Which Penn State coach has the most to prove? BWI Roundtable

No college football season passes without at least one coach on the hot seat. It’s a right of passage at this point that some coach or staff must prove that they’re worth keeping around after a sub-par performance the season before. The winds have changed in Happy Valley, with new athletic director Patrick Kraft taking the helm of the Penn State athletic department. His message of renewed commitment to winning and accountability could mean that things could change quickly

With that in mind, we’ll focus on the Penn State coaching staff. Which assistant coach has the most to prove this upcoming season? The Blue-White Illustrated team of senior editor Nate Bauer, reporter Greg Pickel, and film analyst Thomas Frank Carr have their picks. Read on to learn more from our offseason roundtables.

Which assistant coach has the most to prove this upcoming season?

T-Frank’s pick: Manny Diaz

At the risk of undercutting my position to start, the reality is that Manny Diaz isn’t the right choice for this question. As the team’s newest coach, Diaz should get time to install his defense and tweak things to his specifications.

But newcomers, especially recently fired Power Five head coaches, tend to get the hairy eyeball treatment. But is the hype around Diaz’s defense legitimate? Need I remind you this is the man that has the audacity to travel to Linebacker U and take one of them off of the field in favor of a safety.

There’s a strong argument that Diaz is bringing the Nittany Lions into the 21st century of college defense with his scheme. There’s nothing revolutionary about playing with more defensive backs than linebackers, but the system and personnel might not mesh right away. This situation comes after former defensive coordinator Brent Pry turned in his masterclass performance in his final season with Penn State, allowing just 17.3 points per game in 2021. It’s a high bar to reach, no doubt. But, can Diaz bring a new(ish) scheme, struggle early and still weather the storm of criticism that will blow in like a storm over Mt. Nittany? We’ll see.

Pickel’s pick: Ty Howle

Pickel: For better or worse, there are three obvious options here. I’m going to go with tight ends coach Ty Howle. The Penn State alum and second-year member of the on-field staff was promoted to his current role before the 2021 season after spending 2020 as an off-field analyst. Head coach James Franklin spent last offseason pumping up the talent inside Howle’s room, but it rarely produced and oftentimes only hindered the team’s efforts last fall. All the key contributors are back, so there is no ability to use the fact that it’s Howle’s first year as an excuse. This group must execute better as both run blocker and pass catchers. The talent is there. It’s on Howle to coach them up to be ready for game day before the players go out and execute. 

Bauer’s Pick: Mike Yurcich

Many thanks to T-Frank and Greg for leaving open the best option for me. Because, really, no coach at Penn State has more to prove this season than Mike Yurcich. And in asserting as much, it’s important to paint both sides of the issue for the second-year offensive coordinator.

The first point in favor of Yurcich is that the 2021 season was his first chance to work with his Penn State players. Naturally, a learning curve was going to be part of the process, which was clear from the jump. The players were bought-in, though, and the timing of certain play calls early in the season lent credence to the notion that he could be a difference-maker helming the Penn State offense.

More on the PSU offense: Penn State underclassmen who could push for playing time: Tyler Warren

But, even before Sean Clifford’s injury at Iowa, a point that stood as a distinct before-and-after for the progress of Penn State’s offense, there were shortcomings. Throwing away the 16 points at Wisconsin, struggles on the ground against Villanova, and topping out at 24 points against a depleted Indiana team, they lacked the flashes of explosive playmaking central to Penn State’s philosophy.

So while a 90th-ranked scoring offense, No. 82-ranked total offense, and No. 118-ranked rushing game could be explained by some of the setbacks and challenges of the season, one stat will quickly show whether or not Yurcich proves his progress. In 11 games against Power Five opponents, Penn State’s offense never exceeded the 28 points it put up against Auburn in the third week of the season. (The 31 posted at Maryland included a pick-six.) And four times, Penn State went for fewer than 20 points.

Even with an outstanding defensive performance, no team in college football is giving itself much of an opportunity to win when those are the scoring numbers of its offense. Yurcich is going to be responsible for changing that this season.