Who could James Franklin hire as Penn State’s new OC? Early names to know after Mike Yurcich firing

Less than 24 hours after losing to Michigan, James Franklin and Penn State made a change.

Penn State fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich on Sunday afternoon, effective immediately, following the Nittany Lions’ 24-15 defeat to Michigan.

Penn State announced that running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and tight ends coach Ty Howle will share play-calling duties through the end of the season.

That will do in the meantime. Looking ahead to 2024, who will Franklin hire to call plays for the Nittany Lions and direct an offense featuring Drew Allar, Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen?

It’s obviously early. But here are a few preliminary names to know as Franklin gets set to hire his sixth offensive coordinator for what will be his 11th season at Penn State.

Joe Moorhead

This is the hire some are already clamoring for. Moorhead, now the head coach at Akron, provided Penn State with an offensive overhaul before. Moorhead, then an up-and-coming and innovative head coach at Fordham, was hired by Franklin ahead of the 2016 season. What followed was a Big Ten title, two New Year’s Six bowl appearances and an electrifying offense featuring Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorley, Chris Godwin and Mike Gesicki.

Moorhead, after stints as Mississippi State’s head coach and Oregon’s OC, has been at Akron for two years. He’s a Pittsburgh guy, and being close to his roots matters to him. Would Moorhead come back to Happy Valley? Penn State would pay more than Akron does, that’s for sure.

Joe Brady

How about a former Moorhead protege? Brady was a graduate assistant on Penn State’s 2016 Big Ten title team. Then, after a stint with the New Orleans Saints, Brady was LSU’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach in 2019 — when the Tigers averaged 48.4 points per game with Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson and won the national championship.

Brady’s stock has cooled a bit. He was Matt Rhule’s OC with the Carolina Panthers in 2020 and 2021 and is now the Buffalo Bills’ QBs coach. That’s still a cushy gig. But if Brady wants to get back to calling plays, Penn State would offer a competitive salary in a familiar spot.

Sean Lewis

Lewis, a bright young play-caller, finds himself in an interesting spot. The former Kent State head coach left the MAC to become Colorado’s OC before this season. But Lewis, after Colorado averaged 32.1 points per game through eight weeks, was demoted by Deion Sanders. Why? No one really knows. But Lewis will likely leave Colorado in a few weeks.

Tyler Bowen

When Bowen, the Nittany Lions’ former tight ends coach and offensive recruiting coordinator, left Penn State after the 2020 season, there was always a chance he’d return someday. Maybe the time is now for Franklin to bring back Bowen three years later.

Bowen is Virginia Tech’s offensive coordinator, joining Hokies head coach and former Penn State DC Brent Pry ahead of the 2022 season. Bowen’s arrival in Blacksburg followed a brief stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021. He served as the team’s tight ends coach until Urban Meyer was fired and Jacksonville started anew. Virginia Tech is 5-5, but the offense has flashed with four 30-point games in the last six weeks.

Internal options

Moorhead, Brady and Bowen have all coached at Penn State in the past. But, however unlikely, there’s a chance Franklin looks at the current staff to fill the void after Yurcich’s dismissal.

Seider would be at the top of the list. He’s been an excellent running backs coach and recruiter the last six years. If Seider wants to continue up the ranks, the next stop would be becoming a play-caller. Howle was Western Carolina’s co-OC before the Penn State letterman returned to Happy Valley. Both of them will have a chance to prove themselves in the interim.

Another name to know is Danny O’Brien. It’s probably too early for the 33-year-old to land a job of this magnitude. But O’Brien, a former Big Ten QB himself, has impressed as an analyst since his hiring in 2021. Allar has spoken highly of him and so has Franklin.