STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – James Franklin had one final coaching hire to make this offseason and he concluded the process on Friday with the addition of David Corley, who will coach the Nittany Lions’ running backs.
Corley arrives at Penn State after coaching the wide receivers at Army. He previously coached the running backs at UConn and also at his alma mater, William & Mary.
"David is a dynamic football coach who will be a great fit in our program," Franklin said in a statement. "I have gotten to know David over the last several years and followed his career closely. He has continuously impressed me with his drive and passion for the game and recruiting. He has an infectious personality and competitiveness that will impact our running back room. People I respect in this profession think the world of David and his family and we feel they will be a tremendous addition to our Penn State community."
Corley will take the place of running backs coach Charles Huff, who departed last month to join Joe Moorhead’s staff at Mississippi State. He joins a Penn State staff that promoted Phil Galiano to special teams coordinator last month and added tight ends coach Tyler Bowen from Maryland. Ricky Rahne was elevated to offensive coordinator in December and couldn’t have asked for a much better debut in the Nittany Lions’ Fiesta Bowl victory, his first game as the full-time coordinator. With all FBS programs allowed to add a 10th assistant coach as of Jan. 9, Franklin had been figuring out for some time how to rearrange his staff and fill any needs as they presented themselves with Moorhead’s departure.
"My family and I are very excited about the opportunity to join the Penn State family! I have admired Coach Franklin's work for a long time," Corley said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to working with this awesome staff and these outstanding student-athletes."
Corley was a quarterback at William & Mary, where he was a four-year starter, and became the Tribe's all-time leader in passing yards (9,805), total offense (10,948) and touchdown passes (73). He went on to play in the Canadian Football League as well as the Arena Football League before ending his playing career in 2006.
He began his coaching career at William & Mary and during his six seasons with the Tribe he coached the running backs – where he worked with Jonathan Grimes – coached the quarterbacks and was elevated to wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator before moving on to UConn.
With the Huskies, Corley did a little bit of everything during his three years there, serving as the offensive coordinator and running backs coach and also coaching the special teams and receivers. He was also the program’s Director of Player Engagement.
Corley was introduced as the wide receivers coach at Army last February, where he worked under head coach Jeff Monken.
It’s unclear what Corley’s recruiting territory will be and while Penn State recruits nationally by position, Corley hails from Salisbury, North Carolina and has ties to the East Coast based on his previous jobs.
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