Penn State makes surprising coaching staff change
Penn State has fired wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator Taylor Stubblefield, the team announced on Sunday.
Stubblefield announced his departure from the Nittany Lions with a statement on Twitter as well.
Coach James Franklin stated he “would like to thank Taylor for his efforts during his time with Penn State but feel it is in our program’s best interest to make a change at this time,” James Franklin said. “I wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future.”
Franklin had told the media on Dec. 28 that “there’s a lot of moving parts left, but we’ll see how it plays out. But I’m hopeful that we will retain the majority if not all the staff.” Despite that statement we now see there was a change in the works.
In his statement, Stubblefield reflected on all his accomplishments during his three-year tenure in Happy Valley.
— Taylor Stubblefield (@CoachStubbs) January 16, 2023
Interesting timing on this though that is worth mentioning, just after this move was announced transfer wide receiver Dante Cephas committed to Penn State. Before Cephas committed, Penn State had two transfer targets at receivers commit to other schools, including one flipping his commitment from Penn State.
Stubblefield was hired to coach the team’s wide receivers prior to the 2020 season and took over as the offensive recruiting coordinator following the conclusion of the 2020 season. He coached Jahan Dotson, who was a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and he coached Parker Washington who declared for the draft last month. While he may not be a first-round pick this year as a projection, he will be one of the top-ranked receivers in the draft come April.
There is no update on who will be Penn State’s next wide receivers coach at this time.
