Tag: Joe Moorhead

Former Penn State coordinator Joe Moorhead addresses uncertain head coaching future

Former Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead is just 8-28 in three seasons at Akron. Could he be looking for work in 2025?

Former Penn State offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Moorhead[/autotag] could be in some interesting waters as the college football coaching carousel swings into full motion. With Akron’s season in the books following a 4-8 season, head coach Moorhead faces questions he may not be able to answer about his future with the program.

Moorhead has said he is focusing on preparing for the offseason as if he will be back in charge of the Akron program in 2025, but leadership changes and a disappointing overall coaching record in three years could take the decision out of his hands. Moorhead has commented on the state of the resources available to his program as he addressed his future.

“What I’ve learned enough in this business is you never say never,” Moorhead said following Akron’s regular-season finale earlier this week, per Football Scoop. “I don’t have a crystal ball, I’m just excited about what we’ve been able to do, and come in here despite the resources – or lack thereof – that we are provided, that we have been able to fight, and scratch, and claw and first become incredibly competitive, and now find a way to win.”

Moorhead spent two seasons coaching the Penn State offense after being named offensive coordinator in 2016. He left behind his role as head coach at Fordham and quickly helped elevate the Penn State offense to help win a Big Ten championship with players like Saquon Barkley, Trace McSorely, Chris Godwin, and Mike Gesicki at his disposal.

After two seasons as offensive coordinator at Penn State, Moorhead returned to head coaching when Mississippi State made an offer. Moorhead spent two seasons as head coach at Mississippi State but was fired at the end of the 2019 season. He then went to Oregon to be the offensive coordinator of the Ducks for two seasons before getting a chance to be the head coach at Akron in 2022.

Moorhead won two games in each of his first two seasons with the Zips and doubled the win total this season to sit at just 8-28 as head coach at Akron.

Penn State could be in a spot where it could potentially need a new offensive coordinator. [autotag]Andy Kotelnicki[/autotag] is a name being thrown around for some possible head coaching opportunities, and co-offensive coordinator [autotag]Ja’Juan Seider[/autotag] could be getting a head coaching opportunity soon too. If both happen to leave, would Franklin work to bring Moorhead back to Happy Valley?

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Akron coach Joe Moorhead compares Ohio State to national title-winning teams of past

Some pretty praiseworthy quotes about Ohio State from Akron’s head coach after the game. #GoBucks

Yes we love to hear what Ohio State head coach Ryan Day has to say after each Ohio State football game, but we also like to know what the opposing coach has to say after seeing the Buckeyes in action, especially this year, one with a boatload of expectations.

Akron head coach Joe Moorhead was very complimentary of OSU heading into the game in his preview press conference and his tune didn’t change after his team lost to the Buckeyes by a score of 52-6 on Saturday.

In fact, Moorhead spent almost half of his postgame press conference heaping praise on Ohio State and receiver Jeremiah Smith, even calling the Buckeyes national-title contenders akin to 2019 LSU and last year’s Michigan team.

“I learned that Ohio State is an incredibly talented team that’s very well coached and will have an opportunity, in my opinion, having coached against the 2019 LSU team — and took my son to see Michigan last spring over a recruiting visit,” said Moorhead. “So I know what a team that can play for the national championship looks like, and this looks like a team that can play for a national championship … It’s just an embarrassment of riches. Everywhere you look there’s a guy that can catch it, break a tackle and score, or a guy that can run by you, and a guy that can throw the ball, and a line that can protect.”

In case you missed his comments, you can catch them below after we uploaded the presser to our YouTube channel.

It’s one thing to impress one coach with how your team played. Ohio State will have to continue to play well, and if it can impress Dan Lanning of Oregon, maybe things will continue to feel like the Buckeyes can win a national championship.

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Dan Lanning is far from being on any hot seat per CBS Sports

CBS Sports ranked 134 FBS college football head coaches and determined that Dan Lanning is nowhere near the hot seat at Oregon.

Dan Lanning has had a successful two seasons as the Oregon Ducks football head coach and to think he’s on any kind of hot seat in terms of job security is a bit comical.

CBS Sports tends to agree with that assessment as they determined whether a coach is on the hot seat or not for all 134 FBS college football head coaches and Lanning is one of a few that has absolutely nothing to worry about.

On a scale of 0-to-5, with 0 being the furthest from being on a hot seat to 5 being win now or don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Interestingly enough, only one coach in the country, Sam Pittman of Arkansas was rated as a 5.  He’s 23-25 as the Razorback head coach and things are becoming boiling hot in Fayetteville

A few names Oregon fans might be curious about is Mario Cristobal at Miami. He received a 3 rating (Pressure is mounting), up from a 2 (All good … for now) from last season.

Former Duck offensive coordinator, Joe Moorhead of Akron, is in the same spot as Cristobal. Former Washington coach, Kalen DeBoer, now at Alabama, received a 2 rating and hasn’t even coached a game in Tuscaloosa. One average season there and that rating will go up.

As for Lanning, his rating of 0 (Untouchable) will remain just that as long as he stays the course, continues to recruit at a high level, and wins some playoff games. The future of Oregon football is as bright as it ever has been.

How Dan Lanning, Mario Cristobal, and other second-year head coaches graded out in 2023

A look at how Dan Lanning, Mario Cristobal, and other second-year head coaches graded out after the 2023 college football season.

At the end of the 2022 season, Oregon Duck fans felt pretty good about their first-year head coach Dan Lanning. He had won 10 games in his first year leading the program and walked away with a victory in the Holiday Bowl over North Carolina to go along with a top-10 ranked recruiting class.

However, losses to both Oregon State and Washington stuck out like a sore thumb. There was a belief that the future should be bright in Eugene, but success against the rivals was going to need to be paramount going forward.

After the 2023 season, I think Duck fans are feeling pretty spectacular about Lanning, now their second-year head coach. A 12-win season landed the Ducks in a New Year’s Six Bowl, and a Heisman-caliber season from QB Bo Nix had the team in the national title conversation all year long. They fell short to a rival — Washington — twice but managed to beat every other team in their path. To add to the good feelings, Lanning punctuated the season with another top-10 recruiting class, and one of the best transfer portal classes in the nation, not to mention his public denial of the Alabama Crimson Tide coaching job, giving Duck fans the one thing they truly desire more than almost anything else: Loyalty.

So while Oregon feels good about their head coach, how is he being publicly? As they do every year, CBS Sports broke down the second-year head coaches and offered a grade for their tenures so far. More than just Lanning, let’s take a look at the grades and analysis for other notable figures like Mario Cristobal, Lincoln Riley, Joe Moorhead, and a few others.

Notre Dame football: 11 offensive coordinators candidates to replace Gerad Parker

Who do you want to be Notre Dame’s next offensive coordinator?

Paint it any way you want it, but Notre Dame football landed great news on Monday.  Offensive coordinator Gerad Parker was named Troy’s new head coach.

No, it’s not ideal that Notre Dame will now be on their third offensive play caller in the past four seasons, but its a spot the Irish coaching staff could upgrade and now they’re forced to.

Reports are out from various outlets that Marcus Freeman has his eyes on a certain external candidate.  Who exactly that is may be remains to be seen.  And just because Freeman may have his eye on someone doesn’t mean that its all a race for one guy.

So who are some names to keep an eye on in regards to Notre Dame’s next offensive coordinator?  We’ve compiled 11.

6 offensive coordinator candidates for Penn State

Six suggestions for Penn State’s new offensive coordinator.

After another offensive performance that lacked explosion and creativity, leading to a 24-15 loss to Michigan on Saturday, Penn State head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] reiterated that the offense must get better.

Not even 24 hours after the defeat, it was announced by Penn State that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach [autotag]Mike Yurcich[/autotag] was relieved of his duties early Sunday afternoon. Penn State confirmed that [autotag]Ja’Juan Seider[/autotag] and [autotag]Ty Howle[/autotag] will take over playcalling duties for the rest of the season.

The firing marks the third offensive coordinator that Franklin has fired in his ten years at State College. The next coordinator will be the sixth to coach under Franklin. Needless to say, this is a pivotal hire and could be Franklin’s last if this hire doesn’t pan out.

Let’s take a look at a very early shortlist (in no particular order) of possible candidates for the Nittany Lions.

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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How Dan Lanning, Mario Cristobal, Joe Moorhead graded as head coaches on new teams in 2022

Have you paid attention to Joe Moorhead’s year at Akron? How does Dan Lanning’s 2022 season compare to Mario Cristobal’s? Check out these latest coaching grades.

While every head coach in college football takes stock at the end of each season and looks back to see where they can improve the most, that is especially true for coaches on new teams, and in particular, first-year head coaches, like Dan Lanning.

The Oregon Ducks’ first-year head man had a solid start to his coaching career, leading his team to a 9-3 finish. The upside was certainly there, with the Ducks at one time vying for a College Football Playoff spot, but the season ended on a low note, losing to the Oregon State Beavers on the road just two weeks after losing to the Washington Huskies at home, derailing Oregon’s postseason plans.

So how did Lanning’s first year go as far as the national media’s opinion is concerned? How did Oregon’s head coach fare compared to the likes of Mario Cristobal, who was in his first year with the Miami Hurricanes? Or perhaps Joe Moorhead in his first year with Akron? What about Lincoln Riley at USC?

Let’s take a look at the coaching grades according to USA TODAY:

Ricky Rahne tops Brent Pry in matchup of former James Franklin assistants

Ricky Rahne and Old Dominion topped Brent Pry and Virginia Tech in a Week 1 showdown between former James Franklin coordinators

It was quite an eventful head coaching debut for former Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Brent Pry[/autotag] on Friday night. Pry, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, found himself matching wits against his former colleague, [autotag]Ricky Rahne[/autotag], as he coached the Hokies on the road against underdog Old Dominion. And after a night on which his assistants were stuck in an elevator long enough to delay the start of the second half and watching his Hokies turn the football over five times, Pry was on the losing end in his head coaching debut. Rahne, on the other hand, celebrated a major win for his program.

Nothing came easily for Pry’s Hokies, but they did own a 17-10 lead going into the fourth quarter. A short field goal by Old Dominion early in the fourth quarter cut the Virginia Tech lead to 17-13 and a one-yard touchdown run with 33 seconds remaining in the game helped deliver Old Dominion to its second biggest win in program history, and both have come against Virginia Tech. The game-winning touchdown was set up by a deep pass two plays prior, putting the Virginia Tech lead in serious jeopardy.

Rahne’s Monarchs were out-gained 340-245 in total offensive yards, but the Hokies turning the football over five times led to 17 Old Dominion points on the scoreboard, including a wild botched field goal snap that was returned for a touchdown by Old Dominion to take a lead in the second quarter.

Old Dominion’s game-winning touchdown also came following a Virginia Tech turnover when Grant Wells was picked off by Ryan Henry on 3rd and 13 at the Old Dominion 41 with 2:58 left to play. Nine plays later, Old Dominion scored the game-winner. A more conservative approach in that situation to keep the ball on the ground and force Old Dominion to burn a timeout before potentially punting the ball away may be armchair quarterbacking a bit, but it will be a decision that will be reviewed by Pry in reviewing the film.

Rahnecontinues to be doing some terrific work for a program that sat out the entire 2020 season in his first year on the job. After starting the 2021 season with a record of 1-6, Old Dominion won five consecutive games to earn bowl eligibility and has now won six of their last seven games going back to last season. And on Friday night, maybe Old Dominion put the rest of the Sun Belt Conference on notice.

Also, obligatory love for Old Dominion’s biggest fan, Hudson. He is a dog that wears crocs!

Rahne replaced Joe Moorhead as Penn State’s offensive coordinator when Moorhead left the Nittany Lions to become the head coach at Mississippi State. Moorhead has since made a stop at Orgeon as the offensive coordinator and is now back to being a head coach again in 2022. Moorhead coached Akron to an overtime victory on Thursday night against Saint Francis, 30-23.

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Joe Moorhead adding another Penn State transfer at Akron

Former Penn State wide receiver is reuniting with a former coach in the MAC out of the transfer portal

For the second time this week, former Penn State offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Moorhead[/autotag] has successfully added a former Nittnay Lion to his roster at Akron. Moorhead, now the head coach at Akron, is working the transfer portal to tap into some Penn State connections. The latest to make his way from Happy Valley to Akron is wide receiver [autotag]Daniel George[/autotag].

George announced his commitment to the Zips with a message posted on his Twitter account on Thursday with the message “Different location, Same conversation.” The message referred to George’s connection to the former Penn State coordinator. Moorhead was a key part of the coaching staff when George initially joined the Penn State program, even though it would not be long before Moorhead left to become the head coach at Mississippi State (and then the offensive coordinator at Orgeon before taking the Akron job).

George, a former four-star recruit in Penn State’s Class of 2018, did spend four seasons with Penn State but will have two years of eligibility at his disposal, should he choose to use them both. George has a redshirt season and the extra year of eligibility granted to every student-athlete impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. George caught 18 passes for 285 yards and a touchdown during his time at Penn State, largely in a backup receiver role.

George’s commitment to Akron comes in the same week Akron received a commitment from former Penn State offensive lineman Anthony Whigan.

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