National Signing Day

Sorry for the late post.  Although I was not one of the people who lost power due to the snow/ice storm on Tuesday night, I was preoccupied and couldn't get around to posting until today.  Hopefully the below post makes up for it.

With that out of the way... WOW, what an exciting day yesterday was!  It is now official, Penn State's 2014 recruiting class is in the books!  On one hand, National Signing Day came with few surprises.  Lloyd Tubman did in fact decommit as expected and ended up at the University of Kentucky, in his home state.  This allowed the Lions to pick up Torrence Brown, just as I predicted.  On the other hand, the approach that James Franklin and his staff took towards National Signing Day could not have been more different than his two predecessors and was a big surprise, even shock, to many fans.  The "war room," as it came to be called, was absolutely electric from 6am all the way through to the 6pm Signature Event at the BJC.  There were balloons, flatscreens showing highlights from all the recruits, and even an omelet station for breakfast.  On hand were cheerleaders, the Nittany Lion, the Blue Band trumpets, equipment manager "Spider" Caldwell, former player Michael Mauti, and Coach Franklin's daughters.  Each got a turn to help announce the name of recruits, in the style of the NFL draft, as their letters of intent came in hot off the fax machine.  Unfortunately, I couldn't be there to see and document everything first hand.  However, thanks in large part to Franklin's open door policy with the media, plenty of other reporters were there.  So instead of boring you with my hackneyed regurgitation of what everybody else posted, I'm just going to leave these links here and you can peruse them at your leisure.  Enjoy the awesomeness that was National Signing Day!

Here's the official GoPSUSports NSD blog, featuring player bios and plenty of videos and pictures from throughout the day.

PennLive's Audrey Snyder had full access and provided all kinds of great material:
- James Franklin's NSD press conference (VIDEO)
- Michael Mauti and LaVar Arrington address the crowd at the Signature Event... and Mauti makes a bold prediction (VIDEO)
- A look back at past 3-star recruits, plus a NSD photo gallery
- The Signature Event, a photo gallery

As always, Onward State was also on hand to cover the action:
- James Franklin's "War Room"
- The sights and sounds of NSD (VIDEO)
- Meet the 2014 recruits! (VIDEOS)

Finally, ESPN sat down for a Q&A with James Franklin.

So what can we take away from National Signing Day 2014?  Well, the most notable observation had to be the never ending energy coming from Coach Franklin.  Sure, we already knew he had plenty of energy, but this was ridiculous!  He managed to handle all the formalities of National Signing Day, take care of his two adorable daughters, give media interviews to ESPN, CBS Sports, Big Ten Network, and others, and still had enough left in the tank to put on what looked like a fantastic show at the Signature Event.  Another thing I noticed was that, while Bill O'Brien made it very clear that he didn't put much stock in recruiting rankings and star rankings, James Franklin seems to fully embrace them.  In the press conference video above, he is visibly disappointed that Penn State had the 3rd best class in the Big Ten and vowed to change that very soon.  He was also disappointed in the lack of PA kids (only 3) in this class, and more specifically that Penn State did not land even 1 of the top 10 players from within the state.  Yet, this class is still ranked in the top 25 by every major recruiting service and that's with 5 fewer scholarships than every other school can give out!  Recruiting is a HUGE deal in college football these days.  Just look at Alabama, who pulled in the unanimous #1 ranked class for the past 3 years... while also winning 3 National Championships in 4 years.  If Franklin can continue to pull in "blue chip" recruits, especially as the sanctions come to an end, Penn State could very well be in the National Championship hunt in no time.  That's not hyperbole people, this guy is for real!

I hope you enjoyed National Signing Day as much as I did.  Keep checking back here on the blog throughout the offseason for all the latest news and notes about Penn State football.  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus, and as always, go State!

National Signing Day Eve

I’d like to start today’s post by congratulating former Nittany Lions, Michael Robinson and Jordan Hill on their fancy new rings.  Both men play for the Seattle Seahawks, who embarrassed the Denver Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII this past Sunday.  To date, at least one former Lion has played in 43 of the 48 Super Bowls played and there are now 37 former Lions with a combined 53 Super Bowl rings.  Congrats on the fresh bling gentlemen!

Now, on to the main topic of today’s post.  National Signing Day is tomorrow, which means it is the first day that recruits can officially sign their National Letter of Intent, solidifying their choice of school.  Up to this point in the recruiting process, all commitments were verbal and non-binding.  ESPNU (as well as the WatchESPN mobile app if you can’t get to a TV because of some pesky job) will have essentially wall to wall coverage all day as the fax machines begin to whirl in every head coach’s office around the country.  If you’re super into recruiting, this is the biggest day of the year for you; but for most of us, it feels a little blow out of proportion.  Regardless, here’s where Penn State finds itself on the eve of NSD…

Since my last post, 4-star DE Lloyd Tubman has reopened his recruitment, and this past weekend he took visits to a couple of schools including Kentucky and Big Ten rival Nebraska.  He will make his final decision at 9am tomorrow, but considering he took down everything Penn State-related from his Twitter page, it’s starting to look very unlikely that he will be wearing the Blue and White next year.  Still, that hasn't seemed to slow down James Franklin, who took the opportunity to reel in commitments from a pair of 3-star DBs: Amani Oruiwariye (FL) and Christian Campbell (AL).  That makes 5 DBs in this recruiting class, and as friend of the blog (and Bowl Pick Em Champion) Brian Bender pointed out, it’s becoming obvious that Coach Franklin doesn't like what he sees out of Penn State’s secondary right now.  If Tubman does in fact go to another school, it will free up one last scholarship in this class.  That scholarship could go to Torrence Brown, a 3-star athlete from Alabama.  I usually hate the term "athlete," but in this case, it’s very fitting.  The 6-4, 228 lb recruit played RB, LB, DE, TE, and WR in high school… now that’s versatility!  The only safe guess at this point is that he’ll end up playing somewhere on the defensive side of the ball.  Given Penn State’s lack of depth at LB, he’ll most likely end up in that unit with the possibility of lining up at DE if he can put on some weight.

In other recruiting news, after the commitment of walk-on kicker Jorge Powell last week, PSU picked up commitments from 3 (yes 3!) additional walk-on kickers this week: Nick Boumerhi, Troy Stivason, and Joe Julius, who turned down a full soccer scholarship at Southern Illinois to walk-on for the Nittany Lions.  The special teams blitz continued with the commitment of walk-on long snapper Kyle Vasey.  Considering there are only 2 scholarship kickers (Sam Ficken and Chris Gulla) currently on the roster, and 0 scholarship punters, it’s pretty clear that special teams is a major position of need for the coaching staff, and it’s impressive to see that they've been able to fill that need so well without using up precious scholarships.  It should also be pointed out that some of these guys can punt if needed, so they could potentially earn a scholarship that way if they play their cards right.

Oh, and don't forget that this is a thing.  Coach Franklin's "Signature Event" will now feature guest appearances by Michael Mauti and LaVar Arrington!  Should be a good time.

On the coaching front, former linebackers coach and Penn State legend, Ron Vanderlinden, has accepted a position with the Air Force Academy.  I still think it would have been amazing if James Franklin had managed to bring Vanderlinden back to the Penn State staff, but since that didn't happen I will instead wish Coach Vanderlinden the best of luck in his new role.  You’re a true Penn Stater and you will be missed.  Besides, at least he didn't go to Ohio State like some people!

Well, that will do it for today.  Have a great NSD everyone!  Don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes on Penn State football, and as always, go State!

Recruiting Update 1/28

The recruiting season is in full swing as coaches and teams make their final desperate push to solidify their 2014 recruiting classes before National Signing Day.  Penn State is at a unique disadvantage due to the scholarship restrictions placed on the football team by the NCAA in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky Scandal.  Penn State can only hand out 20 scholarships, instead of the 25 that other schools can give out.  Still, there are plenty of tricks and number fudging that can be done to make it all work and luckily for us, Audrey Snyder of PennLive took the time to break it down flawlessly in one of her latest columns.  Based on her math, and the commitments since her article was published, Penn State can potentially land 2 more recruits to finish out this class.  Here is where the 2014 recruiting class currently stands:

Notes:

- Kicker Jorge Powell will come to Penn State as a walk-on, meaning he will not receive a scholarship and will not count against the scholarship limit.

- 5 of the above players are early enrollees, meaning they're already on campus attending classes and their scholarships will count towards the 2013 class, not 2014.  Those 5 players are: Michael O'Connor, Chasz Wright, De'Andre Thompkins, Tarow Barney, and Antoine White.

- There are 4 major recruiting websites: ESPN, Scout, Rivals, and 247Sports.  Many times a recruit has 3 stars in one place and 4 stars in another.  Just like on the SAT, I took the highest score (star rating) that I could find for each recruit, so some of the ratings are a little inflated.  However, this was never more than a 1 star difference.

Observations:

- The immediate need of this class is at linebacker, where Penn State was already thin before the graduation of Glenn Carson.  As you can see, the coaching staff did a good job of filling this need, pulling in 2 dedicated linebackers, as well as some safeties and a defensive end who are capable of playing the position (a la Stephen Obeng-Agyapong this past season).

- The second most pressing issue was linemen on both sides of the ball.  There are more linemen on the field for each play than any other position and with their larger bodies, they're more prone to injuries.  Therefore, building quality depth along both lines is a necessity if this team hopes to compete for championships in the near future.  Again, the staff passed this test with flying colors, collecting 7 solid recruits (4 OL, 3 DL).

- Lastly, the staff needed to upgrade the skill position talent across the board (WR, TE, RB, CB, and S) to keep up with the faster speed of today's game.  12 total skill players, many with 4 star ratings, should do the trick quite nicely.

- Even with my inflated ratings, none of Penn State's recruits have less than 3 stars or a grade lower than 70 (out of 100) on any of the big 4 sites.  That's a BIG deal since it means that there are no "weak" recruits in this class whatsoever.

- Take an especially close look at the wide receiver group in this class.  3/4 are 4 star players and highly ranked nationally.  Looks like even without Allen Robinson, Christian Hackenberg will have plenty of quality targets to throw to over the next few seasons.

After the sanctions were announced in Jully 2012, if you had told most college football insiders that this is the kind of class Penn State would be pulling in within 2 years, they would have laughed you out of the building.  Thankfully, between O'Brien and Franklin, Penn State is making all those "experts" dine on an all-you-can-eat buffet of humble pie!

In related news, Coach Franklin will be having a recruiting extravaganza at the BJC on National Signing Day (Feb 5th) that will be free for students and only $5 for spectators.  Franklin and his staff will welcome the 2014 recruiting class by giving each recruit an official introduction in front of the hopefully packed arena.  ESPN's Pedro Gomez will even apparently be there to cover the event live all day long.  Speaking of ESPN, if last year was any indication, they will once again turn National Signing Day into a country-wide media circus.  If you're really into recruiting - and don't have a job, since it falls on a Wednesday - I guess it can be fun.  But generally speaking, I think it's just a pointless exercise in the inflation of 18 year old egos that are probably too big already.

Finally, in non-recruiting related news, James Franklin will apparently attend the State of the Union address tonight as the guest of a Congressional Representative and he has a very ambitious goal.  Also, with the Superbowl this Sunday, I'd like to point out that 2 former Nittany Lions, Michael Robinson and Jordan Hill, will be suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks as they take on the Denver Broncos (guess which team I'll be rooting for!).  See how they handled Media Day here.

That's all for now.  Keep checking back throughout the offseason, and don't forget to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes on Penn State football.  And as always, go State!

Recruiting Update 1/20

Friday was the official start of the recruiting season as coaches are now allowed to visit recruits' homes.  From here on out it's a race leading up to National Signing Day on February 5th.  So today's post is just a brief update of what new head coach, James Franklin, has been up to on the recruiting trail.

- First, Coach Franklin has now flipped 5 former Vanderbilt commits to the Nittany Lions.  Over the weekend he picked up commitments from 3-star QB Trace McSorely and 3-star CB Grant Haley.  However, he also appears to have lost the commitment of 3-star LB Donte Raymond, who will now play at Delaware.

- Out on the trail, Coach Franklin's first priority seems to be Pennsylvania as he made stops in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh this weekend.  Our friends at OnwardState have the story.

- Finally, since the coaching staff plays a big part in recruiting, here is how the new staff is shaping up.

Busy Week

The news truly never ends when you’re a big time program like Penn State, and this week is no exception.  There’s been a ton of PSU football news floating around the interwebs lately, so let’s get everybody up to speed on all things Nittany Lions.

First, after this very strange article by David Jones was released shortly following Bill O'Brien's departure to the Houston Texans, much of the country was firmly under the impression that a group of “Paterno people” had chased O'Brien out of town.  This article from our friends over at OnwardState pretty much sums up my initial thoughts on the Jones article.  Thankfully, in a surprising last act of good will, Bill O'Brien went on ESPN’s Mike &Mike to clear things up and apologize for any confusion.  According to the coach himself, he had tremendous support at Penn State and called Jones’ assertions “not accurate at all.”  He stressed that Penn State is a special place and it was actually a combination of his love for the NFL and the medical resources in Houston (for his special needs son, Jack) that were the primary catalysts for leaving.  They say “time heals all wounds” and it must be true because I’m slowly starting to come around on Bill’s decision.  Good luck in Houston, Coach!

Speaking of coaches, the last holdover from the Paterno era, defensive line coach Larry Johnson, turned down an offer from James Franklin to continue in his same position on the new staff.  Instead, Johnson will be headed to Ohio State where he will replace the departed Mike Vrabel, who ironically left OSU to join Bill O'Brien in Houston.  The move comes as a shock to most Penn State fans, especially since Johnson will be taking the exact same position on Urban Meyer’s staff.  I could understand leaving for a Defensive Coordinator promotion, but a lateral move just doesn't make sense to me personally.  Rumors have been flying that Johnson was upset at the administration after being passed over for the head coaching position twice – once in 2012 after Paterno’s firing and again this time around.  Johnson had been on the staff for 18 years and was named interim head coach after O'Brien left.  He was known as one of the best recruiters in the country and for cranking out NFL talent year after year.  Despite this latest turn of events, LJ will most likely remain as one of the most beloved assistants in PSU history, and I wish him the best over at that other school.

In related recruiting news, the first and only casualty so far of the coaching transition appears to be Thomas Holley.  The 4-star DT recruit was the highest rated prospect in the 2014 class and his decommitment is substantial.  He was recruited by Larry Johnson, and most sources cite Johnson’s departure as the main reason behind Holley’s second thoughts.  Holley, who was also recruited by James Franklin while still at Vanderbilt, has now committed to Florida.  Rumors are that he still has an official visit to Penn State on his calendar, though, and that Franklin might still have a chance, albeit slim, to convince Holley to switch his commitment back to the Lions.  However, I wouldn't hold your breath.

As for Franklin’s staff, it’s starting to take some shape.  It was announced yesterday that Ricky Rahne and Josh Gattis will be the new QB and WR coaches respectively.  Both were part of James Franklin’s staff at Vanderbilt and were expected to follow Franklin to State College, so this isn't exactly a surprise.  Gattis is well known for producing great WRs, having developed All-Americans at nearly every one of his coaching stops.  Here’s hoping he continues that trend with players like Geno Lewis, Richy Anderson, DaeSean Hamilton, and incoming recruits Chris Godwin and De’Andre Thompkins.

Finally, this Saturday at 4pm on the NFL Network will be the 89^th East/West Shrine Game played in St. Petersburg, FL.  The Shrine Game, as I mentioned in a previous post, is one of the many invitational all-star games that take place this time of year and give NFL scouts a better look at potential pro talent.  Only the Senior Bowl is considered more prestigious than the EWSG and this year’s game features 3 stand out Penn Staters: LB Glenn Carson, OG John Urschel, and S/LB Stephen Obeng-Agyapong.  All will try to impress the NFL teams in attendance in hopes of being selected in the upcoming draft.  Good luck to all three!!!

Well that will do it for now.  I'll do my best to keep posting as stories develop.  Be sure to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus for all the latest news and notes, and as always, go State!

Welcome Coach James Franklin!

When Bill O'Brien came to Penn State in early 2012, there was understandable hesitation from the Penn State community.  Here was a guy with no head coaching experience and what appeared to be zero understanding of the history and traditions of Penn State football.  He was the kind of outsider not usually welcomed in State College, although many believed that was exactly the panacea the scandal-ridden university needed.  O'Brien was stepping into an already toxic situation that was soon to be made even worse once the NCAA handed down their sanctions that summer.  Never lacking in confidence, but sometimes lacking in charisma, O'Brien was slow to grow on most Penn State fans.  Then, just weeks before the start of the season he made his first big move, adding player names to the back of the iconic Nittany Lion uniforms.  His rationale was logical and allowed him to make the move with little more than a quiet groan from traditionalists.  Over the next two years, the coach’s relationship with the Penn State community was, well, interesting.  He was never big on press conferences or speaking engagements, and seemed exhausted by the multitude of appearances required of him.  He clearly loved coaching, but had no interest in the peripheral items it takes to be the head coach at a major institution like Penn State.  Still, on the field, he proved that he was as good as any other coach out there, maybe better.  He was fighting with both hands tied behind his back and yet, was able to deliver two winning seasons, win a number of memorable upsets, and solidify two above average recruiting classes, highlighted by his acquisition of star QB Christian Hackenberg.  For all intents and purposes, Bill O'Brien's tenure at Penn State, however short, was exactly what Penn State needed at that moment in time.  In the end, though, even the most idealistic fan knew O’Brien’s heart was in the NFL and sure enough, last month O'Brien officially moved on to the Houston Texans, leaving an uncomfortable void in the football family.

Then along came James Franklin…

Unlike O'Brien, Franklin was a highly sought after and well known commodity in the coaching world, having just turned lowly SEC doormat Vanderbilt into a respectable program.  Franklin led the Commodores to 3 straight bowl games (2 of which were victories) and back to back 9 win seasons for the first time in almost 100 years.  He also had a reputation as one of the best recruiters in the nation, and his top 25 recruiting class at Vanderbilt was proof that said reputation was well deserved.

From the moment of his arrival Saturday afternoon, Franklin was a ball of energy that captivated all who met him.  A Pennsylvania native, he claimed to have finally “come home” and appeared genuinely excited to have the opportunity to coach the premiere football team in the state.  He said all the right things as he toured the campus and his infectious smile never left his face.  But all of that wasn't what impressed me as I watched his first press conference as the 16^th head coach in the storied history of Penn State football.  It was the little things, the tiny acts that generally go unnoticed by most, where he truly shined.  In those “how to make friends and influence people” moments, most people were left in awe of Franklin’s seemingly innate ability to connect with just about anyone and instantly make a positive impression.  When he stepped off the plane, he didn't just rush inside, he went over to the fence and greeted two young girls who were standing out in the rain to see him.  During that initial press conference he repeated each reporters’ name and offered a greeting before ever hearing, let alone responding, to their question.  While meeting with recruits at the football building, he made a point to not just shake their hands, but each member of their respective families as well.  One sister of a recruit was visibly thrown off when Franklin extended his hand to her in an attempt to introduce himself.  Clearly, other coaches had never made her the center of attention before.  The rest of the family was impressed with this simplest of gestures as well.  He almost seemed too good to be true, but no one was complaining.

On top of the personality that was already winning fans over, Franklin did something almost no one expected; he spoke candidly about his tremendous respect for the legacy of Joe Paterno, and he wasn't afraid to let everyone know, including the administration.  He referred to the late coach as “the great Joe Paterno” numerous times, and mentioned “success with honor” at least twice.  My personal favorite line came when he claimed to have told his wife when they first began dating that his dream job was Penn State.  He joked that he didn't think he’d ever get the chance to coach at Penn State since he didn't believe “the coach that was there when I grew up would ever leave.”

In 48 hours, he managed to speak to his old team, fly from Tennessee to Happy Valley, give a press conference, speak to his new team, flip 2 Vanderbilt recruits over to Penn State, and all while attending and speaking at 3 different sports events.  He even took a few minutes to check out the new Pegula Ice Arena, which was not around the last time Franklin was on campus.  Even with all of that, pictures surfaced on Twitter Monday morning of the coach starting his week at 5am.  When the topic of sleep was brought up at the press conference, he admitted to needing just 5 hours (or less) per night, and that his wife finds it weird. But weird sleeping habits seem to work just fine for Franklin, who’s energy levels are only matched by his vibrant charisma.  He appears to be the perfect man for the Penn State job and I think I speak for the entire Penn State community when I say that I hope he stays true to his word and sticks around for a very long time.

Now sometimes words just can't do a man justice.  That's why I've included the following links that should give you a better idea of how awesome James Franklin apparently is.  Enjoy.

Here's the full opening press conference.

And here's the best moments in case you're in a time crunch.

Here's a recap of his first 48 hours on campus.

And here's 8 examples of JF being awesome courtesy of our friends over at OnwardState.

I'm sure Coach Franklin will keep being awesome for the foreseeable future, and the best way to keep up with his exploits is to follow me on Twitter @PSUOptimus.  It should be a very exciting offseason for the Nittany Lions and I personally can't wait to see what happens!

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!