After a 3-3 start to the season, Penn State decided to move on from long-term head coach James Franklin. Expectations couldn’t have been higher this year, so being eliminated from the playoffs by early October was enough for the Nittany Lions boosters to move on from Franklin. Penn State knew there was going to be a lot of movement in the coaching universe, so they wanted to get a jumpstart on finding their guy.
Well, they haven’t found their guy, James Franklin found a home at Virginia Tech and is putting together an impressive recruiting class, and they missed out on having a coach to lead them through December’s National Signing Day. The panic button is not only open at Penn State; the entire athletic department’s job security is in question due to their disastrous attempts to find their new leader.
They’ve been trying to poach some of the best coaches available in college football, but have they been looking at the wrong level this entire time? What if they were to look 140 miles west and see what’s going on with Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers?
On Ben Roethlisberger’s podcast this week, he mentioned that it might be time for a fresh start for the Steelers and Tomlin. He also noted that a college job might be better suited to Tomlin as well.
Big Ben might be on to something here. Tomlin is a proven winner, and he’s brought a level of consistency to the Steelers unmatched across the NFL; however, he’s also seemed to put a hard cap on the Steelers for the better part of the last decade. They’ve had a lot of star-power play at Heinz Field Acrisure Stadium recently, and it hasn’t translated to a lot of postseason success. It finally feels like both sides are looking to break up from one another at the end of the year.
That’s where Penn State comes into play. On the outside, Tomlin might be a perfect college coach. His Tomlinisms are ideal for college football, and the media will eat that up. Tomlin also coaches a little dirty and isn’t afraid to call someone out or throw someone under the bus. I think you have to be a little bit scummy to coach college football, and I think Tomlin is that perfect level for Penn State.
The biggest thing for Tomlin is that he is a true leader. His resume speaks for itself, and I think he would excel at recruiting if he’s willing to put in the time that it takes. His offensive philosophy hasn’t been great over the last few years, but if he can bring in the right offensive coordinator, I don’t see why he couldn’t transition to the college level. The only other negative with Tomlin is that since his first few years in Pittsburgh, he’s notoriously struggled in big playoff games. There’s a real chance that Penn State would be going from James Franklin to James Franklin 2.0.
Penn State has missed out on every college coach, and having the right guy for National Signing Day. You might have to wait a little for a guy like Tomlin, but it could be worth a shot.
