The Penn State Nittany Lions are deep into a complex coaching search that has extended well past the firing of James Franklin. Athletic director Pat Kraft aimed to secure a new leader quickly to salvage the recruiting class, but the process has dragged into December without a resolution.

While many premier programs have already filled their vacancies, the situation in State College remains fluid as the administration explores every available option to stabilize the team’s future.

A surprising new candidate has emerged from within the Big Ten Conference to add a layer of intrigue to the saga. This potential hire commands one of the most dominant units in the nation and possesses a resume highlighted by extensive NFL experience.

His background includes multiple Super Bowl championships and a previous stint as a head coach at the professional level, distinguishing him from other names linked to the job.

Reports indicate that Penn State has officially contacted this high-profile coordinator regarding the opening. Poaching a key asset from a bitter rival would represent a massive swing for the program. The move would bring a defensive mastermind to Happy Valley while simultaneously weakening a competitor currently vying for a conference title.

Super Bowl-Winning Assistant Is Candidate For Nittany Lions Job

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has become the latest focal point in the search. CBS Sports College Football Insiders analyst Chris Hummer detailed the development during a podcast on Thursday.

“I think there’s a couple of candidates that are floating out in kind of the ether,” Hummer said. “A name that’s come up the last 24 hours for me a little bit is Matt Patricia at Ohio State, the defensive coordinator.”

According to Alex Gleitman of Lettermen Row, Penn State has contacted Patricia and his representation about the position. Patricia is currently in his first season back in the collegiate ranks since serving as a graduate assistant with the Syracuse Orange in 2003.

His impact in Columbus has been immediate and profound. The Buckeyes boast the top-ranked defense in the FBS, allowing just 204 yards and 7.8 points per game. The seamless transition from former coordinator Jim Knowles to Patricia has been credited for the rapid development of players such as linebacker Arvell Reese.

Although his time as a head coach in Detroit did not yield a winning record, Patricia has done an impressive job reshaping his reputation this season. His unit is undeniably the best in college football and has been a massive asset for Ohio State as they pursue a national title.

There have been no reports that Patricia has formally interviewed with Penn State, but the inquiry is notable. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has successfully replaced coordinators before, yet losing Patricia would be significant.

The Buckeyes have already seen offensive coordinator Brian Hartline agree to become the next head coach of the USF Bulls. Hartline will remain with the team through the postseason, but the potential exit of Patricia would leave Day with two major voids to fill.

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News dropped on Wednesday that Oregon director of recruiting Pat Biondo will be Kentucky’s new general manager. His work will start almost instantly. Will Stein needs to build his first staff in Lexington, but important roster decisions must be made and a plan to attack the portal must be built.

Through all of that, this football organization will have to manage a salary cap. There will be the allotted rev-share amount from the university and extra NIL funds provided by JMI’s collective. At his introductory press conference, Stein was confident in the financial plan presented by Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart and deputy athletics director Marc Hill during the search. When asked by KSR, Stein confirmed that he will have the funding needed to go build the roster required.

But he and his coaching staff will need help. That’s where Biondo will step in.

“That’s why I’m hiring a general manager,” Stein told KSR’s Matt Jones on Thursday when asked about Kentucky’s NIL structure. “To help us through this, and somebody I trust fully, and that’s been in our system out in Oregon, and knows the landscape of college football. You just gotta be adaptable. You know? You gotta be able to change with the times. It is what it is.”

Part of that could be managing a salary cap and make sure there is enough of the pie allotted for every position. We are still unsure of what Biondo’s specific job requirements will be but it is clear he will be play a large role in Kentucky’s roster-building process. Barhnart called it “ridiculous” to assume that any head coach is not making final roster decisions but a front office structure can help streamline things for the coaching staff and narrow down the pool of targets.

Pat Biondo will help Will Stein and this Kentucky football program adapt to a world where a roster budget has to be balanced. Everyone is still adapting to college football’s new age. UK is doing that by joining the growing general manager trend in college football.

Ding dong! The wicked Penn State football head coaching search is dead at last, or so it seems. The Nittany Lions fired James Franklin from the position a long 54 days ago in mid-October. Now, in the first week of December, all reports indicate that Penn State has found their new leader.

According to both On3’s Pete Nakos and ESPN’s Pete Thamel, two of the highly trusted college football insiders, Penn State is working towards a deal with longtime Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell. On3 tweeted out Friday afternoon that “Penn State is working to finalize a deal to hire Iowa State’s Matt Campbell” according to their man Nakos.

Shortly after that report reached X, Pete Thamel posted his own report confirming that Campbell and Penn State had entered talks for him to assume the school’s head football coaching job.

“Sources: Matt Campbell and Penn State are working toward a deal for him to become the next coach at Penn State,” Thamel wrote Friday afternoon. “There’s multiple steps needed to finalize, including agreeing to terms and formal approval of compensation.” He reiterates that no official documentation has been dotted.

“The sides met in Iowa on Thursday night and have been working toward an agreement since,” said Thamel. “Nothing is signed, and there’s still a few steps remaining for this to come to fruition.” Don’t count those chickens yet, says the insider, but it’s likely that Penn State’s is teeing Campbell up as the program’s next head coach.

Iowa State inked Campbell to a major long-term deal this summer, just weeks before the season. Starting in 2025, Campbell was signed for eight years, through 2032, at a salary of $5 million per year before incentives. That comes out to a cool $40 million total over the deal, making him a very well-compensated Big 12 coach now that he’s been around for 10 full seasons.

Penn State coaching search was a wild ride

Penn State’s search ends, at last, following nearly two straight months of chaos. Athletic director Pat Kraft received a hoard of praise for pulling the trigger on James Franklin’s firing following the two-loss start to Big Ten play that was wholly unacceptable. But since, Penn State certainly didn’t execute a clean investigation for their next program leader.

Almost too many names to monitor came and went as either sourced candidates, rumored possibilities, or options on various betting markets. Either way, Penn State certainly missed on several top options, earning extensions for several.

In that department, Curt Cignetti and Matt Rhule stick out. Cignetti was an obvious first call but Indiana didn’t even allow his name to escape Pat Kraft’s mouth before he was set with a $93 million extension. Rhule also received a pay bump to stay at Nebraska as soon as Penn St. rumors kicked up. More recently, Penn State made a big push for Kalani Sitake, but BYU boosters and fans publicly rallied to tie down their Tongan war general in Provo.

Did Iowa State make the huge offer for Campbell to stay put? Are the Cyclones preparing a final last-ditch offer this minute to try and stall PSU negotiations? After 10 years, is Campbell simply ready to leave Ames, Iowa? We’ll get answers to all of those questions soon. It sure seems like a Matt Campbell and Penn State union is about to happen.

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Missouri Tigers defensive end Damon Wilson II (8) on the sidelines during a college football game between the Central Arkansas Bears and Missouri Tigers on August 28, 2025 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire v

ATHENS, Ga. – Former Georgia edge rusher Damon Wilson II is facing a push from the University of Georgia Athletic Association to repay $390,000 after the school accused him of breaking a name, image and likeness agreement tied to his transfer from the Bulldogs. 

What we know:

Wilson, now a rising pass rusher at Missouri, was served the lawsuit on Nov. 19 in Clarke County. Court filings say Wilson signed the licensing deal with Classic City Collective on Dec. 21, 2024. The agreement was scheduled to run through January 2026 and paid him $30,000 per month plus additional bonuses for a total contract value of $500,000.

The contract allowed the Collective to immediately terminate the deal if Wilson left the football team, failed to remain enrolled at Georgia, or notified the program of his intent to transfer. If that happened, he was required to repay “liquidated damages” equal to all remaining unpaid licensing fees.

According to the lawsuit, Wilson told Georgia on Jan. 6, 2025, that he planned to transfer. He withdrew from the university on Jan. 13 and left the team the next day. Classic City Collective terminated the agreement on Jan. 14 and demanded repayment of the remaining $390,000.

The Collective later assigned its rights to the University of Georgia Athletic Association. 

What we don’t know:

On Aug. 25, 2025, UGAA sent Wilson a formal demand for arbitration under the agreement’s mandatory arbitration clause. Attorneys say Wilson did not respond and has not asked a court to intervene.

What’s next:

UGAA is now asking a judge to appoint an arbitrator and order Wilson to participate in the dispute process. The petition includes a list of proposed arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association’s sports panel and notes that the contract does not specify a method for selecting one.

The motion was filed on Oct. 17, 2025. Court records show Wilson has not submitted a response.

Why you should care:

Classic City Collective is the primary NIL organization supporting Georgia athletes. Wilson appeared in 11 games as a freshman in 2024 before entering the transfer portal and committing to Missouri.

The case carries significance because it tests how far schools and collectives can go to enforce NIL contracts when athletes transfer. 

A ruling could influence how players approach the transfer portal while still under contract and may shape how future NIL agreements are written. 

The dispute also underscores the limited protections college athletes have in contracting and is drawing attention because Wilson is a high-profile SEC player whose situation could affect others across the sport.

The SCORE Act collapses on Capitol Hill as NIL chaos, political infighting, and Lane Kiffin’s blockbuster LSU deal had Rep. Hakeem Jeffries all sorts of befuddled.

PublishedDecember 5, 2025 8:08 AM EST•UpdatedDecember 5, 2025 8:09 AM EST

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What was once thought to be an easy path to the Senate floor, the SCORE Act, which has been long debated over the past two years, fell apart this week before it could be voted on in the House. And, Lane Kiffin’s new contract with LSU was a main point of contention between congressional leaders, thanks to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Can you imagine college athletics getting any crazier than what we witnessed this week between Kiffin, Ole Miss and LSU? 

Oh, think again. 

House Settlement Aftermath: Lawmakers Present Two Different NIL Bills That Aim To Regulate College Athletics

I’ve said from the start that the country has better things to worry about right now than having to argue over protecting organizations like the NCAA or even the new College Sports Commission from lawsuits that would come from trying to limit what athletes could make in the future. 

Don’t forget, with the House settlement passing, this opened a whole new can of worms. Schools can now directly pay athletes for their services, with a salary cap set at over $20.5 million per year to be divided up between different sports on college campuses. 

This hit a boiling point on Wednesday, with new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin being a point of emphasis. No, we’re not kidding. 

The ‘Lane Kiffin Protection Act’ Is One Way To Describe It

There was always going to be infighting in regard to the timing and the optics of this entire ordeal. I just didn’t expect a college football move would be a major talking point, though Lane Kiffin does draw headlines. 

At the same time as congressional leaders were trying to garner the votes that would protect the NCAA, Lane Kiffin signed a deal that would pay him over $90 million to coach the LSU Tigers. 

Ole Miss AD Keith Carter Debunks Lane Kiffin’s Timeline: Players Begging Him To Stay Was ‘Overstatement’

Speaker Mike Johnson from Louisiana and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La) took the brunt of criticism from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Thursday during a press conference to discuss ongoing issues that should take priority over a bill that would protect the NCAA, along with others. 

“Why would Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise think it was a good idea to bring the Lane Kiffin Protection Act to the floor of the House of Representatives? Legislation that would do nothing to benefit college athletes and everything to benefit coaches like Lane Kiffin, who got out of town, abandoned his players in the middle of a playoff run to go get a $100 million contract from LSU, the home state of Mike Johnson and Steve Scalise. 

“People are asking the question, why did you decide to bring this bill this week with all the other issues that the country is demanding that we focus on. “

People in Johnson’s office told OutKick that they are aware of the statements made, but have no comment on the matter.
 

According to multiple people connected to the situation in Washington, the Lane Kiffin saga has not helped this week when it comes to public perception. 

A number of representatives have received push back, with the new LSU football coach being used as a prop as to why the college athletics business is hard to take seriously when a head coach is bailing on their team during such a pivotal time. 

Also, add the comments from Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry last month pertaining to LSU having to pay the massive $54 million buyout for former head coach Brian Kelly, and congressional leaders are not going to get much sympathy from those looking to prevent an organization like the NCAA from having to answer for certain aspects of potential antitrust cases down the road. 

During his SEC Championship press conference on Thursday, commissioner Greg Sankey even commented on the ongoing SCORE ACT debate, mentioning he was in Washington on Wednesday. 

“There was an opportunity to vote yesterday in the House. It did not happen,” Sankey noted. “We’ll continue in our educational efforts. We’re going to take the time needed to try to address the questions that are being asked by members of Congress. Again, this is on both sides of the aisle. 

“The fact that there’s so much interest, I think, is an indication of the serious nature of college sports, the importance to our nation, our culture.”

Yes, this is where we are at right now in college athletics, along with the politics that come with it.