By this point, most college football fans who follow coaching searches have likely become familiar with the name Jimmy Sexton.
But while the coaching super agent has been most closely associated with LSU’s successful pursuit of Lane Kiffin, that’s not the only high-profile search in which he’s made his presence felt.
Although LSU, Florida, Virginia Tech, Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan State, Oklahoma State and Stanford have each already filled their vacancies, Penn State still remains in search of its next head coach. That’s despite the Nittany Lions firing James Franklin in mid-October — a move that presumably should have given Penn State a two-month head start on finding his successor.
According to Todd McShay, it’s not a coincidence that the Nittany Lions’ job remains open.
Appearing on The Bill Simmons Podcast, the NFL Draft insider and college analyst discussed what is widely considered to be one of the craziest coaching carousel’s in recent memory. And when it comes to the latest happenings in Happy Valley, McShay offered an explanation, pointing to PSU’s firing of Franklin, who happens to be represented by the industry’s most powerful agent.
“H’s messing around with Penn State right now because Penn State let go one of his guys, James Franklin, in a manner that he didn’t appreciate,” McShay said of Sexton. “And so now they’re kinda sitting back and every time they go try to hire a coach or get serious with the coach, that coach who’s represented by Sexton winds up with an extension or winds up going to maybe UCLA. So it’s, it’s fascinating to see.”
It certainly seems curious that Penn State — which was largely regarded as one of the best job openings this offseason — still remains without a head coach. And as McShay alluded to, the Nittany Lions did pursue a Sexton client in Bob Chesney, before the now-former James Madison coach opted to take the UCLA job.
The ex-ESPN analyst even went as far as to refer to Sexton as the most powerful figure in all of college football.
“If you’re a Penn State fan, that is a scary thing right now,” he added.
As for where the Nittany Lions go from here, recent reports have linked the program to BYU’s Kalani Sitake. For those wondering, Sitake is not a Jimmy Sexton client.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.