The Penn State Football Show

With Christmas fast approaching, and Penn State coaching rumors flying around like crazy, I figured this would be a good time to post my Penn State Coaching Wishlist to the blog.

Although it's been the hottest topic of discussion surrounding Penn State Football for probably the past 15 years, the issue of Joe's successor has not really been touched on a whole lot on this blog. Every year you get someone saying "You heard it here first, this bowl game will be Joe's last game." But every year he returns the following season. This year has been no different. In fact, within the last 45 minutes, I've heard from two different people that this is it for Joe, and that Tony Dungy is the top candidate to take over. I'm at the point now where I take any rumors I hear with a grain of salt. I don't believe anybody has any real inside information and we won't know what's going on until it actually goes on.

So by making this post, I'm not at all suggesting I think this will be Joe's last game. I'm simply acknowledging that it very well could be, and if it is, these are my personal top four candidates I would like to see considered for the job:

1. Bill Cowher - Having a big-name guy like Cowher would do wonders for recruiting and would draw a ton of national attention to the program. His physical style of coaching fits perfectly in the Big Ten. He's a Pittsburgh guy so it fits, as long as he has a desire to get into collegiate coaching.

2. Kirk Ferentz - He's on my short list of best coaches in the game right now, but what makes him so appealing is that he does it with more class than most of the other guys on that list. His coaching style is very similar to Joe's, with a focus on runninig the football and playing strong defense. Plus he's also a Pittsburgh guy, so it would be a good fit for him, if he's willing to leave Iowa.

3. Pat Fitzgerald - One of the better young, up and coming coaches in the game. He's had a lot of success so far at Northwestern, and could be much more successful with better talent. He's a Big Ten guy with a lot of respect for Joe and Penn State, so he might be interested in the job, as long as he's willing to leave his alma mater. Being a younger guy, I think he'd do well with recruiting also.

4. Tom Bradley - First of all, there is no denying he's been a great defensive coordinator for Penn State. And I like the idea of a defensive minded head coach. He's paid his dues, he's been loyal to the program, and I think he deserves a shot. I know he doesn't have head coaching experience, but I definitely think he has what it takes to be a great head coach. I think the players all like and respect him, and he would do a great job. The only thing going against him is that they may want to go outside the program to bring some much needed change, and sticking with Bradley would probably result in more of the same stuff we've been seeing.

What does your wish-list look like?