Penn State’s coaching search has included plenty of familiar college names. But sometimes the right answer isn’t in the carousel, it’s in the league above it. Brian Daboll, recently dismissed by the New York Giants, is one call athletic director [Pat Kraft](https://lastwordonsports.com/collegefootball/2025/10/14/81207-college-footballs-coaching-musical-chairs-whats-next/) needs to make. His résumé, personality, and offensive mind check every box for what Penn State football needs next.
Daboll’s time with the New York Giants ended this week after a 2–8 start. On paper, that record looks rough. But it hides what made him special. In 2022, he led a roster that most analysts considered the bottom five in talent to the playoffs and earned NFL Coach of the Year honors. Before that, he won five Super Bowls as an assistant with the Patriots, built the Buffalo Bills’ high-powered attack, and won a national title at Alabama.
That résumé alone should grab Penn State athletic director Kraft’s attention. Daboll is a proven program builder. He brings structure, accountability, and an offense that would immediately raise the Nittany Lions’ ceiling.
Daboll’s system isn’t built on gimmicks or empty tempo. It is rooted in physical football with modern spacing. His play calling uses heavy personnel, motion, and layered RPOs that mirror the defensive structures he would face weekly in the Big Ten.
Against the league’s best fronts, Penn State needs more than horizontal screens and trick plays. Daboll’s approach attacks vertically off power runs. His offenses at Alabama and Buffalo married inside zone and gap schemes with play-action crossers, dagger concepts, and deep-over routes. Those designs punish safeties who cheat downhill, a habit common among Big Ten defenses that play with two-high looks and rely on gap fits to stop the run.
Daboll is a proven quarterback developer. At Alabama in 2017, Daboll called plays for a national championship team and helped develop Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. Hurts’ dual-threat precision and Tagovailoa’s deep-ball efficiency became hallmarks of a balanced, pro-style system that forced defenses to defend the entire field. Those same principles — power run looks with vertical strike capability — are what Penn State desperately needs to compete with Ohio State, Michigan, and Oregon in the new Big Ten.
His work with Josh Allen turned raw athleticism into precision. The same teaching could unlock Ethan Grunkemeyer’s potential, allowing him to operate on timing, play-action, and layered progressions instead of relying solely on checkdowns. In a conference where November football is won in the cold, Daboll’s blend of toughness and calculated aggression would travel anywhere.
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Daboll understands the region. He grew up in Western New York and spent most of his career in the Northeast. He knows the weather, the work ethic, and the blue-collar mentality that defines Penn State football. His daughter attends Penn State, and he has spent time in Happy Valley, including pre-draft meetings with linebacker Abdul Carter. That familiarity matters. He would connect with local high school coaches and families across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. The recruiting base would trust him because he speaks their language. Not as a salesman, but as someone who has lived their life.
Kraft has said he wants a coach who can bring energy and authenticity. Daboll checks both boxes. He relates to players naturally, without gimmicks. In Buffalo, players described him as a mentor who treated them like professionals. That matters in college football’s new world, where NIL, social media, and ego management define locker rooms as much as X’s and O’s.
In today’s game, recruits seek a clear path to the NFL and a coach who can help them manage their brand effectively. Daboll offers both. His name alone carries pro credibility. When he walks into a living room, parents know he has developed players who are now earning contracts on Sundays.
Penn State has already modernized its facilities and is investing more than $700 million in upgrades to Beaver Stadium. Pairing that with a coach who understands the professional model would help attract elite recruits and transfers. Daboll’s NFL background gives him an NIL advantage because he can show players what professional development looks like on the field, in media, and in business.
Penn State needs a reset after a decade defined by consistency but not contention. Daboll could provide both a new identity and credibility. He knows how to build a staff, command a locker room, and adapt his offense to personnel. Kraft doesn’t need to chase nostalgia or settle for safe. He needs a builder who understands both leadership and offense equally. Daboll fits that mold. He’s been part of champions at every level and has the personality to connect with players in today’s game.
Daboll’s deal with the Giants reportedly paid him around $5 million per year. That is well below what elite college programs now pay top head coaches. Penn State could easily surpass that number, offering not just a raise but greater control and stability. The chance to lead a blue-blood program with that level of investment might be more appealing than another NFL rebuild.
Penn State has nothing to lose by making the call. If Daboll wants to trade the grind of the NFL for a college job that offers family, legacy, and long-term control, Happy Valley could be the perfect fit.
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