As Penn State looks to replace offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, there is nothing like coming up with a list of candidates that may or may not ever actually get a call in for an interview. That aside, there’s nothing more fun than speculating, so here are a few names to consider as Penn State goes through the process and the last few weeks of the season. These are in no particular order.
James Franklin (OC) and Brad Maendler (QB Coach): This is probably the least likely to happen but maybe also not the most insane thing ever thought up. Franklin calling plays would take over the offensive coordinator portion of Yurcich’s job while hiring Maendler — the trainer who helped transform Drew Allar and works with future Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer — would handle the quarterback coach portion of the job. This part is important simply because of the relationship Yurcich had built with Allar. Franklin has play calling history prior to being at Penn State but it’s hard to imagine that after 10 years of not calling plays that Franklin wants to add it to his plate. It might also be hard to pry Maendler from his budding quarterback training business, but safe to say this job would probably pay better.
Colorado Offensive Coordinator (?) Sean Lewis: This is a confusing one. Lewis, a former Wisconsin tight end, was demoted a few weeks ago at Colorado by head coach Deion Sanders and no longer calls plays for the Buffs. That being said, of all the issues Colorado has had this year, offense wasn’t really one of them and the demotion seemed to be a surprise move. The demotion aside, Lewis has always been a bright offensive mind with a familiarity of the Big Ten and coaching ties to Ohio and New York. Colorado is No. 9 this year in passing offense. This might be the easiest one to pull off and take the least amount of mental gymnastics considering Lewis is no longer doing the job he was hired to do. It’s always a risk to hire someone who basically just lost their job, but nothing about Colorado’s season has been normal.
Wisconsin Offensive Coordinator Phil Longo: Hires that happen between conference teams always seem a bit rarer than others but Longo has plenty of regional ties — in fact, Longo played at East Stroudsburg briefly before James Franklin arrived on campus. Nevertheless, time at Ole Miss and North Carolina boost his standing in this group, and as a New Jersey born coach he has plenty of connections to the area. This isn’t the sexiest hire to choose from but it’s not a bad option either. One would be hard pressed to compare what the Wisconsin brand is offensively to what Penn State’s is, but then again the Luke Fickell era has only just begun.
UNLV Offensive Coordinator Brennan Marion: UNLV hasn’t had the most impressive passing attack this year, but Marion has ties to the region as a Pa. prospect out of high school and family ties to Virginia, both obviously deep in Penn State’s recruiting turf. UNLV is Marion’s first go at play calling at this level, but he’s had several other notable stops. Prior to UNLV he was the passing game coordinator and receivers’ coach at Texas and the year before he was the receivers’ coach at Pitt. At just 36 years old, this would check off the up-and-coming box.
RETURNING FACES
Buffalo Bills Quarterback Coach Joe Brady: The former Penn State graduate assistant turned LSU offensive wunderkind turned NFL assistant is the kind of hire that would make headlines but hinges almost entirely on how much Brady would want to come back to college. Considering that Brady took his LSU ticket to the NFL as fast as he could, it’s hard to imagine that he’s itching to go from being Josh Allen’s quarterback coach to dealing with the various and sundry college quarterbacking issues. Brady did leave his mark having worked with one of the best quarterbacks and offenses in the history of college football. Some of that was Brady, but it’s safe to say having Joe Burrow didn’t hurt any. That’s not to say Brady wouldn’t do a good job at Penn State, but his star isn’t as bright as it once was. None of this matters if Brady doesn’t want to leave.
Maryland Offensive Coordinator Josh Gattis: Gattis always seemed a bit irked that he was passed over by Ricky Rahne for the offensive coordinator job at Penn State post-Joe Moorhead, and it’s hard to say how much he would or wouldn’t like to work with James Franklin again. That being said, if you’re looking for someone who has had a relative amount of success between stops at Alabama, Michigan, Miami and Maryland, then Gattis is your guy. Even without Gattis having a prior connection with Penn State he would seem like a reasonable name to put on the list. How much that connection helps or hurts Penn State’s chances is TBD.
Akron Head Coach Joe Moorhead: Moorhead has bounced around a bit since leaving Penn State between Mississippi State, Oregon and now Akron, but nobody would be welcomed back with open arms among Penn State fans quite like Moorhead would. As an aside, Moorhead might be the only person on the list that James Franklin would actually leave alone, or rather, the only coach Franklin might leave to his own devices. Between injuries, a lack of foundation and some university-wide financial issues, it’s hard to imagine Akron turning a substantial corner anytime soon. If Moorhead is hoping to move back up into the big leagues then this would be an easy transition, in theory.
Virginia Tech Offensive Coordinator Tyler Bowen: It would be quite the dramatic move if Franklin opted to pull Bowen back to Penn State away from longtime friend and Tech head coach Brent Pry. The Hokies struggled a bit to start off the season but have turned the corner nicely over the past several weeks and now sit a win away from bowl eligibility. Bowen’s connection makes him an appealing hire more than anything that he has done since leaving Penn State, but he has always been seen as a smart, younger coach in the profession. Franklin taking from Pry would be a tough one for both parties though.
