While one former Penn State football assistant jumped at a head coaching opportunity, another is staying put.

After rumors surfaced of Louisiana Lafayette’s interest in hiring Penn State’s defensive coordinator, the Raging Cajuns decided to go another direction after reportedly hiring former Arizona State offensive coordinator Billy Napier for the head coaching position.

Pry has grown into one of the better defensive coordinators in college football, helping the Nittany Lions’ defense allow 15.5 points per game this season. Only six other teams can say that they allowed less points than the Nittany Lions throughout the 2017. This was also a massive improvement from the 2016 Penn State defense, which allowed 37.6 points per game.

In 2014, the Altoona native left Vanderbilt alongside head coach James Franklin to join Penn State’s coaching staff after a three-year tenure in Nashville. He was Louisiana Lafayette’s defensive coordinator from 2002 to 2006, taking jobs at Memphis and Georgia Southern before joining Franklin with the Commodores.

The Nittany Lions retain Pry for at least another year, but expect rumors of his departure for a bigger job to ramp up after next season given the recent trend among high profile Penn State assistant coaches.

About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: michael.p.mandarino@gmail.com

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