Source: DL coach Sean Spencer leaving Penn State Nittany Lions for New York Giants
Penn State has yet another opening on its on-field coaching staff. Associate head coach/run game coordinator/defensive line coach Sean Spencer is leaving James Franklin’s staff to take another coaching opportunity with the New York Giants, according to a source with knowledge of Spencer’s job situation.
Spencer is the fourth coach Franklin will have to replace this offseason and the third to leave for a new job. He’s the first member of the staff to leave from the defensive side of the ball.
The defensive line coach has been at Penn State since Franklin took the helm of the program in 2014. He coached the defensive line from 2014-2017 before earning two added titles, associate head coach and run game coordinator, in 2018.
Prior to his time with the Nittany Lions, Spencer was the defensive line coach under Franklin at Vanderbilt from 2011-2013. The 2020 season will be the first season he hasn’t coached alongside Franklin since 2010.
He helped four Nittany Lions get drafted in his six seasons at Penn State and is expected to add another to that list with Yetur Gross-Matos expected to be taken early in April’s NFL draft.
With Spencer’s departure as the fourth of the offseason, Franklin has experienced more staff turnover this season than any other since he took the helm of the program.
Franklin saw offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne take the head coach position at Old Dominion and had wide receivers coach Gerad Parker take the offensive coordinator position at West Virginia. Former offensive line coach Matt Limegrover parted ways with Penn State following the team’s 53-39 Cotton Bowl win over Memphis.
The Penn State head coach has already replaced those three openings with Kirk Ciarrocca taking over for Rahne, Phil Trautwein taking over for Limegrover, and Taylor Stubblefield taking over for Parker.
It’s not yet known who the Nittany Lions intend to replace Spencer with.
Penn State did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday morning.
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 7:28 AM.
