Tag: Billy Fessler

UCLA hiring former Penn State QB as position coach

UCLA is reportedly hiring a former Penn State QB to be its QB coach.

Before UCLA makes the move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, the Bruins are adding an assistant coach with a Big Ten and Penn State connection to the coaching staff. [autotag]Billy Fessler[/autotag], a former Penn State quarterback, is reportedly heading to be a QB coach for UCLA and head coach Chip Kelly, according to multiple reports on Thursday.

Fessler was a backup quarterback at Penn State in 2016 and 2017, and he appeared in just one game with two pass attempts and eight career passing yards. But he certainly made a solid enough impression on former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead in that brief time. Moorhead brought Fessler to join him on the staff at Mississippi State in 2019 as an offensive graduate assistant following his graduation from Penn State (Moorhead left his role as Penn State offensive coordinator to become the head coach at Mississippi State). Fessler went on to spend two seasons working on Ohio State’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant before reuniting with Moorhead at Akron after Moorhead was hired to be the head coach of the Zips.

Fessler spent the past two seasons with Moorhead at Akron and served as the team’s offensive coordinator in 2023. So the move from Akron to UCLA may be a step down in title, but it is still a step up in prestige being the quarterback coach for a program like UCLA compared to the offensive coordinator of a team in the MAC.

UCLA will likely be moving into 2024 with Ethan Garbers taking on the top quarterback role in the offense. Garbers backed up Dante Moore in 2023 but appeared in 10 games, and he came in to save the day with a solid showing in UCLA’s LA Bowl victory over Boise State. After Moore entered the transfer portal, the QB1 job appeared to be sitting there for Garbers for the 2024 season.

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Former Penn State QB gets promotion on Joe Moorhead’s staff at Akron

This former Penn State quarterback is now the offensive coordinator for a MAC program

Even the most hardcore of Penn State fans may struggle to come up with a memory of former quarterback [autotag]Billy Fessler[/autotag], but the former Nittnay Lion has proven to be a valuable commodity on the Akron football staff for head coach [autotag]Joe Moorhead[/autotag]. The former Penn State offensive coordinator certainly likes having the former Penn State backup quarterback around and values his role on the staff. On Thursday, Moorhead gave Fessler a promotion.

Akron officially announced Fessler has been promoted to offensive coordinator of the Zips program, where he will be working closer with Moorhead in managing the team and the offense. Fessler had been serving on the staff as a quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

“We are very excited to announce the promotion of Coach Fessler to Offensive Coordinator,” Moorhead said in a released statement. “In one season, he’s done a phenomenal job developing DJ Irons, who earned all-conference honors, and the entire QB room. He’s also played a major role in the improvement of our offense in every statistical category, while becoming one of the top-passing offenses in the MAC and NCAA. I’m excited to watch our offense and QB’s grow under Coach Fessler’s tutelage.”

“I am honored and thankful for the opportunity from Coach Moorhead to be the Offensive Coordinator at The University of Akron,” said Fessler. “The history of Coach Moorhead’s offense speaks for itself, and I am excited to continue to work with the offensive staff to build on the success of the past.”

Fessler was a backup quarterback at Penn State in 2016 and 2017, and he appeared in just one game with two pass attempts and eight career passing yards. But he certainly made a solid enough impression on Moorhead to join him on the staff at Mississippi State in 2019 as an offensive graduate assistant following his graduation from Penn State. Fessler went on to spend two seasons working on Ohio State’s coaching staff as a graduate assistant before reuniting with Moorhead at Akron after Moorhead was hired to be the head coach.

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Former Penn State QB could be joining Joe Moorhead at Akron

A former Penn State quarterback could be continuing his coaching career with Joe Moorhead at Akron

Former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead is busy putting together his coaching staff for the Akron Zips, and a former Penn State player could be among those joining the staff. According to Yahoo’s Pete Thamel, via Twitter, Billy Fessler could join Moorhead’s coaching staff as a quarterbacks coach.

Fessler is currently a graduate assistant at Ohio State. Fessler is an offensive assistant for the Buckeyes and has plenty of experience with Moorhead already. Fessler was on the Penn State roster during Moorhead’s time at Penn State as an offensive coordinator.

When Moorhead left Penn State to become the head coach at Mississippi State, Fessler joined him as a graduate assistant in 2019. Fessler was a graduate assistant at Slippery Rock prior to that, working with the Division 2 powerhouse program in western Pennsylvania.

Fessler played quarterback at Penn State from 2014 through 2018, entirely as a backup reserve option. Fessler also played on special teams as the team’s primary holder for field goals and extra points.

Moorhead accepted the position of head coach at Akron after Oregon fell short in the Pac-12 championship game last week. Moorhead had been Oregon’s offensive coordinator after being removed as head coach by Mississippi State. Moorhead left Oregon before Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal left the program for an opportunity to return to Miami as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. Miami removed Manny Diaz as head coach to pave the way for Cristobal.

At Penn State, the Nittany Lions could be about to lose its second co-defensive coordinator. Anthony Poindexter, who had been believed to be the top in-house option to carry on the role of defensive coordinator, has reportedly emerged as the leading candidate to be the next head coach at Virginia. Brent Pry, Penn State’s defensive coordinator, accepted an offer to become the head coach at Virginia Tech.

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