Why a former Pitt coach would be a home-run hire for Penn State’s WR vacancy

The biggest surprise of Penn State’s offseason so far came on Sunday night when Taylor Stubblefield was relieved of his duties, effective immediately. The firing of Stubblefield, who spent three seasons with the Nittany Lions, was abrupt and came with interesting timing.

A half hour after Penn State announced that it was parting ways with Stubblefield the program received a commitment from Kent State receiver Dante Cephas — the Nittany Lions’ top transfer portal target and one of the best players available.

Surely, Cephas wouldn’t commit to Penn State if he’s uncomfortable with what James Franklin has planned for the receiver room. This feels like a vacancy that will be filled shortly.

So, who will it be? Will Bobby Engram, arguably the best receiver in program history who spent eight years coaching with the Ravens, get the call? Will former Penn State assistant Josh Gattis leave Miami and return to Happy Valley? Either would be an understandable hire. But they might not be the best man for the job.

Chris Beatty, if he’s available, would be a home-run hire for the Nittany Lions.

Beatty has spent the past two seasons as the wide receivers coach with the Los Angeles Chargers. Prior to that, the Virginia native had stints as a receivers coach at Pitt, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Vanderbilt.

Beatty could be on the market if the Chargers clean house after last weekend’s playoff collapse against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Even if head coach Brandon Staley keeps his job, multiple reports indicate that he might have to make significant changes to his offensive staff.

If Beatty is available, he would be plenty familiar with Penn State. Beatty was hired by Franklin to be Vanderbilt’s receivers coach in 2011, Franklin’s debut season as a head coach. Beatty left after one year and often competed against his old boss on the recruiting trail from that point on.

Beatty, a Virginia native, developed a reputation as a strong recruiter, especially in the DMV area. Before leaving Pitt for the NFL, Beatty helped the Panthers sign four of Virginia’s top 20 prospects in the 2021 cycle. For his efforts, Beatty was named one of Rivals’ top 25 recruiters of the year.

A year earlier, Beatty was the deciding factor in Biletnikoff Award winner Jordan Addison choosing Pitt. Addison received his first Division I offer from Beatty when he was on Maryland’s staff. With Pitt, Beatty went “above and beyond” to get Addison to sign. Once he did, Addison developed under Beatty into a star.

Beatty’s two-year stint in western Pennsylvania wasn’t perfect. Pitt led all FBS teams in drops in both 2019 and 2020, according to Sports Info Solutions. Those drops plagued the Panthers’ offense, which averaged 23.7 points per game.

Another hangup might be that Beatty has never stayed at one job for longer than three seasons. The role of Penn State wide receivers coach has been a revolving door since Gattis left after the 2017 season. David Corley and Gerad Parker had the job in 2018 and 2019, respectively, before Stubblefield was hired in January 2020.

If Franklin wants someone to be on the job for half-a-decade, Beatty wouldn’t be the right fit. But if Franklin is fine with a two- or three-year stint, Beatty’s resume would be tough to top. That is, if he becomes available.