THE VISION THING
New OC Mike Yurcich fits nicely into James Franklin's plans for Penn State's future
n page 16 of Penn State's 2011
media guide, the first page of a
section introducing the Nittany Lions'
assistant coaching staff, one statistic
stands out: Among their nine coaches
at the time, including head coach Joe
Paterno, the Nittany Lions boasted 163
years of combined experience with the
program. It's a reminder of an era in
college football, and particularly at
Penn State, that isn't all that distant.
But while only a decade has passed
since the 2011 season, it's almost im-
possible to imagine any school building
up that kind of collective longevity
anymore.
As if to underscore the new reality, on
Jan. 8, the Nittany Lions announced that
James Franklin had just hired the fifth
offensive coordinator in his seven-year
tenure with the program. Welcoming
Mike Yurcich from Texas, the Lions have
their guy.
Yurcich sharpened his teeth coaching
in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Con-
ference at Edinboro and Shippensburg
before leaving to create the most potent
offense in Oklahoma State history. A lit-
tle more than a year earlier, Franklin had
brought in Kirk Ciarrocca, a veteran as-
sistant with a track record of success.
The decision to move on after just one
JUDGMENT CALL
O
PASSING GRADE
Yurcich's teams
have been some of
the most dynamic
in college football
over the past six
seasons.
Photo
courtesy of Ohio
State Athletics
