James Franklin offered up some insight into the ongoing reorganization of the offensive staff for the remainder of the season following the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Sunday.
When it comes to calling the offense itself, assistant coaches JaJaun Seider and Ty Howle will take over co-interim offensive coordinator roles – a move announced in conjunction with Yurcich’s firing – but Franklin didn’t go into further detail on Wednesday as to what that would entail for Saturday’s game against Rutgers.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Franklin said. “We’ve got two guys that will both be involved with calling the offense.”
As for other duties, graduate assistant Danny O’Brien will coach quarterbacks while offense analyst and analytics coordinator Robb Smith will wear the final headset on the sidelines on Saturday. O’Brien joined Penn State as an analyst in 2021 but was promoted this past summer.
“Well, I think first of all, he played the position at a high level,” Franklin said of O’Brien. “He had adversity that he had to overcome, [and] he had a chance to play professionally for a number of years. He coached professionally. The fact that he played for me, and we kind of see the game in a similar way, and he understands kind of how we operate culturally. He understands the recruiting process. I recruited him, [and] I went to his home. I went to his high school, [and] I know his high school coach very well, I know his parents very well. So, there’s a trust there personally. And there’s a trust there professionally. And the other thing with him, which I’m drawn to these type of guys: He loves football. He’s sending me stuff all the time that he’s seen, that he saw. Whether it’s on social media. Or, an NFL game, or another college game.
“He’s constantly studying ball and trying to find the best way to teach things to make it simplistic for the quarterback and for the offense but still challenging for the defense. And, the fact that he’s not so far removed, I think he’s got a really good rapport and way to connect with our players as well as recruits. And he works at it. So, I got a ton of respect for him. And, I’m biased because I’ve known him for a long time. But, I think the staff feels in a similar way, and I know the players feel that way. Drew [Allar] came to see me specifically about him, when this all went down, to make sure his feelings were crystal clear on Danny.”
As for Smith, he joined Penn State this past offseason with an extensive coaching history most recently as a defensive coordinator at Duke and Rutgers with additional stops all over football since 1999. Smith also coached in the NFL as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers coach in 2013.
“One of our most experienced guys,” Franklin said. “He’s been a defensive coordinator at Duke, Rutgers, Minnesota, just a very experienced guy that we think can bring a lot of value for us.”
Overall Franklin is pleased with how the transition has gone for a program coming off a loss and a noteworthy staffing change. All things considered Penn State should be able to navigate Saturday’s clash against Rutgers and a Black Friday meeting with Michigan State at Ford Field in Detroit without too much dramatics but nothing is guaranteed in the always dramatic world of college football.
Nevertheless, Franklin is happy – as happy as he can be – with how things have gone since the fallout of this past weekend.
“I’ve been pleased with the process and how the coaches have approached it throughout the week, and all the voices in the room, speaking up and giving opinions,” Franklin said. “You bring an idea up and everybody kind of thoroughly investigates it and checks to film to see if it makes sense, and then move forward or not. And, I think it’s been it’s been a real healthy dialogue in there. We’ll see what that equates to on Saturday. But, I’ve been pleased with the process. I’ve felt good about the process and the prep.”
