Penn State writer makes the Mike Elko prediction that everyone else has avoided

There has been continued buzz about Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko and the Penn State football job ever since the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin— buzz that most Aggie fans wish would just go away. To be crystal clear, the buzz has not been coming from the Texas A&M side of things, as most people in the know for the maroon and white have discounted the chances that Elko could be headed to State College.

Even so, there has yet been no extension announced for Elko, which seems to be the one thing that would put the minds of a lot of Aggie fans at ease at this point. With that still hanging out there, it's given Penn State fans something to cling on to, and Aggie fans something to feel uneasy about.

Penn State writer predicts Nittany Lions to land Mike Elko as next head coach

That in mind, it brought a lot of jubilation to Penn State fans when a local writer made the prediction yesterday that the next head coach of the Nittany Lions would be none other than Mike Elko.

The Centre Daily is a State College newspaper, so this is not as though it's someone in The Athletic making this prediction— as a matter of fact, in a recent article from The Athletic, Mike Elko was not mentioned as a possibility for the Nittany Lions. That's notable, and something to keep in mind as fans weigh just how credible this kind of prediction actually is.

The rationale offered simply is that there has not yet been an extension signed, which— while it's not the case for a guy like Curt Cignetti— is not actually significant in and of itself. Mike Elko is interested in coaching his team and not in negotiating a contract right now— he's no doubt left that to his representation.

Plus, there's all the other pieces of this: Elko is in the middle of a very successful year two in College Station— where he is building a hugely successful program— after an agonizing decision to come here from North Carolina, where his wife had to stay for the entirety of last year. They just finally moved into the house they built in the area, and I heavily doubt that he'd uproot to make a lateral move (at best) to Penn State, who just fired a very successful coach the first time that he stumbled.

There's noise coming from the Penn State side simply because they want Elko— there has been no indication of mutual interest up until this point. He's been completely locked in on this team and their journey at this point. I feel confident that an extension is coming very soon to fully quash this kind of noise, but for now, all Aggie fans can do is wait it out.