On Tuesday, we did a deep dive into the first name on a lot of Penn State coaching hot boards: Curt Cignetti. While he seems to be the most liked candidate among many, Matt Rhule is the betting favorite, according to multiple sources, including as low as +200 on BetOnline.

The reason for this is his obvious ties with Happy Valley. Rhule grew up in New York City, but his family moved to State College for his high school years. He played linebacker for State College Area High School. At the collegiate level, the Nebraska head coach walked on to Penn State and played from 1994 to 1997.

While with the Nittany Lions, Rhule went 41-8, winning one Big Ten title, three bowl victories, and a top-20 final ranking every season. He graduated from the school with a degree in political science.

Rhule also has a connection to Penn State’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Pat Kraft, from his time coaching at Temple. Kraft was the athletic director responsible for the extension of Rhule’s contract in Philadelphia. Syracuse head coach Fran Brown was also on the staff at the time.

At the 2023 Big Ten media days, Rhule went as far as calling Kraft “one of my best friends.” He followed this up with even more positive reinforcement for Penn State’s athletic director.

“Pat’s gonna fight, scratch, and claw to help his coaches be successful,” Rhule said. “He cares about the student-athletes. He’s not afraid of anything. He’s going to go fight for what he wants, and he’s a really good person.”

Kraft has also been quoted with positives for the Nebraska head coach, even after he decided to leave Temple to take a step up to Baylor.

“I love Matt Rhule. Matt and I are good friends, and I said I wanted him to make the right decision for his family and for him, and I thanked him for all he did for this program,” Kraft said.

History

Rhule has plenty of experience working in the Northeast. He started his coaching career as a linebackers coach with Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. He spent multiple stints with Temple in Philadelphia and also worked for the New York Giants and Buffalo.

Other than that, Rhule spent time as the head coach of Baylor, where he guided the Bears to a 19-20 record. While the record wasn’t impressive, he completely turned around the program. Baylor only won once in its first season in 2017, but was 11-3 in his last season in Waco, Texas.

Rhule’s only head coaching job in the NFL was a two-year gig with the Carolina Panthers. He signed a seven-year, $62-million contract to become the fifth head coach of the team. The stint was wildly unsuccessful, going 5-11 and 5-12 in his two full seasons with the team. He was fired by week six in his third year.

While with Nebraska, he also had a three-year turnaround, helping Nebraska to its first bowl appearance in eight years in 2024. In 2025, he has the Cornhuskers 5-1 with a loss to No. 21 Michigan and technically still in the hunt for the playoff.

Is It Realistic?

Do I think Rhule would leave Nebraska to become the next head coach of Penn State? Yes. Penn State is a much better job. There are more resources, Happy Valley is in a better recruiting area, and he knows he can dominate the Northeast.

The Nittany Lions are also his alma mater; there is something about leading your former team, your first love, to glory.

Now, do I think Penn State would hire Rhule? Not really. To fire James Franklin for $50 million, the Nittany Lions are going to take some swings at the best of the best. Rhule has not proven he his an elite head coach yet.

He has struggled to recruit really well in Nebraska, and while he has brought teams back to national contention, he has not done well in the big games. In fact, Rhule is 2-23 against ranked teams. Both of those wins came against a ranked group of five teams in No. 20 Navy and No. 23 East Carolina.

Rhule is winless in 18 tries against ranked teams with Baylor and Nebraska, two teams that have a history of ranked wins, and is 0-11 against teams in the top 10.

If Rhule gets the job at Penn State, it’s because a bunch of other coaches said no. The only reason I could see Rhule being high on the list is because of the recent history of letterman coming back and having success in programs, such as Kenny Dillingham at Arizona State.

There is no way to match the energy and drive of an alumnus trying to bring glory to his old school.

An interesting part of Rhule’s contract is that the Nebraska athletic director must be notified if Rhule or anyone representing him begins discussions or negotiations for another job. The contract does not mention a punishment for not following this part, and is likely more of a heads-up for the program to begin finding a replacement.