Coaching rumors

I’m still not exactly comfortable discussing this topic because everything is just rumors right now.  But too many people have been asking me for my opinion on the Penn State coaching search, and I just can’t say no to my fans.  So a little later in this post I’m going to do a run-down of the top head coaching candidates for Penn State.  In the meantime, you should check out ESPN’s article released earlier today.  Now, I’m not the biggest fan of ESPN in general, but their Penn State beat writer, Josh Moyer, is an incredible writer with lots of inside sources and a great overall feel for the program.  Check out what he has to say here.

With all of that said, let’s start with Bill O’Brien’s departure to the Houston Texans.  I’ll start by saying that I don’t necessarily have a problem with him leaving, and I get the sense that most Penn State fans don’t either.  It’s a very good job and everyone knows he’s always wanted to go back to the NFL.  I also understand that he has to do what’s best for him and his family (although the money angle is complete nonsense seeing as O’Brien was making well over $3 million at PSU).  However, 2 years is a little obnoxious.  I know what many of you are saying: “But PSUOptimus, this is the modern world of college coaching, people leave all the time.  You’re just spoiled by Joe Paterno.”  The answer to that is, you’re an idiot.  The average tenure of a modern college coach is at least 3, possibly even 4 years.  That gives enough time to make your changes, recruit, and see those recruits through a few seasons.  So, no, 2 years does not meet that standard.  In addition, no one is bringing up Joe Paterno except outsiders.  We (Penn Staters) are not stupid.  We fully understand that JoePa was special and no coach will ever lead one team for 60 years again.  But we’re not talking about 60 years, we’re talking about 2!  Still, even all that could be overlooked if it weren't for my biggest problem; it’s not the fact that O’Brien left, it’s HOW he left.  If our current recruits are to be believed, O’Brien spent his final few days of 2013 reassuring them (and possibly current players) that he was staying at Penn State.  Then, about an hour before midnight, on New Year’s Eve of all days, he up and vanished like a thief in the night.  Not exactly the classy departure most of Nittany Nation was hoping to see.  For that reason, my final verdict is that it was a dick move on his part.  Yet I must admit he did leave the football program in a much better situation than he found it.  So for that, I wish him the best of luck in his new position.

As for O’Brien’s potential replacements, here’s my breakdown in my order of preference:

Al Golden: He was originally my number 2, but the arguments I've heard for Golden lately have swayed me to make him my number 1.  Unfortunately, it appears he’s taken himself out of the race… so yeah.

James Franklin: The current head coach of Vanderbilt was originally my number 1, but a lot of things have come out recently which give me pause.  First, the rumors are that he is being pursued by multiple NFL teams almost as hard as O’Brien was.  I don’t know if he intends to eventually make a move to the pros, but if he does and he’s hired at Penn State, we’ll have to deal with these stupid NFL rumors every single year for the foreseeable future.  Franklin also has some allegations hanging over him right now of covering up a rape by some of his players.  Obviously, that’s the last thing Penn State needs as it continues to repair its reputation.  But the guy can coach, he’s an expert recruiter, and thanks to Vandy, he knows the importance of players going to class.

Mike Munchak: Here’s a very interesting prospect.  Munchak is a former Penn State player with a reputation for being loyal to a fault, something Penn State could really use right now.  My biggest concern, though, is that he has absolutely ZERO college experience.  The college and pro games are very different and we saw O’Brien struggle to adjust to the demands of college coaching in his first year.  I would anticipate Munchak having similar issues if hired.  There’s no way of knowing how good he’ll be at recruiting, or making sure his players go to class, but if he can figure that stuff out and win some games in the process, he’d be great.  I’m just not convinced he can do that right now.

Larry Johnson: Everyone loves “LJ” and no one can deny his love for Penn State.  Also, he has the players’ endorsement.  If he was made the head coach he would be around forever.  Unfortunately, I don’t think the powers that be at PSU will ever allow this.  It’s not right, it’s not fair, but I think that’s the reality of the situation.  They’ll be able to correctly cite the fact that LJ has never held any position higher than that of a position coach at the college level.  He’s never even been a coordinator.  I think the best case for everyone is to pressure the new head coach into retaining LJ and maybe even make him the new Defensive Coordinator.  Heck, bring back Vanderlinden while you’re at it!

*UPDATE
Greg Roman: I don't know much about Roman except that he's the current Offensive Coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.  That means he knows NFL offense, so Hackenberg should be pumped.  Here's a little background on him.

There, I did a post on all the coaching nonsense.  Is everybody happy now?  I’ll have a more solid post ready whenever Dave Joyner and the search committee make their decision.  Until then, enjoy the rumor mill and go State!