PSU Nittany Lions

Penn State has filled its open coaching position by hiring former Georgia State defensive coordinator Anthony Midget.

Midget will coach the safeties, while John Butler -- who replaced Ted Roof as Penn State's defensive coordinator -- will continue to coach the cornerbacks. Midget was hired by Marshall toward the end of January, but opted to leave for Happy Valley.

"It's an honor to be part of the Penn State family and this great university," Midget said in a news release. "I am thankful to Coach [Bill] O'Brien for the opportunity to come to Penn State and am excited to get to know the players and get ready for spring practice."

Midget was a three-year starter at cornerback for Virginia Tech in the late 1990s. He was a fifth-round draft pick who played for the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Hokies as a graduate assistant in 2007.

One year later, he became a member of Georgia State's coaching staff and was promoted to defensive coordinator last season. The Panthers struggled to a 1-10 record and allowed 234 passing yards per game.

The Clewiston, Fla., native is expected to be a boon to Penn State's recruiting efforts thanks to his Southern roots. Roof was well-known around Georgia and also boasted strong ties to Alabama, so Midget's background should help him get a jump-start.

NittanyNation takes a look at this week’s Penn State football news and what you might have missed:

• What kind of quarterback is Tyler Ferguson? Half of the opposing coaches he faced last season were asked that very question.

• Three-star LB Jonathan Walton explained why he decommitted and said PSU hadn't been in contact with him all that much since his official visit.

• Several commits were highlighted along with their scouting reports, rankings and projected impact. Those players included Andrew Nelson, Tanner Hartman, Adam Breneman, Anthony Smith and Christian Hackenberg.

• Former PSU wideout Shawney Kersey, who left PSU after Week 2, transferred to Marshall.

• In the bi-weekly mailbag, we answered questions about O'Brien's biggest challenge, 2014 recruits and John Butler.

• 2014 RB Robert Martin (Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg) took part in NittanyNation's weekly "5 Questions" and said he liked PSU in large part because O'Brien can get players to the next level.

• Bill O'Brien earned his third national coaching honor by receiving the Bear Bryant Award.

• Preferred walk-on Evan Galimberti said in a Q&A that PSU wants to try him out at all center, guard and tackle to see where he fits best.

• The high school coach of preferred walk-on Von Walker explained what makes the senior stick out and what his strengths are.

• 2014 WR Saeed Blacknall earned a visit from O'Brien -- but he wasn't the only one. OT Juwann Bushell-Beatty also saw PSU's head coach, and class of 2015 ATH Kai Locksley has been garnering some early interest from PSU.

• Heading into this weekend, Neiko Robinson couldn't wait to see Happy Valley and wanted to see the stadium the most.

• 2014 LB Kyle Berger received a Penn State offer. Then, in a Q&A, he addressed fans' concerns that he'll end up being an OSU commit.

• Looking ahead to the 2014 class and breaking down each position.

• 2014 OT Mike Grimm dominated at a recent combine and talked about his interest in PSU. 2014 LB Troy Reeder is also getting some serious interest from PSU and was invited to the campus in the near future.

NittanyNation takes a look at this week’s Penn State football news and what you might have missed:

• Ted Roof resigned from his defensive coordinator position at Penn State to coach at his alma mater. That move shocked PSU's defensive commits and "put some thoughts" in the head of Jonathan Walton.

• Roof's departure will be felt most with recruits in the South, especially Alabama and Georgia. His replacement, John Butler, emphasized recruiting and talked about his promotion and defensive philosophy in a conference call.

• Former Penn State OL Tim Freeman talked at length about the NCAA's lawsuit against Penn State and about the sanctions overall. He stood behind Gov. Tom Corbett during last week's news conference.

• NittanyNation gave the outlook of several PSU positions, including wide receiver, tight end, offensive line, running back and safety.

• Five Penn State recruits enrolled early Monday, and we gave a synopsis and predicted role for each player.

• Should college athletes be paid? ESPN asked several of the nation's top seniors, including Christian Hackenberg, that very question.

• College coaches are wary of the NCAA's potential rule changes, which would make recruiting rules looser than they already are.

• Bill O'Brien told the media his decision to return to Penn State was not financial, and he acknowledged some structural changes -- such as additional help on the recruiting end -- would take place.

• Curtis Dukes left the team, and he's still considering declaring early for the NFL draft or playing for another school. Reserve linebacker Brennan Franklin also left the school for a community college in his home state of Arizona.

• Adam Rittenberg offered his final Big Ten power rankings for 2012, and Penn State dropped one spot to fourth.

• The postgraduate coach of PSU walk-on Austin Whipple talked about what made him a special quarterback and when he really impressed in 2012.

• Penn State commit Curtis Cothran said he found PSU games much more enjoyable than NFL games in an extensive Q&A.

• Just one week after saying he was still thinking about an official visit, four-star LB Garret Dooley said he was no longer interested in Penn State. In other recruiting news, 2014 OL Sam Mustipher planned to take his first visit and 2014 ATH Omar Truitt still likes PSU and he's starting to hear from the likes of Stanford and Oregon.

• 2014 WR Thaddeus Snodgrass explained why he hasn't chosen a school yet and said PSU is still in the mix.

• High school freshman Rahshaun Smith is just 15 years old, but he added a PSU scholarship offer on Friday. He talked with NittanyNation about the honor.

• PSU commit Parker Cothren is starting to see more attention thrown his way, especially from SEC schools. Ditto for Walton.

• A transcript from our Friday chat, which addressed who might be the starting QB, Cothren/Walton and everything in between.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- John Butler didn't receive word about Ted Roof's departure until Wednesday morning, but he said he didn't hesitate when Bill O'Brien offered him the promotion to defensive coordinator soon thereafter.

"It's not like there was a surprise party with it," Butler told the media Thursday afternoon. "He told me I was the new defensive coordinator, and I just asked him what he needed me to do."

Butler, formerly the secondary coach, said he's waited 20 years for an opportunity like this. And he plans to make the most of it. He still wants to overlook the cornerbacks or safeties -- "I'm not going to be a walk-around coordinator" -- and he doesn't plan to change a lot from this defense.

He acknowledged the appearance of this unit in 2013 "would be very similar" to last season. His philosophy is to offer multiple looks, be aggressive and play fast. Butler hoped to keep the schemes simple and continue to help the players along in their development.

"I think a definition of that is you got to create confusion with your opponent, meaning we're not going to sit back on our heels in one look, one coverage, and let the offense dictate how we're going to play them," he said. "Aggressive doesn't mean we're going to blitz them every snap. That's not what aggressive means.

"It means we're going to change coverage looks, we're going to change front looks, we're going to change players around so they can't be blocked a certain away all the time. We're going to try to take control away from the offensive coaches."

(Read full post)