If Penn State coach Bill O’Brien leaves to take an NFL opening, as he is reportedly exploring, a couple of current NFL coaches may want to take O’Brien’s place.
According to the Patriot-News, two NFL head coaches, Tennessee’s Mike Munchak and Tampa Bay’s Greg Schiano, have had their intermediaries inquire about the Penn State job.
Munchak has not responded to the report; Schiano says he has shown “zero” interest in Penn State and wants to keep the job he has.
Both Munchak and Schiano have ties to Penn State. Munchak had an excellent career as an offensive lineman at Penn State that led to him being a Top 10 draft pick, and he was believed to be a strong candidate to replace Joe Paterno when O’Brien got the job two years ago. Schiano is a former Paterno assistant, and during Schiano’s tenure as the head coach at Rutgers he was frequently mentioned as a coach who could eventually succeed Paterno.
The Patriot-News report suggests that Munchak would be the favorite at Penn State if O’Brien leaves, while Schiano would not be a top choice. What’s unclear is whether Munchak and Schiano are about to get fired from their current jobs, and whether O’Brien is about to create an opening at Penn State. We’ll get more clarity about that next week.