Jan 08, 2014 12:25 PM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Penn State athletic director David Joyner claims the school is "on schedule" to hire a new head football coach within "a matter of days," but the shortlist is just as unclear as the day after Bill O'Brien left for the NFL.

According to the Centre Daily Times, Joyner and his six-person search committee have interviewed multiple candidates, including Vanderbilt's James Franklin. The school has also had a dialogue with Mike Munchak, recently fired by the Tennessee Titans, but it was not a formal interview. Until recently, Greg Schiano, recently fired by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was considered a leading candidate.

"The search for the new leader of the Penn State football program is progressing very well," Joyner said. "We are on schedule and I anticipate having the new head coach in place in a matter of days. The search is robust as we anticipated it would be and we have an excellent pool of candidates. I have heard from many coaches, or their representatives, who have expressed their interest in the position."

According to FootballScoop, a football head-coaching insider, reported Tuesday Penn State was planning to make Franklin a formal offer. Bruce Feldman, of CBS Sports, cited an unnamed source Tuesday who said Franklin is the leading candidate for the Penn State job.

At Penn State, sources tell us that PSU plans to offer their head coaching position to James Franklin https://t.co/sNnVtycOD5

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) January 7, 2014

#Vandy coach James Franklin has emerged as the clear frontrunner for the vacancy at #PennState, per source — Bruce Feldman (@BFeldmanCBS) January 7, 2014

Another source, this one from Franklin's camp, said the idea of coaching at Penn State is attractive for the Vanderbilt coach. O'Brien only coached in Happy Valley for two years, but managed to bring in a five-star quarterback recruit and led the Nittany Lions to two straight winning seasons.

However, Vanderbilt athletic director told CBS Sports he spoke to Franklin Monday and said the coach is expected to stay put. A potential offer from Penn State reportedly came up in their conversation.

"I expect James to be our football coach. I'm planning on it," Williams said. "We're looking at facilities. We're working on some stuff. I have all thoughts that he's going to be our football coach. I'll do everything I can to make sure that he is."

Munchak downplayed rumors, telling ESPN the talks he had with Penn State were not formal interviews. Miami's Al Golden was also seen as a favorite, but he said he did not intend on leaving his job. As for Greg Schiano, one report indicated Penn State is not even pursuing him.

I'm hearing those fearing an eventual Schiano hire can rest easy.

— David Jones (@djoneshoop) January 2, 2014

Still in consideration has to be defensive line coach and interim head coach Larry Johnson. He has spent 18 years with the team and is the only member remaining from the era of Joe Paterno. He has indicated he would be interested in being the permanent head coach.

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