Sure but some context is needed.
First off, this is a new era of football. All these coaches hired before this century mark does not really apply in this situation. Next Brian Kelly left after a top 5 season at Cincinnati (a la Fickell to Wisconsin). Urban Meyer also was hired off a top 5 season at Utah and he had an unique offense at the time in his own right. Napier and Frost got fired. Tennessee was in the middle of an investigation and had already fired an AD over that coaching search.
In terms of it just being normal, Penn State isn't just some normal job and they fired a coach who took them to the national championship literally last year. The goal is always to hire better than what you let go. The bar is a natty appearance and in this era you have to get a coach that people want to give money too. Hiring a coach who went 7-6 in every season he had coaching before this year while at a mid major doesn't exactly get these type of people excited. Nobody is saying Golesh is not a P4 worthy coach, but there's levels to the landscape of programs.
He would have to prove it over time with sustained success to just jump to Penn State right now. With the assistants, Kirby was the defensive coordinator under the greatest coach of all time for 8 years before getting a job and had played at the school that hired him. With Venables he was the DC at OU for 13 years before being the DC at Clemson for 10 more. Those two were quite literally some of the greatest defensive assistants of all time and returned to where they once were. With Stoops, I'm not comparing Kentucky and Penn State...