Could Joe Brady Be Penn State’s Next Head Coach? James Franklin's Next Stop: UNC?

From Curt Cignetti to Matt Rhule, you've likely heard of every top possible college coach who's a candidate to replace James Franklin at Penn State by now. However, FOX Sports' Chris "The Bear" Fallica believes there's an NFL coach worth keeping an eye on in the Penn State sweepstakes: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

"I wouldn't be surprised if, behind the scenes, [Terry] Pegula — the owner of the Bills, big money guy and is kind of the one footing the bill for most of the buyout — maybe there's some things going on behind the scenes [where he's saying], ‘I'll ante up the buyout money, but Joe Brady's going to be our next head coach,'" Fallica said on "Bear Bets." 

"I don't know if that's going on, but there's a connection there between Pegula and Penn State. Obviously, Joe Brady, how great he was in college at LSU and now with the Buffalo Bills, an offensive-minded head coach. That's the biggest thing about Penn State right now. People are so aggravated about the lack of development with the quarterback play and on the offensive side of the ball."

As "The Bear" mentioned, there are several links that could naturally make Brady a candidate to replace Franklin. Pegula's a Pennsylvania native and a Penn State alum who has a long history of making pricey donations to the school, such as his $102 million donation for the construction of its ice hockey arena. 

However, there have been several rumors that Adidas, who Penn State is set to partner with on athletic apparel starting in 2026, pushed for Franklin's firing and helped foot the bill for the $49 million buyout. A Penn State spokesperson told Front Office Sports that the report was "patently false," though, adding that "Adidas is not helping to pay the