The Penn State Nittany Lions are searching for a new coach after firing James Franklin following Week 7. While they have been seeing what interim coach Terry Smith can do, the program could look outside of the program to hire its next coach. Nick Saban gave an open endorsement of one possible candidate, so let’s take a deeper dive into who it is and what he said.
Nick Saban Pitches the Penn State Nittany Lions to Hire Brian Daboll
Penn State Nittany Lions Brian Daboll
Oct 26, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll reacts in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
While appearing on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, former Alabama Crimson Tide coach and current ESPN college football analyst Nick Saban openly endorsed the Penn State Nittany Lions hiring former New York Giants coach Brian Daboll to lead Happy Valley.
“I love Brian (Daboll), he did a great job here for us as our offensive coordinator. We won the championship with him calling the plays. He’s been in the Super Bowl several times with Bill Belichick and won. I think it was a tough situation with the Giants, but he’s a very good coach. He’s a bright guy, a good recruiter, relates to players, a good teacher, good offensive mind. He’ll put together a strong staff. I think that would be an outstanding hire.”
Brian Daboll was fired earlier this season by the New York Giants and has been rumored as a candidate for the Penn State Nittany Lions coach. There are going to be a lot of names in the mix for the open coaching position, including interim coach Terry Smith.
Daboll has never been a head coach of a collegiate program in his career, but was the offensive coordinator for the Alabama Crimson Tide. With the Giants, he was named the 2022 AP Coach of the Year, but finished with a 20-40-1 record and a 1-1 playoff record. It will be intriguing to see if the Penn State Nittany Lions are going to be looking at Daboll as a potential hire for their 2026 college football program.