STATE COLLEGE, Pa.Its been so long that Penn State has had to hire a new football coach, that its fair to surmise that the acting administration has never had to contemplate such an act. Considering that Joe Paterno assumed the job from his mentor, Rip Engle, the last time the university actively had to search for a new football coach was during the Truman Administration.
Twelve men have been president of the United States since the last time Penn State went looking for a football coach.
Nevertheless, the university is in the market for a new coach, though its very unlikely a new hire will come any time soon.
We have not reached out to any candidate and there is no timetable for a successor, the universitys new president Rodney Erickson said after Saturdays home finale at Beaver Stadium.
That hasnt stopped folks from speculation, though. Earlier this week, gambling web site Bodog.com released its odds for who could be the next coach of the Penn State football team, and in a surprise to no one, former Florida coach Urban Meyer was at the top of the list.
Meyer was a 2-to-1 favorite, according to the site.
In six years at Florida, Meyer won two National Championships. He also has been a frequent visitor to Penn State in recent months. Meyer was said to have spoken to Penn State officials about his interest in the heading coaching job for 2012 since 2011 was the final year of Paternos contract. Another rumor claimed Meyer had purchased property in nearby Boalsburg, Pa., but records from the Centre County clerk of deeds show that no one named Meyer had purchased land in 2011.
Meanwhile, Meyer was expected to be in the booth as an analyst for ESPN for Saturdays game until the death of his father on Friday morning.
Regardless, Meyer released a statement through ESPN indicating that he is not interested in the Penn State or any other head coaching job.
I am very happy with my role at ESPN, Meyer said in a statement. I have no plans to return to coaching at this time.
Bradleys debut
Of course things may change come 2012. Interim head coach Tom Bradley, a fixture at Penn State since he played defensive back in the mid-1970s, has grabbed the reins in Paternos absence, but its unlikely he will be retained as the fulltime head coach.
As for his future at Penn State, Bradley says hes focusing on the present.
All I have thought about is doing the best job that I possibly can for these student-athletes at Penn State, Bradley said. We owe it to them. Thats all Ive worried about. I dont have time to think about other things now.
Though Bradley would not go too deep into the conversation about Paterno, he says he called the former coach on Friday to see if he could stop by for a visit only to be told to focus on coaching the team.
I knew the lecture I was going to get, but I did get to speak with him, Bradley said. It was exactly what I knew he would say, You have a lot to do, get to work and take care of the team.
With Paterno out, Bradleys transition from defensive coordinator to head coach was a bit bumpy. Considering the team had one day of practice since Paterno was fired, no one could expect a seamless changing of the guard. As a result, Bradley says he called the defensive plays from the sidelines, however, he elevated defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. to defensive coordinator.
Additionally, because Bradley had been focusing only on the defense as a coach, he asked quarterbacks coordinator Jay Paterno to move from the press box to the sidelines to help run the team.
Were going to talk again on Sunday as a staff, Bradley said. It seems like this week, from Wednesday night on, there have been different decisions that have had to be made on Thursday. Even this morning there were some things that came up. Well be a little bit better organized next game.
McQueary missed
Joe Paterno wasnt the only coach missing from the sidelines on Saturday afternoon. Penn State also played without wide receivers coach Mike McQueary, who was placed on indefinite, paid administrative leave on Friday.
Without McQueary, the Penn State receivers tallied just 11 catches from quarterback Matt McGloin. Of those, senior Derek Moye led the team with four catches. He says when the game started, the wide receivers found it tough to find a rhythm.
It was really different. When he was here he didnt get enough credit for what he did, senior wide receiver Derek Moye said. He kept it well organized on the sidelines sending people in, sending people out, calling plays. At the beginning we were in a bit of a cluster. We didnt really know what was going on and it showed.
McQueary remains at the center of the ongoing sex-abuse scandal. As of Thursday afternoon he was going to coach in the game, but went on leave when he received, multiple threats.
E-mail John R. Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com