Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz talks to players during the first half an NCAA college football game against Alabama, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

After some time to process all that’s transpired in the past five days, it’s still hard to believe how quick the ending of James Franklin came.

But what’s done is now done, and Penn State and Pat Kraft now must find the next guy to lead the football program.

And if he’s going to dismiss Franklin and pay his huge buyout, he’s going to have to play home run derby and take some big swings.

Here are my five choices to replace Franklin:

5. Terry Smith, Penn State interim head coach: Yeah, maybe this is a little bit of a premature pick considering he’s going to have to do really well the rest of the season for Kraft to even think about dropping the interim tag. But no matter what, if Smith isn’t the permanent guy, whoever is should strongly consider retaining Smith in his normal capacity.

Smith is a key component in recruiting at Penn State, and it would be important to get everyone that has already de-committed to reconsider. It’s clear that the current roster respects Smith.

If the Lions go 6-0 the rest of the way, he’s probably the right man. What are the odds of that happening? Definitely not great.

4. Joe Brady, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator: It seems like no matter where Brady has gone over the years, he succeeds. It only took him seven seasons of being in coaching to become an offensive coordinator in the NFL.

Brady spent time as a graduate assistant at Penn State in 2015 and 2016, and was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for LSU in 2019 when the Tigers won the national championship with Joe Burrow. That was the last time he coached in college.

It would be a long shot, but if Kraft throws money around, maybe it could be enough to get him back to college.

3. Curt Cignetti, Indiana head coach: Cignetti would be a massive hire, and he might just be the hottest name in the coaching carousel right now. There’s only one problem: Cignetti will be 65 years old next season. There’s a good chance Penn State would be in the same situation, looking for a new coach again in a few years. If he were 55, he would be my No. 1 by far.

In the short term, however, this would be huge news for Penn State if they could get him to come to State College. It took him less than two years to make the Hoosiers a winner. He was born in Pittsburgh, made IUP a powerhouse in Division II football, and what he said is true about him winning. Google him. He wins.

1a. Manny Diaz, Duke head coach: There are two picks for my No. 1, and Diaz would be a great hire. Everyone knows Diaz did a tremendous job as the defensive coordinator at Penn State for the two seasons he was there in 2022-23. The defense hasn’t quite been the same ever since with Tom Allen last season and Jim Knowles now.

Diaz was also a head coach at Miami before he was at Penn State, and never should have been fired there. He’s in the midst of rebuilding at Duke, which doesn’t exactly have football as its highest priority.

1b. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri head coach: Consider this: When Franklin was hired, he was the young up-and-coming coach that was a big hire, and that happened in a time where there were still sanctions to deal with.

Drinkwitz is that guy right now.

He might not have any ties to Pennsylvania, but that is why Smith should be retained. Drinkwitz is 43-25 at Missouri, a school which doesn’t have nearly the football history or the resources that Penn State has.

Imagine what he could do in State College.

Andy Stine can be reached at astine@altoonamirror.com.