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Job postings show Penn State football aims to add more off-field staff

Greg Pickelby:Greg Pickel•02/23/22•

GregPickel

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Penn State coach James Franklin has been steadfast in his belief that the Nittany Lions must compete in all areas, 365 days a year, to reach college football’s pinnacle.

Bringing on additional support and off-field staff is one way to do that.

Three postings on the university’s open jobs page indicate that might soon be a reality. One focuses on recruiting, another has a NIL tie, and a third would seem to take on some of the responsibilities vacated by Michael Hazel, who left to be Brent Pry’s chief of staff at Virginia Tech.

The Lions have already been active in this realm since the calendar turned to 2022. They’ve added Dan Connor, Rick Lyster, Gabe Infante, in analyst roles. Former Boston College and Colorado State assistant Frank Leonard has joined the fold, as well.

“It’s what we do on the field that’s important, but it’s also all the things that we do off the field that we’re willing to compete in everything year-round,” Franklin said in February. “We have got to be willing to compete year-round, because all the little losses that you have throughout the entire calendar year, those add up. All the wins that you have throughout the calendar year, add up. 

“We have to be willing to do those things in all areas year-round for us to have the type of success that we want to have consistently.”

Here is a closer look at the three job postings.

Assistant Recruiting Coordinator, Offensive/Defensive Personnel and Recruitment

Penn State fans should be familiar with this kind of title. It would presumably report to director of player personnel Andy Frank as an extra set of hands and eyes in the recruiting department.

Per the job description, the hired candidate would, among many other things, “coordinate the football program’s Offensive/Defensive recruiting strategies and operations, specifically with regards to the football program’s recruiting database, recruiting work flow, recruiting areas and prospect evaluations.”

This is a jack of all trades kind of role. It would include high school and transfer portal evaluations and relationship building with prep recruits, their parents, and coaches. Plus, just about anything else that Penn State needs to win recruiting battles.

Penn State Director of External Operations for Football

This job is the opening that looks like it includes some of Hazel’s old roles at Penn State.

Some of the duties, per the job description, include organizing travel for all sorts of Penn State football needs, accompanying Franklin to various engagements, and acting as a liaison to numerous interuniversity departments.

As Statecollege.com reported earlier this month, the program has also been seeking a director of research and strategy. That also had some of the things Hazel was responsible for in it, in addition to some more. It’s no longer posted on the jobs site, but it’s unclear if it has been filled.

Penn State Director of Football Player Relations

The first duty listed on this particular job posting caught our eye:

“Direct the educational efforts for Penn State Football Name, Image and Likeness with donors, alumni, fans, etc; Be the main point of contact for football student athletes and parents”

It’s no secret that Penn State has ground to make up in the NIL world. It’s working on it, but seemingly at a slower pace than other universities it competes against on a regular basis. So, this could help speed things up.

Besides that work, other responsibilities found in the listing include overseeing a few specialty programs. They are listed as the Student Athlete Mentorship Program, a Character Development Program, and the Life Skills and Professional Development Program Initiatives.

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