Penn State football OC Ricky Rahne confirmed as new head coach at Old Dominion
Penn State is searching for a new offensive coordinator for the second time in two years.
Ricky Rahne has accepted the head coach position at Old Dominion University and was formally announced as the head of the program Monday evening.
FootballScoop first reported the news, and a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed the report to the Centre Daily Times.
Rahne was Penn State’s offensive coordinator for the last two seasons and has been on staff for six seasons. He coached the Penn State offense to the No. 17 offense in the country this season according to Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings. SP+ is a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency.
Prior to his promotion to offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach in 2018, Rahne was the tight ends coach for two years during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. His first two years on staff were as the quarterbacks coach for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.
Penn State head coach James Franklin commented on the hire via a statement in an Old Dominion news release.
“First, I love Ricky and his family,” the statement read. “This is a bittersweet moment for our program. I am so incredibly proud of Ricky and I am super excited for him, his family and Old Dominion. I am forever indebted to Ricky for his loyalty and drive in helping us succeed at Vanderbilt and Penn State.”
“Ricky is a rising star in the industry and is built for this opportunity,” it continued. “He is a smart, open-minded and talented coach. His humble leadership style will resonate well with Old Dominion’s leadership and players. I look forward to following his program at Old Dominion!”
Current and former players, including quarterback Sean Clifford and now-Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki congratulated Rahne on social media.
“I want to thank @RickyRahne for everything he has done for me these past few years. Not only is he a great coach, but has been a great mentor to myself and my teammates. I will miss ya coach!,” Clifford tweeted.
The Nittany Lions have had three offensive coordinators under head coach James Franklin. Rahne, current Mississippi State head coach Joe Moorhead, who was on staff from 2016-2017, and current Jacksonville Jaguars assistant running backs coach John Donovan, who was on staff from 2014-2015.
Rahne is the second Penn State assistant to take a head coaching position since Franklin took the helm of the program in 2014, joining Moorhead.
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 3:59 PM.
