Penn State Hires New Offensive Coordinator
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State head football coach James Franklin announced Friday morning that offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca will be departing the program.
In an ensuing move, Franklin announced the hiring of Mike Yurcich as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Yurcich has spent 22 years as a coach in college and 15 as an offensive coordinator. He spent last season at Texas as the Longhorns’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Franklin did not give a reason for the departure of Ciarrocca or if the decision was mutual. The head coach released a statement thanking his now-former offensive coordinator for his time at Penn State.
“First, I would like to thank Kirk for his contributions to our program last year,” Franklin said. “This was a difficult decision, but we felt it was best for our program to make a change. We wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.”
Franklin added that he is excited to have Yurcich join the Penn State staff. The head coach added he has followed Yurcich’s career for a long time, dating back to his time at Shippensburg and Edinboro.
Prior to working with Texas, Yurcich was the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Ohio State in 2019, working with quarterback Justin Fields. Before that, he was at Oklahoma State from 2013-2018 as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Yurcich will now bring that experience to Happy Valley and work with a Penn State offense that struggled for much of last season before turning it up later in the year.
Jake Starr is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jas7954@psu.edu.
