One month after James Franklin’s firing, Penn State has assembled a long list of potential replacements it will be looking at for its next head coach.

Per The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. Russo, the current list of candidates for the Nittany Lions includes Georgia Tech’s Brent Key and James Madison’s Bob Chesney.

The school has also done vetting work on offensive coordinators Will Stein (Oregon) and Brian Hartline (Ohio State). Former Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald and recently-fired New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll are also considered two names to watch.

The most interesting name in that group is Chesney because he currently works at a lower-profile institution than some of the other candidates, but he’s building an incredibly strong resume at James Madison.

Chesney has a 17-5 record with the Dukes since being hired in December 2023. He is 128-51 overall in 16 seasons with four different programs, including seven conference championships.

Penn State would also be looking to follow a similar path to what Indiana took. Curt Cignetti was the head coach at James Madison for five seasons, including its first two years as an FBS program from 2022-23, before getting hired by the Hoosiers.

Key’s stock is soaring with Georgia Tech in the midst of stellar season. The Yellow Jackets are currently ranked 16th in the College Football Playoff Top 25 with an 8-1 record.

Stein and Hartline are top assistants for two of the top offenses in college football. Andy Staples of On3.com ranked the top offensive coordinators in the country entering the 2025 season, with Stein in the No. 1 spot.

Staples cited the various offensive coaches that Stein has worked under, most notably Jeff Brohm and Bobby Petrino, and used their methods to cobble together his system. The Ducks are currently ranked 10th in FBS with 38.7 points per game.

Hartline is in his first season as Ohio State’s sole offensive coordinator. He was co-offensive coordinator in 2024 with Chip Kelly on staff when the Buckeyes won the College Football Playoff Championship.

Fitzgerald went 110-101 in 17 seasons at Northwestern, but his tenure ended in 2023 when he was fired amid an investigation into alleged hazing within the program.

After filing a wrongful termination lawsuit in 2023, Fitzgerald and Northwestern agreed to a settlement in August. The school noted in a statement released after the settlement that its investigation determined Fitzgerald did not condone or direct any of the hazing.

Daboll was fired by the Giants on Monday after a 2-8 start to the season. He went 20-40-1 in four seasons with the club. The 50-year-old was in college not that long ago at Alabama when he was Nick Saban’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017.

Despite a 3-6 record this season, including six consecutive losses, the Penn State job figures to be one of the most attractive FBS openings. The program won at least 10 games in each of the previous three years, made the College Football Playoff last season and advanced to the semifinal before losing to Notre Dame.