Another Penn State coaching candidate comes off the board

Penn State fans who may have been hoping to pull another successful head coach out of Vanderbilt may be a bit disappointed on this Black Friday. According to multiple reports out of Nashville on Friday, Vanderbilt has signed Clark Lea to a new contract, securing their head coach of the Commodores program and taking him off the supposed wish lists of a number of potential suitors. Among the schools Lea has been tied to in the coaching carousel rumor mill has been Penn State.

Lea reportedly agreed to a new six-year contract with Vanderbilt, as reported by CBS Sports. Lea currently has Vanderbilt in striking distance of a possible spot in this year's College Football Playoff, although Vanderbilt may need some help from a few other games around the country in order to get in. Still, the success of Vanderbilt this season has not gone unnoticed. Vanderbilt keeping Lea in Nashville is certainly a major win for the SEC program.

A number of popular names that were thrown in the Penn State conversation in the days following the in-season firing of James Franklin have already signed new contracts with their current schools. Among them have been Curt Cignetti of Indiana and Matt Rhule of Nebraska. Mike Elko of Texas A&M also got a new deal in place.

Penn State's search for a new head coach is widely expected to hit warp speed in the coming days and weeks as the regular season officially comes to a close. Just who is at the top of athletics director Pat Kraft's list seems to be largely unknown, but interim head coach Terry Smith is among the available options who has been gaining support from within the football family and a number of alumni. If Smith is able to guide Penn State to a win over Rutgers and clinch bowl eligibility for the Nittany Lions, that show of vocal support will only grow louder.

Penn State faces Rutgers in New Jersey on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. A win is required to be bowl eligible this season for the Nittany Lions.

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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State coaching search: Vanderbilt signs Clark Lea to new deal