Success is a funny thing

[el_duderino]

Just when everything seems to be rolling in the right direction, somebody comes along and wants part of your success. Such is the case with Larry Johnson Sr. and the recent news that he's being pursued by Illinois. (blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2009/01/psu_asst_larry_johnson_sought.html)

That's right - LJSr is wanted by this guy:



Oh, the Zooker. I'll never get enough of your antics. Or your complete lack of ability to coach talented players.

But this could be bad news for us. As in, really bad news. LJSr is the defensive line coach, and it's fair to say he's done a pretty damn good job with that crew year in and year out. The bigger issue, however, is his ability to recruit the hell out of Maryland and the DC area. 10 of our current commits are from his work - that's almost half from one guy alone.

It's still a bit of rumor/conjecture, but we'll see what comes of it.

[el_duderino]

Just as an update to this story: blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2009/01/larry_johnson_offered_deal_by.html

They (Illinois) officially offered LJ Sr the job, and it's one hell of an offer. FTA:

The Penn State defensive line coach and top recruiting assistant met with UI officials and head coach Ron Zook on Saturday and was offered a deal in the $400,000 range, possibly with the title of Assistant Head Coach to Zook as his title. Johnson would be the de facto defensive coordinator and earn close to double his salary at Penn State.

So, they're going to double his salary and promote him from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator and possibly "Assistant Head Coach". Yeah - that's quite a hell of an offer to turn down. Obviously nothing is set in stone, but we may be looking at losing a very big piece of our coaching/recruiting staff.

Of course, this also gives me another chance to post a Zook picture:



And people wonder how he's never won a National Championship as a head coach...

[el_duderino]

Gimme a siren and a woo-woo!



Thank you, Bubb Rubb...

Anyway, even with all the incentives, it looks like LJ Sr. just can't bring himself to leave State College.

blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2009/01/larry_johnson_staying_at_psu.html

So our top MD/DC recruiter (and solid D-Line coach) will be sticking around for a bit longer. He is getting a bit older, and he's talked about becoming more active in his church - that's likely one of the reasons he spurned the pay jump and promotion.

Or maybe he just doesn't like water-skiing...

[vance]

Actually saw Ron Zook in LAX on January 3rd leaving the Rose Bowl. Interesting he was there.