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When you think of offensive juggernauts, you probably don’t think of Utah But Andy Ludwig is very well-respected in the industry among coaches (Notre Dame tried to pry him away last winter) and is known for tough, efficient offenses His use of tight ends in particular is something that would fit nicely with Penn State’s current rosterA former graduate assistant for Penn State in 2015 and 2016, Joe Brady rose to notoriety as the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach for the legendary 2019 LSU championship team
During his one-year stint with the Tigers, he was given a lot of credit for the offense’s improvement between the 2018 and 2019 seasons He parlayed that success into an NFL offensive coordinator gig with the Carolina Panthers, which didn’t quite work out He’s spent the last two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, serving as the quarterbacks coach and working with Josh AllenLewis, compared to most of the others on this list, would be a rather large shift in offensive philosophy compared to what Penn State has done the past few seasons
At Kent State, Lewis was largely working in 11 personnel and having his tight end up line up as an h-back It was a fast-paced, spread-attack, with the idea of getting as many snaps off as possible Is Franklin willing to go through that dramatic of a shift?A New England native, Liam Coen made the jump from Maine offensive coordinator to the NFL when he became the Los Angeles Rams assistant wide receivers coach in 2018 He spent three years working for Sean McVay before heading back to the college game in 2021, serving as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Will Levis’ breakout season in 2021
He then went back to the Rams in 2022, spending one season as the OC before leaving again for — you guessed it — Kentucky when it seemed like McVay was 50/50 on stepping away from the Rams jobOne potential downside to Marion? He doesn’t stay in any place very long Since starting his coaching career in 2011, he’s coached at 12 different schools, with Howard in 2017-2018 being the lone spot he stayed for more than one seasonAnother former Big Ten West head coach that is currently not a head coach, Paul Chryst is likely be examined by Scott Dolson
The 58-year old Madison native is currently a special assistant to Steve Sarkisian at Texas He was fired from Wisconsin after a 2-3 start Chryst was 67-26 in Madison but there appeared to be diminishing returns before his ouster Chryst was 10-3 in 2015, 11-3 in 2016 and 13-1 in 2017
After another ten-win season in 2019, Wisconsin was 4-3 in 2020 and 9-4 in 2021 The Badgers won the Big Ten West three times in his seven full seasons and he was 6-1 in bowl games The biggest concerns would be that Wisconsin relied on a physical smashmouth running game that is difficult to envision working in Bloomington In addition, Chryst does not have a particularly engaging personality and he has not shown a willingness to adapt to a different style
If he learned some from Steve Sarkisian and hired a good offensive staff, Chryst could be successful It was reported that Chryst interviewed with a search firm for Oregon State’s open positionLooking at the Group of Five ranks, James Madison’s Mike Shanahan is viewed as a rising star in the coaching world If you remember, Shanahan had a standout career at Pitt as a wide receiver and then linked up with Curt Cignetti at IUP, Elon, and now James Madison
He’s been the play caller for the Dukes since 2021, and is a big reason for their dominance since jumping up to the FBS ranksUnlock Premium news from the largest network of expertsSay your piece in exclusive fan communitiesDominate with stats, athlete data, Rivals250 rankings, and more
Herman is a hot name for IU right now He has coached at Houston and Texas and has a career record of 58-30 However, he did finish the 2023 season 4-8 (3-5) with the Owls That could be explained by the transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference and losing expected starting quarterback Casey Thompson for the season but 4-8 is a slight concern
Herman would bring experience and name recognition to the Hoosiers He is 5-0 in bowl games, including 2-0 in New Year’s Six Bowls Herman is known as a bright offensive mind and a strong recruiterIf Moorhead himself isn’t the choice, maybe someone from his coaching tree is? Hello, Tyler Bowen
The former Penn State tight end coach and co-offensive coordinator has been serving as Brent Pry’s play caller down in Blacksburg for the last two seasons, and despite the expected choppy start, the Hokies are turning things around They jumped from 193 PPG in 2022 to 260 this season; meager numbers for sure, but given where that Virginia Tech program was when Pry and Bowen got there, it’s been a nice turnaround
Ready for a jump to the Penn State job given the climate in Happy Valley? QuestionableThe current head coach for the Toledo Rockets should have been included on the first hot board but he was left off for one reason: most coaches at Toledo succeed at Toledo It is a program with better resources and a bigger budget than every other program they face in the MAC That said Candle has head coaching experience, his offenses perform well and at only 44 years old, he is a young and exciting option
Previous Toledo coaches Matt Campbell and Gary Pinkel were both successful after leaving the Rockets so there is a history of Toledo coaches performing well at their next stop The Rockets are currently 11-1 and averaging more than 35 points per game The concerns would be that Candle has spent his entire career in Ohio, might lack the ability to beat foes that have more resources than his program does and he has no experience as a head coach or as an assistant in a Power Five conference
If Moorhead himself isn’t the choice, maybe someone from his coaching tree is? Hello, Tyler Bowen. The former Penn State tight end coach and co-offensive coordinator has been serving as Brent Pry’s play caller down in Blacksburg for the last two seasons, and despite the expected choppy start, the Hokies are turning things around. They jumped from 19.3 PPG in 2022 to 26.0 this season; meager numbers for sure, but given where that Virginia Tech program was when Pry and Bowen got there, it’s been a nice turnaround. Ready for a jump to the Penn State job given the climate in Happy Valley? Questionable.The current head coach for the Toledo Rockets should have been included on the first hot board but he was left off for one reason: most coaches at Toledo succeed at Toledo. It is a program with better resources and a bigger budget than every other program they face in the MAC. That said Candle has head coaching experience, his offenses perform well and at only 44 years old, he is a young and exciting option. Previous Toledo coaches Matt Campbell and Gary Pinkel were both successful after leaving the Rockets so there is a history of Toledo coaches performing well at their next stop. The Rockets are currently 11-1 and averaging more than 35 points per game. The concerns would be that Candle has spent his entire career in Ohio, might lack the ability to beat foes that have more resources than his program does and he has no experience as a head coach or as an assistant in a Power Five conference.
