What changes for Penn State with new offensive coordinators

On a recent episode of the Andy Staples On3 Podcast, the college football expert brought in a Penn State inside man from Blue White Illustrated, Sean Fitz. The two discussed several key storylines surrounding the program. But arguably, the most prominent topic Fitz and Staples discussed was Penn State’s recent move at offensive coordinator.

Penn State head coach James Franklin fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurich following another abysmal performance by the Nittany Lions against a top-tier opponent. In his place, running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider and tight ends coach Ty Howle will assume the play-calling duties. But what exactly was Penn State’s motive for making the move with just two games left in the season? According to Fitz, there were a number of things in play when this decision was made.

“Rutgers does have a good defense. I think, kind of a flip side of what we just saw with Michigan is I don’t know if Penn State fears Rutgers scoring a ton of points,” said Fitz. “But you never know what can happen; it’s November in the Big Ten.

“It’s a situation where you’re not going to change the offense in two weeks or whatever they have. But I think you feel like they made this move because you just got to get a jump start on the next guy, but also because these next two defenses are not going to threaten you in the sense that Michigan and Ohio State are going to.”

With Penn State’s last two games of the season coming against opponents who are nowhere near as threatening or challenging as Michigan and Ohio State, the top two teams in the Big Ten this season, this move allows them to get a head start on their offensive coordinator search without significant risk of picking up another loss.

So, what can fans expect to see out of the Nittany Lions’ new play-calling duo in their last two games? A return to Big Ten-style football is what Fitz sees for Penn State’s final two games with the regular. That and possibly more opportunities for star quarterback Drew Allar to showcase what he can really do.

“So I expect more of the same, but you’ve got a running backs coach calling the plays; you’ve got a tight ends coach calling the play. Penn State has good tight ends. We think they have good running backs; they haven’t played up to what we believe to be their potential. So a lot of running, a lot of November Big Ten football coming your way with running backs and tight ends and things like that because I just don’t know they have the option to kill you on the outside.

“I do expect them to try and get Drew Allar into a rhythm, do some short throws to start the game, make him a little bit more comfortable, and then maybe give him a little bit of a longer lease,” said Fitz.

For Penn State fans hoping to see a new and exciting brand of offense, that will likely have to wait till next season. For now, anticipate the Nittany Lions leaning heavily on two positions that had been recruited well and carry a ton of talent: running back and tight end. It may not be the offense mini I’m hoping for, but going back to the basics might be just what Penn State needs in order to reset the program ahead of the 2024 offseason.