Penn State Football: Joe Moorhead Won’t Coach In Bowl Game

Former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead won’t be on the sideline for the Nittany Lions bowl game this winter according to Mississippi State Athletic Director John Cohen.

The news was first reported by Mississippi State football beat reporter Will Sammon.

With an early signing period set to start this year on December 20th the move isn’t overly surprising given Moorhead will have to secure his own recruiting class in the next few weeks.

Penn State has yet to officially acknowledge the move and James Franklin has not spoken to the media since Saturday’s win over Maryland nor was he scheduled to do so. Penn State traditionally does not announce staff departures that were not the result of firings and hirings.

However it is tentatively expected that tight ends coach Ricky Rahne, who’s now in his fourth year as Penn State’s passing game coordinator and second year as tight ends coach would take over the job in at least an interim role for the bowl. Rahne called the TaxSlayer Bowl in 2015 following the firing of then offensive coordinator John Donovan. 

It’s unknown how quickly Penn State will look to replace Moorhead, but the timeline is likely a short one.