The lone hole on James Franklin‘s Penn State coaching staff has been filled.
Thursday, the football program announced that Franklin has hired Gerad Parker as the Nittany Lions’ wide receivers coach. Parker had spent the past two seasons in the same job at Duke.
Parker replaces David Corley, who was dismissed by Franklin earlier this month after one season on the job.
“We are excited to add Gerad to our staff,” Franklin said in a statement. “He has a comprehensive background and knows the Big Ten. He is a terrific fit for our staff, university and community. He has a great opportunity to come in and make a significant impact both on and off the field with a very talented position group! Gerad played wide receiver in the SEC and has shown he is a great teacher of the position, as well. His wide receiver groups have been able to overachieve throughout his coaching career.”
Prior to his time at Duke, Parker was at Purdue for four seasons. The first two years, Parker was the Boilermakers’ tight ends coach; the last two, he was the receivers coach.
At the end of his last season in West Lafayette, Parker served as the school’s interim head coach after Darrell Hazell was fired.
“I am extremely humbled and honored to have the chance to join the Penn State football program,” Parker said. “I am so thankful to Coach James Franklin and the entire coaching staff. We as a family are certainly very excited to be a part of a place that has been built with such a passion for football and with such a storied history. Coach Franklin has done great things at Penn State and has high expectations of where this program can go. Personally, I feel I have been called on this Earth to coach wideouts and help grow men, what better place to do that than Penn State, a place that is high in talent and has a chance to compete for championships.”