It didn’t take long for James Franklin to find his new offensive coordinator following Joe Moorhead’s departure to become the new head coach at Mississppi State. Franklin has tapped Penn State passing game coordinator and tight ends coach Ricky Rahne to become the team’s new offensive coordinator.
Rahne has served in the same position for the Nittany Lions since joining Franklin’s staff in 2014. He was a quarterbacks coach under Franklin throughout his tenure at Vanderbilt. The two also coached together at Kansas State, where Rahne worked his way up from graduate assistant to running backs coach, before eventually becomming tight ends coach. Rahne also has experience as an assistant defensive line coach at Holy Cross, where he started his coaching career, before retrning to his alma mater, Cornell, to coach running backs prior to joining Kansas State.
Under Rahne’s tutelage, quarterback Trace McSorley and tight end Mike Gesicki have had record-setting careers at Penn State. Gesicki has had the two best single seasons for a tight end in Penn State history, while McSorley is on pace to re-write the passing records as a senior in 2018, and already has the most touchdown passes in school history.
Rahne also takes over the quarterbacks coach position that Moorhead filled.
Also getting promotions were Josh Gattis (pass game coordinator) and Matt Limegrover (run game coordinator).
Tyler Bowen, a former graduate assistant, rejoins the staff from Maryland as the tight ends coach, and Phil Galiano comes on board as the new special teams coordinator with the loss of Charles Huff. Galiano will also be an assistant defensive line coach.