Penn State loses special teams coordinator Joe Lorig to Oregon; how could James Franklin go about replacing him?
Penn State is losing an assistant coach to a PAC-12 team.
Special teams coordinator Joe Lorig is leaving the Lions to take a job on Dan Lanning’s staff at Oregon, the Ducks announced on Monday.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce Joe Lorig as our special teams coordinator and nickels coach,” Lanning said in a news release. “Joe has a proven track record of coaching special teams. His units have twice ranked No. 1 nationally in special teams efficiency, and Joe is also connected with many of the high school coaches throughout the state of Oregon. He has an affinity for this part of the country, and it’s just very exciting to be able to attract a coach of this caliber to our staff.”
Lorig returning to the west coast should come as no great surprise. He’s from Edmonds, Wash., and graduated from West Oregon University.
“Growing up in the Pacific Northwest and attending college in the state, the University of Oregon has always been my dream job,” Lorig said in a news release. “I am extremely grateful to Coach Lanning for this incredible opportunity to work with him again, and I am very excited about the outstanding staff that he has assembled. Over the years, I have gotten the opportunity to work at many well-respected Universities alongside exceptional coaches, but I have always sacrificed living close to family. I’m beyond happy to say that I am coming HOME. Go Ducks!”
The 48-year-old joined Penn State from Memphis, where he coached with Lanning.
Lorig is the second Penn State coach to move on after the 2021 regular season ended. Onetime Lions defensive coordinator Brent Pry also did, as he now is the head coach at Virginia Tech. He, of course, was replaced by former Miami head coach Manny Diaz.
How will Penn State replace Lorig?
Penn State coach James Franklin now has another decision to make as the 2022 offseason begins.
Lorig was both the special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. Diaz should be able to handle both inside and outside linebackers, so finding an outside linebackers coach should not be a top priority.
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The question, however, is how does Franklin want to handle special teams. Does Penn State hire someone who is only a special teams coordinator? Does it add that responsibility to another coach’s title and find someone to take on part or all of his current position group?
Franklin must now make that choice. And, his head coaching history offers a clue as to what he might decide.
At Vanderbilt, Charles Bankins was both the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach for three seasons. Then, when Franklin came to Penn State, Charles Huff was the special teams coordinator and running backs coach from 2014-2017. Phil Galiano then handled special teams and was the assistant defensive line coach in 2018. When he left, Lorig was hired for dua roles. Now, we’re into 2022 with Penn State on the hunt for a special teams leader again.
With all of the above said, hiring just a special teams coordinator would be unaligned with past decisions. Instead, Franklin will almost certainly find someone who can do both that and something else. Perhaps he will bring in a linebackers coach/special teams coordinator so Diaz can just oversee all of the defense. Nothing should be ruled out during this latest assistant coach search, however.
