APUnless Mike Munchak is channeling his inner Nick Saban, the NFL coach won’t be coming “home” to take over the Penn State football program.
With reports swirling that he’s the top choice of PSU’s search committee to replace Joe Paterno as the Nittany Lions’ head coach, Munchak made it very clear this morning that his public stance is he’s not leaving his current head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans to return to his alma mater.
“I have a great deal of respect for Penn St and I hope they find a great coach there,” Munchak told Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. “But I am happy where I’m at. …
“I love my alma mater, but I have no interest in being the head coach at Penn State. I never want to leave Tennessee.”
Munchak also told Wyatt that he’s not spoken to anyone at the school during its search process.
If Munchak can be taken at his word — we’re not saying that he’s lying in any way, shape or form, but coaches have been known to bend the truth to its breaking point to suit their own agenda from time to time — there is no gray area here: he will not be the next Nittany Lions head coach.
As for where the search committee will now turn their attention, Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements has been the name most mentioned in connection to the job. It appears very unlikely anyone will be announced as the new head coach before the middle of next week at the earliest.
Sounds like typical coach speak to me. He can’t just come out and say, I want to go to PSU and leave the Titans or he may end up unemployed. It might just take some very serious bucks to get a good coach to come right now, with the problems PSU has off the field. Perception is what it is all about, and the next coach better be mighty good at PR, because they need to recruit to stay competitive in the big 10.
Yikes – unlike the Urban to OSU speak that went on where words were very carefully crafted to indicate no job offer was made and I am not the head coach – Munchak’s wording seems to be a definitive no!
I would hate to be on that search committee right now – this is not going to be an easy task it appears.
The search for the new coach is probably going to be really difficult for sure. They need a good PR, guy that is also good with the X’s and O’s. Whomever takes the job has a really big task on his hands.
I’ve edited Munchak’s statements for better accuracy:
1. “I love my alma mater, but I have no interest in being the head coach at Penn State – UNTIL PSU [or anyone else] OFFERS ME MORE MONEY”.
2. “I never want to leave Tennessee – UNTIL PSU [or anyone else] OFFERS ME MORE MONEY.”
3. Munchak also told Wyatt that he’s not spoken to anyone at the school during its search process – BUT THAT THEY SHOULD CALL 900-HIRE-A-COACH WITH A VALID VISA OR MASTERCARD CREDIT CARD NUMBER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A LIMITED TIME OFFER.
There – much more accurate. Feel free to use these edits for any future coach denials.
” It appears very unlikely anyone will be announced as the new head coach before the middle of next week at the earliest.”
Awesome detective work there… considering TB stated that no coach would be named before the bowl game….
Smart move.
“I love my alma mater, but I have no interest in being the head coach at Penn State. I never want to leave Tennessee.”
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As with all coaching candidates, there is an understood (and implied) “at this time” attached to all statements. Hence, Munchak can properly be understood to have said, “I have no interest in being the head coach at Penn State. I never want to leave Tennessee, at this time.”
I still say weather the storm with Bradley for a fee years. This job is radioactive right now. PSU hasnt been that great the last few years anyways, what’s a few more years.
brewcrew, I agree. Bradley has done a good job even before the scandal. It will very hard to get a big name in here right now. I’m afraid though, that the trustees will want to clean house completely. That wouldn’t be fair to Bradley and some others on the staff.
Stop this painful exercise and do what should have been done weeks ago: name Tom Bradley head coach.
Fissels, I would say you are probably right that they want to clean house. And like you I just don’t see any guy with coaching cache who wants this job.
Tom Bradley is not getting 5-star recruits to Penn State. You guys are nuts.
To me, it would look really bad if JoePa’s right hand man for the last 15 years is still there. They need to clean house.
You really think 5 star recruits that aren’t from Pennaylvania are looking at PSU right now? Doubt it. Every coach out there is using this scandal against them on the recruting trail and I have a pretty good feeling its working.
No matter who gets the job will be pets operating under much scrutiny and also a limited player pool under the circumstances I like Bradley but the question will always be there what did he know and if so when did he find out
They have to clean house only for that reason. Tom Clements is a stand up guy and great quarterbacks coach very intelligent and I also believe he has a law degree he might be the answer.
@ derekjetersmansion
PSU wasn’t getting 5 star recruits to began with so what’s the big deal?
@ gershonpsu
“Stop this painful exercise and do what should have been done weeks ago: name Tom Bradley head coach.”
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Stop this painful exercise and do what should have been done YEARS ago: name Tom Bradley head coach. He’s run the day to day stuff for years just give him the job he wasn’t getting credit for anyway.