Penn State will reportedly take 'big swings', including Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman

Penn State will reportedly take 'big swings', including Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft addressed the media Monday, but didn't reveal many new details about the process going forward after James Franklin was fired. 

The longtime Nittany Lions coach was sent packing after 12 seasons in Happy Valley, leading many to speculate who will be next up to lead the program. There was one unexpected name that surfaced on Monday afternoon. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was on a short list of names to watch, according to a report by On3's Pete Nakos. 

The 39-year-old Irish coach is 37-11 in three seasons in South Bend and is coming off an appearance in the National Championship game last season. Outside of a few tough losses, Freeman has been steady without being fixed to a conference schedule. 

"It is unclear at this point if Kraft will bring on a search firm to assist in running the search. But what is clear is that Kraft will firmly be in charge of finding Franklin’s replacement, Nakos wrote. "The Penn State athletic director said Monday he will run a “national search.” Sources have said Kraft won’t start the search in earnest until later this week, but he clearly has a shortlist — just like any other athletic director at a college football blueblood." 

Two other names rumored to be in the running are Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and Nebraska's Matt Rhule, who both play Penn State next month. The one factor about Cignetti nobody is really considering is the timing. Even if there were interest on both sides, Indiana is likely on a Playoff run lasting after the end of the year. It would make no sense for Cignetti to derail the Hoosiers season to make a jump. Also, Penn State would be smart to have a coach named in the coming weeks, not months.  

The time frame for rebuilding is too important not to mess up. If you take a coach with a hot resume fresh off a playoff run, it could mean being behind on recruiting and transfer portal acquisitions from Day 1. Get a coach who can hit the ground running right away and put excitement back into the program. 

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