Penn State keeps helping other coaches cash in, but its head job remains vacant

The Penn State Nittany Lions' search for a new head coach is seemingly becoming the coaching search that won't ever come to an end. James Franklin was shown the door early in the season so Penn State could get a head start on its search. 52 days later, the Nittany Lions appear no closer to hiring a head coach than the day they fired Franklin.

While Penn State hasn't landed a head coach, it's not for a lack of effort as they've cast a wide net, but it hasn't resulted in a hire. Every time Penn State seemingly has a top candidate, the coach ends up with a lucrative extension.

Penn State's opening has been great news for any coach tied to the job

With each coaching candidate Penn State has targeted receiving a massive contract extension, the opening has become the best thing possible for the coaches and their agents. According to On3's Thomas Frank Carr, Penn State's search has landed other coaches roughly $370.8 million in extension money.

The number is staggering, but it speaks to where college football has gone as every program is throwing around more money than ever. In the end, half of these programs may end up regretting the move if they're stuck paying the buyout, but it's all a big part of the system.

Curt Cignetti cashed in almost instantly with an extension worth $92.8 million over 8 seasons, which seems like it'll be worth every penny. Matt Rhule's close ties with Penn State AD Pat Kraft worked perfectly in his favor as Nebraska added two years to his current contract, worth an additional $25 million. Mike Elko was the last of the trio who got significant deals as Texas A&M gave him $66 million more to keep him locked in place.

Brent Key, Clark Lea, and Eli Drinkwitz were all names mentioned as potential candidates for the job, but it's unclear just how serious Penn State was about pursuing them. Either way, Clark Lea was given a "significant raise", Brent Key was bumped up to $6.5 million per year, and Drinkwitz received a new 6-year deal worth $10.75 Million per year.

The closest Penn State has seemingly come to landing a head coach was on Monday Night when Kalani Sitake was considering leaving his alma mater for the job. Instead, Kalani Sitake signed a massive new deal with BYU, which will reportedly land him in the range of $9-9.5 million per year.

If you're Penn State, you almost have to just laugh as you've tried to land several big candidates just for them to turn around and land insane contract extensions. Pat Kraft is facing a ton of heat as Penn State fans have grown restless, and hopefully the next coach they target decides to take the job otherwise it's only going to get worse in Happy Valley.