Earlier Monday, rumors were making the rounds that Bill O’Brien had Ted Roof on his coaching to-do list.
Reportedly, that speculation was grounded in reality.
Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten Network tweeted a short time ago that he has “learned Ted Roof will be defensive coordinator at Penn State.” Roof is currently UCF’s coordinator, moving on to the Knights last month after three years in the same position at Auburn.
Coincidentally, the Tigers officially announced Roof’s replacement earlier today.
If Roof is indeed O’Brien’s choice, it shouldn’t come as a surprise; Roof was mentioned by name by O’Brien Saturday, with the new Nittany Lions coach calling the UCF defensive coordinator “one of my closest friends”. Roof was Duke’s head coach from 2003-2007, and O’Brien served as the Blue Devils’ offensive coordinator in 2005 and 2006.
Any official announcement on the makeup of O’Brien’s initial Nittany Lions coaching staff likely won’t be made until Wednesday at the earliest.