APAlready in the past month or so, Mike London, Chris Petersen and Mike Munchak have either publicly or privately denied interest in the Penn State opening, with the latter very publicly and very vehemently proclaiming Wednesday he has “no interest in being the head coach at Penn State.”
By way of our BFFs at PFT, the Fox affiliate in Philadelphia is reporting that the Nittany Lions are very interested in former Cleveland Browns and New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini. Mike Florio, citing a source with knowledge of the situation, writes “that Mangini has not been contacted directly, but that interest does indeed exist.”
“I know they are very interested [in Mangini],” Philly radio personality Mike Missanelli told the television station.
“He’s the latest flavor of the month. They will not be able to get a big name given… what is going on.”
The 40-year-old Mangini has never been a coach at the collegiate level, spending every year — with the exception of 2011, which he spent as a TV analyst following his firing by the Browns — since he became an assistant at the NFL level in 1996.
As for Mangini as Penn State’s head coach, I’ll say this: the football program could do a whole helluva lot worse than the NFL lifer. And, given how the search has gone over the past few weeks, the school may not have many other alternatives that are more viable if they’re looking to hire from outside the program.
I predict Herm Edwards is the next name to pop up.
inb4 dungy, inb4 gruden
even the pope couldn’t get penn st put of this mess wait…. never mind
Dungy would be the perfect coach, as he seems to have a great way with young kids and Professionals, and we know he can coach. I question though, whether he would be willing to take on a headache like PSU will be for at least a couple of years.I am not sure Mangini would be a good fit, but one never knows. In college half your time is spent, stroking some kids egos and I wonder how he would come across when meeting recruits parents at home. His resume is a little weak, having been let go by both the Browns and Jets.
This is how it will go. Penn State or someone close to the hiring process will float name after name until someone doesn’t say they’re not interested.
Penn State could do a lot worse than Herm Edwards. He’s got ties to the Philly area from his playing days as an Eagle, and he’s projected a great image as a mentor of young men during his time at ESPN and at this year’s rookie symposium. He’s also the type of no-nonsense leader the institution needs as the face of its program.
Penn Stae will stick go with Bradley, keep it in house until NCAA does something, which they should not since Sandusky and McQuery are out of there. Once this blows over like every other scandel at other universities, every big name will want this job!
Let’s be honest here, PSU is interested in any coach who is willing to take the job. The search process consists of compiling a wish-list, then scratching the names off the top until they hit someone who says, “I’ll take it!”.
After exhausting all possibilities, inside sources say Penn State is very interested in Mr. Buckman, the gym teacher and football coach of the 3-6 Aderdeen South Dakota high school team.
Sources say Mr. Buckman, is not at all interested.
Who would want this job?
1-You don’t want to be the guy replacing a legend, you want to be the guy who replaced the guy who replaced the legend.
2-Circumstances couldn’t be worse to go to Happy Valley now.
The man can coach and quite frankly, I wish he was still the Browns’ HC. He got (and still gets) a bad rap from the idiots in the NE Ohio media. He’d be perfect for the job as he was the consummate teacher, in life and football. He expects his players to be men. Obviously, that doesn’t always work out at the NFL level, but if you ask a lot of his former players, they like the guy.
Plus, he does a lot for inner-city kids in Hartford, so he would have the credibility to recruit and brings kids in with the promise of making them better people, which is really what athletics is all about. He cares and doesn’t treat players like race horses.
It would be a great hire and I hope PSU fans don’t let the Boston and (some) Cleveland idiots bias them on this potential hire.
I keep hearing rumors Saban is going to Penn State. boards from Pittsburgh to Tenn Volunteers boards to LSU’s tiger droppings have are posting this.
Penn state is trying to keep this “hush hush” until mid January …
Maybe that is why Kirby Smart didn’t go after any head coaching jobs…
Read Saban rumors too. Also read where Texas could throw $7.5 to $9m per at Saban. I have a hard time believing he would leave after admitting he regrets leaving LSU.
I think it’s funny when people act like no wants this job.
I’ll take the 4-5 million a year and I’m sure Mangini would to. Whoever takes the job if they can resurrect the program to a national power they will be looked at like a coaching god. If they don’t they’ll still get the 20 to 25 million and won’t be blamed for the failure because of the scandal.
@ woebegong:
Probably not a good idea to say Dungy “seems to have a great way with young kids” and “time is spent, stroking some kids” in a post regarding PSU.
The rumor mill may be churning out gossip about Saban taking the PSU job, but somehow I doubt he will leave Bama for PSU. If he surprises me and does come to PSU does he get to bring his statue from in front of Bama’s stadium with him?
Good Point.
@brutusbuckeye2011…..
Lol. + 1
I saw the deal for Saban to penn state is 6 years $46 M
It should be noted that the Saban rumors got started on the Harrisburg Patriot-News website, not by a reporter, but by a commenter (granted commenters are just as credible as some Patriot-News reporters other than the Ganim gal) who claims his family is large Penn State donors and he had some type of inside info while commenting on one of the bazillion other stories about the coaching search.
I belive he claims PSU will pay something like 75% of Saban’s salary, and the rest will come from the Nike money the school gets. It all seems highly implausible.
A two time failure in the NFL worked out great for USC (despite the Reggie Bush scandal). PSU needs to hope on this, before Norv Turner’s name pops up. I was holding out for Jack Del Rio or Jason Garrett.
@bamaqt
Child please…… What are you smoking???
I am not sure who Penn State will end up hiring but he will need to have a big ego. A “Jim Harbaugh” type of coach who thinks he will break through this scandal and rise above. Will he actually be successful? Who knows; I guess it depends on who that coach ends up being. If they are targeting NFL coaches, Josh McDaniels fits that description pretty well. He is young and he definitely has the ego. I’m not saying he is even in the equation but Penn State needs to be creative and not worry so much about getting a BIG name, just someone who is willing to take the lashings for a couple of years.
Tony Dungy might be able to pull it off, be a hell of a challenge for him.
What’s wrong with having Tom Clements the Green Bay Packers quarterback coach he had done wonders with Aaron Rogers and Favre he has a law degree and is extremely intelligent a winner at every level he has competed at oh by the way he has a super bowl ring don’t you think that the parents of these young recruits will feel comfortable in his presence I am a Packer fan would hate to see him leave but I believe he could make a difference in this mess.
This search has been done for at least a couple of weeks. Media played like a fiddle.
I call Jim Tressel!
They could get a “package deal” on penalties when the NCAA finally gets around to addressing all of the issues at Penn State and they’re able to play. Five years sounds about right.
This would be a great choice.
The whole reason Penn State is in this mess is because their coaching staff refused to blow the whistle on each other.
Everyone knows Mangini has no such qualms.
Once upon a time, aka 50 years ago, I was at Notre Dame and I had a friend named Dave Clements from McKees Rocks, Pa. Dave was always bragging about what a good player his little brother Tommy was.
12 years later on December 31, 1973 at the Sugar Bowl when Notre Dame beat Alabama for the NC largely on the strength of a third and long pass from Tom Clements to a tight end named Icantrememberhisname, we all found out how good he was.
Tom Clements would be an excellent pick, if they can get him to take the job – Penn State needs someone like him.
Desperately
Harleypuppy: I should have given you credit for the idea because it didn’t really occur to me until I saw your post.
Consider this my giving you credit.
Thanks
@ harleypuppy
Clements is a position’s coach, which didn’t work out for Colorado to well. If he was at least a DC or OC I could understand why he was a major candidate.
Eric Mangini? Really? A known cheater and liar? A guy the media (except ESPN) already abhors for his capacity at disingenuousness? If true, only goes to further prove that Penn State’s “respectable image” was, despite being oft-repeated as such, nothing but a complete fiction.
I think he would be a fine coach at PEDO state u.
1historian- I was at that Sugar Bowl game- maybe the last one played at that stadium as the Super Bowl was completed in 74 or 75. I can’t remember the end’s name either but of course he was a big guy and Ara called the right play at the right time- I didn’t even remember that it was Clements. I was in the Navy -stationed at NAS New Orleans at Belle Chasse, La.. My family and I couldn’t even celebrate that catch as our seats were in the Alabama section- surrounded by rednecks on one of the happiest times I spent in New Orleans- I know how to be happy on the inside though.
I cannot believe that Mangini is a frontrunner and if it is then I hope they hire from within and go with Tom Bradley.
College FB is about recruiting and Mangini brings nothing.
Hey fans… The Penn State Board of Trustee’s says it wants to “break the mold” of paying huge money to a head football coach.
A nightmare job with non competitive pay…Good luck with that !
This job is in no way is as attractive as it looks.
They are playing “pin the tail on anyone” right now and they are looking stupid.
You would have to be nuts to take that job.
Recruits are walking away and current players are looking to transfer out of there.
Whomever they hire won’t last three years as Penn State fans will demand instant success and it isn’t happening no matter who the new guy is.
Saban is not leaving Alabama.