Penn State OC Mike Yurcich is making a big change to how he calls games this season
Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich will look to do what he feels needs to be done in order to put the Penn State offense in the best possible position to win. And in order to do that, Yurcich is making a move from the sidelines up to the coaches box.
Entering his third season as the offensive coordinator at Penn State, Yurcich will move up to the coaches box to get a bigger overview of the field and the action after coaching form the sidelines the past couple of seasons. Head coach James Franklin says it is one of the things about this season he is most excited about.
“As an offensive coordinator, specifically, there’s no better place to call the game than in the booth,” Franklin said when meeting with reporters during his regularly scheduled press availability this week. “Controlled environment, you’ve got your notes out. You can see it all. You’re not relying on somebody else to echo information to you that maybe you can’t see across the field. The corners’ alignment, the far safety’s alignment. You’re able to rely on your vision and your information.”
Franklin suggested one of the reasons Yurcich will make the move up to the sideline is his trust in other members of the offensive coaching staff that will reside on the sideline. Rather than shoulder the responsibility of managing as many aspects as possible in person on the sideline, Yurcich can focus more on the overall effectiveness of the offense while position coaches and other assistants take care of matters on the sidelines.
“I also think it’s Mike’s respect for our staff and our assistant coaches that there are strong voices, including [Danny O’Brien] on the sideline, to manage that,” Franklin explained.
“But I think it’s ultimately Mike saying, ‘Where can I be the best offensive coordinator? Where can I call the best game?’ It’s from the booth,” Franklin added. “I was onboard because as an offensive play-caller, I don’t think it’s even close. I think it’s the best place to call the game from.”
Yurcich will begin this new method this week when Penn State hosts West Virginia in the season opener for both teams. Penn State hosts West Virginia on Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
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