Who will call plays for the Penn State offense moving forward?
Penn State fired Mike Yurcich before his third season as the program’s offensive coordinator ended. In announcing the news on Sunday, the program also said that “Ja’Juan Seider and Ty Howle will share interim offensive coordinator responsibilities for the remainder of the season.” Both longtime members of Franklin’s staff already carried the title of co-offensive coordinator. So, the choice was easy. But, one of them has to be the play caller. And, on Monday, Franklin shared the program’s plan for that moving forward. And, it’s not quite official yet.
“Both Ja’Juan and Ty already had the titles, so that made sense,” Franklin said. “Those two guys will be handling the game planning as well as the offensive staff. That’s what I just walked out of with those guys. They’re doing a really good job. I think we’re a little more collaborative right now than what we’ve been here recently. And, it’s been good.
“In terms of play calling, we’re going to work that out throughout this week and on game day. But, they’ll both have a role in play calling.
Seider is in his sixth season as the program’s running backs coach. He last called an offense in 2005 at the high school level in Florida. Howle, meanwhile, is in year three of his Penn State coaching tenure after starting his post-playing days elsewhere following his career with the Nittany Lions on the field. He has yet to carry the standalone title of offensive coordinator and play caller at any level of football.
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Penn State clearly needed to make a change. We are certain that Franklin did not take the decision to make his first in-season hiring since taking over the Lions in 2014 likely. But, with the team stuck in neutral on offense against its best opponents in 2023, coupled with the rapidly approaching transfer portal opening and the early signing day dates, it was time to move on from Yurcich. He is an accomplished coach who will land on his feet somewhere. But, after nearly three full seasons, many saw all they needed to and thought a change was coming at some point. Instead of waiting until after the final two regular season games, Franklin instead got a jump start on his search.
It was a wise move that will likely pay off. Now, the pressure is on the 10th year leader of the Lions to get it right. This will be his sixth play caller on offense in 10 years. It’s arguably the most important assistant coach hire of his tenure.
