentioned, there are several links that could naturally make Brady a candidate to replace Franklin. Pegula’s a Pennsylvania native and a Penn State alum who has a long history of making pricey donations to the school, such as his $102 million donation for the construction of its ice hockey arena.
However, there have been several rumors that Adidas, who Penn State is set to partner with on athletic apparel starting in 2026, pushed for Franklin’s firing and helped foot the bill for the $49 million buyout. A Penn State spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the report was “patently false,” though, adding that “Adidas is not helping to pay the buyout for Coach Franklin.”
Regardless of who is paying the bill for Franklin’s firing, Brady’s made himself a viable head coach candidate at the NFL level over the last couple of years, interviewing for multiple positions. Josh Allen had his best seasons working with Brady, winning MVP in Brady’s first full season as offensive coordinator in 2024. Prior to becoming the Bills quarterbacks coach in 2022, Brady rose to prominence in 2019, when he helped Joe Burrow have arguably the greatest individual season in college football history and win the Heisman as LSU’s passing game coordinator.
Brady wasn’t the only long-shot candidate who was mentioned as a possibility to replace Franklin at Penn State during the discussions on “Bear Bets.” If Penn State can’t land Cignetti, FOX Sports gambling analyst Sam Panayotovich thinks they should go after the coach who succeeded him at James Madison.
“Penn State should do its due diligence on Bob Chesney. Bob Chesney has won everywhere he’s been,” Panayotovich said. “This guy wins. The players love him. … I think he deserves every opportunity.”
Chesney has had a relatively unorthodox rise up the coaching ranks. He only coached at the Division II or III level before James Madison hired him ahead of the 2024 season, but he has a 125-51 all-time record as a head coach. He has gone 14-5 at James Madison so far, posting a 9-4 record in 2024 and has the Dukes out to a 5-1 start this year. He’s also a Pennsylvania native.
And as for what’s next for Franklin, “The Bear” has an idea on where he should next.
“North Carolina gives Bill Belichick a soft landing spot, and says, ‘It didn’t go like we thought and we’re going to allow you to retire, resign — however you want to phrase it.’ Bring in James Franklin to Chapel Hill, North Carolina,” “The Bear” said. “Who says no to that?”
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