It didn't get a "#WeAre...Better" tweet from James Franklin, but Penn State football added a huge name to the program on Wednesday in the former of ex-NFL head coach Jim Haslett.
According to a press release by GoPSUSports, Haslett will join James Franklin's staff as a consultant.
Veteran NFL coach Jim Haslett will serve as a consultant for the Penn State football team. In his role with the Nittany Lions, Haslett will work with the Penn State football coaches, staff and program.
"We are very excited to have Jim with our program," head coach James Franklin said. "Jim has an outstanding football mind and invaluable experience that will be a tremendous resource. He has great knowledge of the game at the next level and we plan to put that to good use. He will work with our offensive, special teams and defensive coaches and will be a fantastic sounding board for our staff."
"I am thrilled to join the Penn State football family," Haslett said. "James is one of the great, young head coaches in the collegiate game today and he is leading this Penn State program in the right direction. The future is very bright for Penn State football and I am excited to be a part of it."
Haslett had some success in the NFL as a player and a coach. After an eight-year career as a player which featured an All-Pro selection and the 1979 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Haslett decided to get into coaching. His most notable stop came when he was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 2000-05, but most recently, he was the defensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins from 2010-14. There isn't much college coaching on his resume, as his only experience in the NCAA occurred from 1988-90 as an assistant coach at the University of Buffalo, which was his first coaching job.
The addition of Haslett is interesting, but it certainly makes a ton of sense. As a Pittsburgh native and a former NFL player and coach, he can certainly help lock down the western part of Pennsylvania in recruiting.
There's also this unfortunate reality we should probably come to begrudgingly accept:
Someone who could slide in as DC when Bob Shoop gets a head coaching job. (Which easily could be after this season.) https://t.co/Zi9Jzi6mde
— Andy Staples (@Andy_Staples) June 24, 2015
While none of us want to see Bob Shoop leave, having someone with experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL is one heck of a replacement, whenever it happens. Of course, it's probably best that it never comes to this and Shoop stays in Happy Valley forever because he is the best.
No matter what, we're excited about the addition of Haslett. Here's to hoping that he has a successful tenure with the Nittany Lions.