Penn State Football: Five Names to Consider as Nittany Lions Look to Replace Brent Pry

Penn State’s pre-bowl offseason started off with a band Tuesday the Nittany Lions looking to replace longtime defensive coordinator Brent Pry following Pry’s departure on Tuesday to become Virginia Tech’s next head coach. While the news wasn’t a surprise for those inside the Lasch Building, head coach James Franklin will certainly want to move quickly with signing day on the horizon and spring ball not far around the corner.

Generally speaking, Franklin has hired assistants with whom he or a member of his staff has worked, which makes guessing (emphasis on guessing) a key ritual of coaching search postulating. It’s also entirely possible that Franklin will promote from within, opening a different defensive position all together. Pry coached linebackers in addition to calling the defense, which could put Penn State on the market for a linebackers coach instead of a defensive coordinator.

While it’s unknown at this time who Franklin will hire, here are five names to consider.

Anthony Poindexter: In-house promotion

Already Penn State’s co-defensive coordinator, Poindexter is the most obvious candidate for an in-house promotion if Penn State and James Franklin are looking to secure some continuity at the position. Poindexter has done a great job with the Nittany Lion safety group over the past year and already had defensive coordinator experience at UConn in addition to time spent in a similar role at Purdue as a co-defensive coordinator. This isn’t a home run promotion or hire from the standpoint of the biggest or flashiest names out there, but that’s not a bad thing. Time will tell, but Poindexter is the favorite to call the defense in Penn State’s bowl game assuming Pry doesn’t finish out the season.

Wesley McGriff: Florida

McGriff was on James Franklin’s staff for the first year of Franklin’s tenure at Vanderbilt before bouncing around to Ole Miss as a defensive coordinator with time spent with the Saints, Auburn and most recently at Florida in the secondary. Nothing about his resume is overwhelming, but a reputation as a solid recruiter and a ton of time in the game certainly doesn’t hurt matters any. Add in the fact that McGriff has previous ties with Franklin – albeit that relationship is unknown – and he makes the list for that and the fact he is available while Florida goes through a coaching change.

Todd Orlando: USC

A Pittsburgh native, Todd Orlando is back on the coaching market as USC changes up its staff under new head coach Lincoln Riley. Orlando has ties to former Penn State offensive line coach Herb Hand with time spent together at Texas, which strengthens his case here if Franklin makes a call to the former Chopped contestant. Current Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich came to Texas not long after Orlando was let go by the Longhorns. Orlando has overseen an array of defenses in terms of quality between his time at Texas and USC but neither conference is well known for its defense so that’s not always a mark against a coordinator. Orlando has time at Penn and UConn earlier in his career which gives him at least some familiarity with the region in addition to West Coast ties.

Blake Baker: LSU

Baker is likely looking for a job as LSU changes things up after hiring Brian Kelly and while Baker could be in consideration for a similar job at SMU, he has a season spent with Penn State receivers’ Taylor Stubblefield while both were in Miami under Manny Diaz. LSU has been a mixed bag this year but Miami had a Top 25 defense under Baker in 2019. Baker also coached linebackers at LSU but has ties to Texas which might make him more prone for any SMU openings if he wants to get back home. Baker has never coached north of Arkansas in his seven stops.

Chris Ash: Jacksonville Jaguars

If Ash is looking to get out of dodge, or in this case Jacksonville, Penn State could land the former Rutgers’ head coach and former Ohio State co-defensive coordinator. Ash was defensive coordinator at Texas while Yurcich was offensive coordinator before the Longhorns went through a coaching change. Ash ended up in Jacksonville while Penn State landed Yurcich. Ash has a ton of time spent in the Big Ten footprint. Whether or not he would leave in the middle of an NFL season, or would want to in the first place is a different question entirely.