Penn State head coach James Franklin is beginning to piece together his new coaching staff. We knew that defensive line coach Larry Johnson was moving on to Ohio State after being turned down for the head coaching job once again, and former head coach Bill O’Brien has taken some of the members of his coaching staff with him to the NFL, so there are going to be a number of new faces. The first new faces being confirmed for Franklin’s staff include quarterbacks coach Ricky Rahne and wide receiver coach Josh Gattis. Both broke the news on their respective Twitter accounts Wednesday afternoon.
Both coaches are making lateral moves from Vanderbilt to Penn State, retaining the same titles they held under Franklin at Vanderbilt last season.
Franklin has responded to questions about putting his staff together at Penn State by saying he is very loyal to those who have helped him. He is expected to bring a bulk of the Vanderbilt coaching staff with him to Penn State. Defensive coordinator Bob Shoop was already reported to be joining the staff, which may have also been a factor in Johnson moving on. Expect some more coaching confirmations in the coming days as well.