What's Up with Penn State Football?

By John Tecce 

The past few weeks, following Penn State football has felt like a full-time job. Here is a summary of all the madness.

Rob Bolden

The only freshman quarterback to ever start the season opener for Penn State may be on his way out just as quickly as he became a household name back in September. Rob Bolden came to Penn State this past August and proceeded to earn the starting quarterback position in just a few weeks. After starting the first seven games of the season, Bolden appeared to be having a breakout game against Minnesota (11 for 13, 130 yards and 1 TD) before leaving in the second quarter with a concussion. He was held out for precautionary reasons the following week and was reinserted as the starter against Northwestern on November 5th. Bolden only played two series, completing 3 of 4 passes before being benched in favor of Matt McGloin, who had led PSU to victories the past two weeks. Bolden would not see another meaningful snap the rest of the season despite McGloin’s tendency to fluctuate between Joe Montana and Hannah Montana in the final four games, which Penn State finished 1-3. 

The main figure in this situation has been Bolden’s father, Robert Bolden Sr., who has been very outspoken in his disapproval with the way the coaching staff handled Rob during the season and during the current transfer process. Bolden Sr. has been adamant that his son no longer wants to be at Penn State, which the younger Bolden confirmed in an interview earlier this week. The Boldens met with the Paternos on Monday to discuss Rob’s request to transfer or, perhaps, to find some common ground that would keep him at Penn State. It seems that neither was a result of this meeting, as Coach Paterno denied Bolden a release from his scholarship, essentially forcing him to stay at Penn State for the time being.

Bolden can still transfer to another school, but he would have to pay his own way for a year (out-of-state tuition usually runs higher than $30,000 per year) and would not be able to play until 2012. His other option, if Paterno decides to stand by his decision and refuse to release Bolden, is to stay and compete with Matt McGloin and Paul Jones in the spring. The paradox here seems to be that Bolden, who committed to Penn State knowing that he would have to compete with at least two other quarterbacks (Jones and sophomore Kevin Newsome were both top 10 prospects also), would rather leave Penn State than be the favorite in the upcoming quarterback competition.

This situation could drag through the spring if Bolden is not given a release from his scholarship, but could end at any time if Paterno decides that Bolden should go. It is tough to predict what will happen, as Bolden’s departure could leave the Lions with just two scholarship quarterbacks if the other Penn State quarterback considering a transfer ends up leaving.

Kevin Newsome

The last time that Penn State lost two scholarship quarterbacks in the same offseason was in 2009 following the transfer of redshirt sophomore Pat Devlin and graduation of third-stringer Paul Cianciolo. This opened the door for highly-touted dual-threat quarterback Kevin Newsome, who committed to Penn State a few weeks later and enrolled in January 2009.

After serving as Daryll Clark’s backup as a freshman, most expected Newsome to take over the reins of the “Spread HD” offense that Clark had excelled in the past two seasons. However, despite having the inside track, Newsome failed to beat out Rob Bolden in preseason camp and spent the season stuck behind a true freshman and a former walk-on. He indicated in mid-December his intentions to transfer, citing playing time as his reason, but Joe Paterno told him to “suck it up” and compete in the spring and make a decision following spring practice.  It has been speculated that Newsome, a stud athlete and a high school All-American in the hurdles, could serve the team better as a safety or running back.

Although the departure of Rob Bolden would conceivably give Newsome a better shot at seeing the field, it is likely that he will be passed on the depth chart by talented redshirt freshman Paul Jones. For this reason, it seems pretty safe to assume that Newsome will transfer unless he has a change of heart about moving to a different position.

Tom Bradley

“Scrap”, as he is affectionately known, defines everything that Penn State football is about. A former player and current assistant coach for the last 32 years, Bradley has been considered the primary candidate to be the next head coach if the Penn State decides to go in-house when Joe Paterno retires. However, in recent weeks, it has become clear that his goals of becoming a head coach will not be realized in Happy Valley.

Before heading down to Tampa for the Outback Bowl, Bradley and linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden each interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at Temple. Bradley also expressed interest in Pittsburgh’s head coach vacancy, but was not given an interview. Most thought that this would mean he would be back with the Nittany Lions in 2011 and would remain a possibility to replace Coach Paterno.

The past week has turned that assumption upside down, as it seems Bradley is more likely to leave than ever. He has been mentioned as a very strong candidate at Pitt (again), with one outlet even reporting on Wednesday night that he had been offered the head coach position. That report was false, though Bradley had interviewed with Pitt on Wednesday and has been endorsed by the likes of Steelers owner Dan Rooney, former Penn State All-American linebackers Navorro Bowman and LaVar Arrington, and even Joe Paterno himself. In addition to being a leading candidate at Pitt, Bradley has become a candidate at UConn, where he interviewed today.

One of the staples of the Paterno regime at Penn State has been continuity within the coaching staff, and the Lions face the possibility of unprecedented turnover if Bradley accepts a head coaching position elsewhere. It is speculated that he could take linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden and wide receivers coach (and recruiting coordinator) Mike McQueary, leaving Penn State with the task of replacing up to three coaching positions for a head coach who does not figure to be with the program in a year or two.

Expect Bradley’s future to be decided sooner rather than later, as both Pitt and UConn will want to hire a head coach in the next week or two.

Joe Paterno

The December blizzard of rumors surrounding Coach Paterno’s retirement has calmed in the past few weeks, but the questions still remain about his future.

It seems that discussion of serious health issues, probably the most alarming of the dozens of “heard from a friend” stories, has completely died down after the Outback Bowl. Joe looked as good as I’ve seen him in my three years at Penn State during last Friday’s pep rally, and it appears safe to say that those rumors were completely false.

One hot rumor last month was that former NFL head coach Tony Dungy, who won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts, could be a candidate for Penn State. Today, when asked on the Dan Patrick Show about coaching at Michigan or Stanford, he stated that he is done with coaching. While this is far from a concrete declaration, it looks like Dungy is comfortable with his current situation and will not be knocking on the doors of Old Main any time soon. Another name floated as a potential replacement was Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen, who last week signed a four-year extension with the Bulldogs.

The biggest question mark surrounding Paterno moving forward is the aforementioned situation surrounding the assistant coaches. The probable departure of Tom Bradley indicates that he either doesn’t see himself as a candidate to replace Paterno, or doesn’t think his chance will come any time soon at Penn State.

It’s pretty clear that we aren’t going to know about JoePa’s future until it’s the present, though it seems the university would like to have some sort of plan in place to prepare for Penn State football without Paterno.

Keep checking HappyValley.com for updates on the latest surrounding Penn State football. It’s going to be an interesting offseason.