Dispensing Thoughts and Opinions: Mike Yurcich Hire

FTB’s Rapid Reaction/Stream of Consciousness Following Penn State’s Bombshell Friday News Dump

• It’s pronounced YER-sitch…Sitch like situation. Here’s a 2014 video of the guy saying his own name. Hurry up and learn how to say it correctly…because with James Franklin’s newfound Queen of Hearts disposition, who knows how long YER-sitch sticks around Happy Valley.

• I’ll be honest…not a huge fan of the move. Not in the short term…and not in the long term, either, because I don’t think there is a “long term” when it comes to Yurcich. He’ll be a head coach in one, two or three years. The tenures of Joe Moorhead and Ricky Rahne proved the Penn State OC is a King Maker role, as both guys got D1 head coaching jobs after two years at the helm. Ciarrocca wasn’t leaving. He offered stability. But back to the short term. Can Penn State really compete for a Big Ten title in 2021 if it has to install a brand new offense AGAIN? The Year 1 to Year 2 progression in Ciarrocca’s offensive production at Western Michigan and Minnesota was substantial…and progress at PSU was noticeable in the final two games of the season – explosive elements of the offense finally emerged in the Michigan State and Illinois season enders.  

• The importance of having a normal Spring Practice and normal Fall Camp just ramped up Eleventy Bajillion percent. Installing new offenses via Zoom is another recipe for disaster.

• Kudos to the Clickbait Wizards running Penn State’s social media. The initial Twitter release read “James Franklin Announces Coaching Change” with a benign photo of a football on the grass. Oh cool, they hired a new associate nutritionist or something? CLICK…wait, what the hell?!!?!

• Wild and reckless speculation here…but does Yurcich’s hire open up the possibility of luring a new transfer quarterback to Penn State? Perhaps someone who isn’t in the Transfer Portal yet because his season isn’t over? Yep, we’re talking about Ohio State true freshman quarterback CJ Stroud. According to 247 Sports, Stroud – a 5-star prospect — was the 29th overall player in the country coming out of Rancho Cucamonga High School in California. Yurcich recruited him for the Buckeyes – flying to the West Coast days before Signing Day to seal the deal…then 10 days later, Yurcich took the Texas gig. Stroud lost the backup job at the beginning of 2020 to less-heralded Jack Miller. Stroud did, however, come in for Fields when the All-American briefly left the Michigan State game in December. Still, the starting job is hardly guaranteed for Stroud next season in Columbus. Ohio State is bringing in two more 5-star QBs in a few days (of course), so it’s not unreasonable to think Stroud is searching for a new home. Again, TOTAL speculation.

• Who does this hire help and who does it hurt…Helps: Transfer RB John Lovett. He’s PERFECT for this offense – decisive one-cut, downhill runner with great vision and (more importantly) breakaway speed. Hurts: Keyvone Lee. Not sure how a bruiser fits in this scheme. Helps: Sean Clifford…if he’s still the quarterback. Yeah, Yurcich was the passing game coordinator at Ohio State with Justin Fields in 2019, and yeah he help mold Mason Rudolph into an NFL QB at Oklahoma State. But what impressed us most about Yurcich was the job he did with Taylor “Corndog” Cornelius in 2018. Yes, according to Wikipedia (sadly, the only trusted news outlet left these days) Corndog is his actual nickname. Corndog, a walk-on with no FBS or FCS offers out of high school, threw for 3,900 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2018 at Oklahoma State. That’s impressive. Helps: Jahan Dotson. Yurcich’s Oklahoma State offenses had a 1,000-yard receiver in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. In 2017, the Cowboys had two 1,000-yard receivers – James Washington (1,537) and Marcell Ateman (1,156). So what, they just threw the ball on every play? Nope. Justice Hill rushed for 1,467 yards and 15 touchdowns that year.

• What’s the domino effect of Yurcich’s hire on the rest of the Penn State coaching staff? Does beloved and respected tight ends coach Tyler Bowen  –who called plays in the Cotton Bowl –stick around after two OC hires? What about recruiting wizard Ja’Juan Seider? Does he leave for a promotion in title elsewhere?