In his post-Outback Bowl press conference, Penn State coach James Franklin spoke briefly about the reports that his special teams coach, Joe Lorig, is on the move to Oregon.
Although he said he wasn’t going to address it, Franklin did talk briefly about the possibility of losing somebody who has been on his staff since 2019.
“Obviously he’s been pursued,” Franklin said. “He is being pursued. I think you guys know that. That information has been out in the public. But we’ll see how that plays out.
If Lorig is to take the Oregon position, a possibility that came to light Dec. 30 courtesy of Fox Sports’s Bruce Feldman, he would be moving in the same primary position he currently has with Penn State. But other aspects of the job, such as the fact that Lorig worked with new Ducks head coach Dan Lanning for two seasons at Memphis, the could make Eugene and appealing place for Lorig.
“There’s a lot of things that factor into this,” Franklin said, “as you guys could imagine. Some professional and some personal. But we’ll see how that goes. I think you guys know I’ve been pretty adamant in the past about the type of moves, lateral moves, but there’s also some factors when it comes to where guys are from. Both Joe and his wife are from there, so that factors into this thing as well.”
Under Lorig this season, Penn State ranked fifth in the country in both kickoff return and punt return defense, and Jordan Stout developed into one of the best punters in the nation, winning Big Ten Punter of the Year.
