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Despite reports, Penn State OC Joe Moorhead not candidate at UConn
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When reports surfaced that UConn fired coach Bob Diaco, there was a cause for concern for Penn State fans.
It was believed that the Lions dodged any possibility that offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead would leave State College for a head coaching position. Doubts resurfaced this morning when Diaco was fired.
Moorhead, who has deep ties to the northeast, was believed to be a candidate.
#PennState OC Joe Moorhead; #Fordham HC Andrew Breiner figure to be in the mix for #UConn HC vacancy with Bob Diaco out.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 26, 2016
But fortunately for Penn State, those rumors should be in the past.
Y sources: @BallCoachJoeMo standing firm in commitment to Penn State for '17. Loved his time at UConn, but not a candidate to replace Diaco.
— Pat Forde (@ByPatForde) December 26, 2016
That’s obviously a major benefit to Penn State, which had an offensive revival in Moorhead’s first season in State College.
Moorhead was a popular head coaching candidate in December, most notably at Purdue, where he reportedly interviewed for the job in Indianapolis.
The Lions rattled off nine straight victories to end the season, which was capped by its 21-point comeback against Wisconsin in the B1G Championship.
Moorhead will get to work with a Penn State offense that returns every player who received an offensive touch in 2016.
If 2016 was any indication, Moorhead could Penn State one of the nation’s top offenses in 2017, too.
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.