A big name that’s come up in the Penn State coaching search is Brian Hartline, but the Ohio State OC isn’t the only Big Ten coordinator having success in 2025.
Curt Cignetti has gotten most of the credit for Indiana’s turnaround, and as the head coach, it’s deserved for obvious reasons.
But another big part of Indiana’s success has been its coordinators: Mike Shanahan on the offensive side and Bryant Haines on the defensive end.
Shanahan coordinates the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, and Haines coordinates the No. 3 scoring defense.
Penn State will see both Saturday.
But is either one of them ready to be a head coach, let alone at a place like Penn State?
MORE ON SHANAHAN
Shanahan is a PA guy, growing up in the Pittsburgh area and playing at Pitt. After his college career ended, he started coaching. He was a GA at Pitt for the 2015 season, then joined Curt Cignetti at IUP.
He’s been coaching with Cignetti for almost a decade now. He started as IUP’s receivers coach in 2016, then when Cignetti got the job at Elon, Shanahan took the same position there before doing the same when Cignetti moved onto James Madison.
In 2021, Shanahan became James Madison’s offensive coordinator. In 2022, James Madison’s first FBS season, the offense ranked 13th nationally in scoring, and it ranked in the top 25 again the next season.
So when Cignetti got the Indiana job, it was an easy choice to take Shanahan with him. In 2024, Shanahan and Tino Sunseri co-ran an offense that finished second in the country in scoring.
When Sunseri left to be UCLA’s OC, Shanahan became the full-time guy at Indiana, and he hasn’t disappointed.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza may well win the Heisman Trophy. If he does, Shanahan will have a lot to do with it, and he’s only 35 years old.
The Shanahan file
- 2014: Pitt (volunteer assistant)
- 2015: Pitt (GA)
- 2016: IUP (WR)
- 2017-18: Elon (WR)
- 2019-20: James Madison (WR/recruiting coordinator)
- 2021-23: James Madison (OC/WR/RC)
- 2024-: Indiana (OC/WR)
Notice, too, how Shanahan has spent almost his entire time in coaching as a receivers coach. This year, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr. (669 yards, eight touchdowns, 46 REC) and Elijah Sarratt (609 yards, 10 TD, 45 REC) are as good as any duo in the nation outside of Columbus, Ohio.
Penn State has had trouble developing receivers in recent years, and Shanahan knows how to do that quite well.
MORE ON HAINES
Penn State fans might recognize Haines’ name from last year’s defensive coordinator search, where he was a candidate.
Like Shanahan, Haines started worked with Cignetti when he was at IUP, coaching the defensive line over the 2014-15 seasons. After a brief stop at UC Davis, where he coached linebackers in 2016, he went with Cignetti to Elon, coaching the LBs for two seasons.
At James Madison, Haines was the team’s co-defensive coordinator and LB coach from 2019-21, then became the full-time DC in 2022.
In 2022, James Madison ranked 22nd nationally in scoring defense and improved to 20th in 2023.
When Haines started running the defense at Indiana, IU ranked sixth nationally last season and is on pace to be even better this year.
The Haines file:
- 2009: Manchester (DL)
- 2010-11: Adrian (S&C/DL)
- 2012: Indiana (GA)
- 2013: Ohio State (GA)
- 2014-15: IUP (S&C/DL)
- 2016: UC Davis (LB)
- 2017-18: Elon (LB)
- 2019-21: James Madison (co-DC/LB)
- 2022-23: James Madison (DC/LB)
- 2024-: Indiana (DC)
Haines is also a two-time Broyles Award semifinalist, so yeah, he can coach.
ARE THESE GOOD CHOICES?
So would either one of these guys be good choices in the Penn State head coaching search?
If one of them is, Shanahan is probably the guy.
Penn State could use an offensive mind running the program, and Shanahan is just that.
But it must be said that neither one of these options is experienced, with both having been Power 4 coordinators for less than two full seasons.
Then again, isn’t that the same red flag with Brian Hartline?
