CFB Carousel: Penn State Focused On BYU's Kalani Sitake To Replace James Franklin, Kentucky Lands Will Stein

Penn State could be close to landing its next head coach to replace James Franklin, as conversations with BYU coach Kalani Sitake have progressed to the point where the Nittany Lions have made him a priority. 

As for Kentucky finding its replacement for Mark Stoops, the Cats' are finalizing an agreement with one of college football's best offensive coordinators, Will Stein. 

For nearly two months, Penn State fans have wondered where the athletic department was in their search for a new head coach. While there have been plenty of names floating in regard to the opening, along with multiple interviews, the Nittany Lions have done a great job at keeping this one in-house. 

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Even with Penn State fans gravitating toward any type of word regarding a new head coach, conversations between Kalani Sitake had been pretty quiet until late last week, when OutKick first started to hear about these talks between both sides. 

On Saturday, BYU will play for a Big 12 championship, in a game that could also decide their fate in the college football playoff. So, obviously Sitake wanted the focus to be on the game, and not on his name being attached to the opening in State College. But, the Cougars coach could not keep his players away from the noise on social media, which led to Sitake reportedly calling a team meeting Monday afternoon to discuss his name being tied to the opening. 

Now, with Sitake having a keen interest in accepting the job, which would be his to turn down, it will be intriguing to see when some type of final announcement is made either way. This does not feel like a power play from Kalani, as there has also been frustration inside the football building that pertained to the football program's NIL funds. 

And yes, this would be an interesting fit for the BYU head coach, given his ties to the church, along with the obvious perception of him being the Nittany Lions choice down the homestretch. 

If this deal gets done before the Big 12 title game, I wouldn't expect a ‘Lane Kiffin’ situation, though the relationship between Sitake and the Cougars athletic department will be one to watch. 

Kentucky Hiring Oregon OC Will Stein As New Head Coach

It did not take long for the Wildcats to find a replacement for Mark Stoops, who was fired officially Monday morning. 

As On3 first reported, Kentucky is finalizing an agreement to hire former Louisville quarterback, and Ducks offensive coordinator, Will Stein. 

Even though the timing was a big odd pertaining to Mark Stoops being fired, which comes with a massive $38 million buyout, Kentucky officials had already done their homework on potential candidates over the past few weeks. Once Mark Stoops agreed to have his buyout dispersed in separate payments, compared to a lump sum within sixty days of his firing, the Cats' went to work on interviewing Stein. 

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Now, just over one day since Stoops was informed he was being let go, Kentucky has found their next head coach. 

Obviously, the marquee news on this coaching carousel is if Penn State can finalize an agreement with Kalani Sitake. If that happens, this would be one of the more interesting hires of the cycle, and most likely will lead to Nittany Lions fans scratching their heads.