New Penn State coordinator Justin Lustig discusses why he came to the Lions
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State hired its third new coordinator of the offseason back in January when it pried Justin Lustig away from Vanderbilt to lead the Nittany Lions’ special teams units. The Erie, Pa., native has spent years leading kickers, punters, returners, and all that goes with their roles on the team. He replaces Stacy Collins, who left after multiple seasons to go back to Boise State. Why did he wan to work for the Big Ten program?
“It certainly happened fast,” Lustig said. “Coach Franklin and I have known each other for a number of years, from my time in the PSAC, going back to those days, and coming down to the state high school clinic here on campus.
“So, I’ve known the coach for a long time, and we had a lot of mutual connections. He knew what he was getting, and I knew what I was getting into, so it happened fast. Excited to be here and back home.”
Lustig shares reasons for coming to Penn State
It goes without saying that being from the Keystone State attracted Lustig to Penn State. But, it was far from the only thing that made him decide to leave Nashville for State College.
“As a coach, you finish up a game on Saturday and you get on the bus or are in the locker room after and I was always checking the Penn State score after every game no matter where I was at,” Lustig said. “There are so many connections.
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“I think, going back to being a Pennsylvania guy, I think coach has done a phenomenal job tracking younger coaches. When he followed me on Twitter 10 years ago, I thought that was a really cool thing at the time. Our relationship goes way back. And, I’ve always followed him from afar and rooted for Penn State inside. So, excited to be here and work for him.”
With the Lions, Lustig will also coach the outside linebackers and nickel backs. He will do so after spending almost all of his career to date as a position coach on offense. Why was he OK with the switch to defense?
“At Edinboro, I ran the defense, so that was a big transition,” Lustig said. “What I’m going to be able to bring to the table in the defensive room is being on the offensive side of the ball over the years. I’ve been in NFL systems. Baylor spread systems. So I think I can help a lot game planning wise and talk with the offense staff about certain schemes and looks. The values I’ll be able to bring from an offensive perspective will be helpful for the defensive staff.”
