It didn’t take James Franklin long to hire a special teams coordinator to replace Joe Lorig.
Lorig officially left Penn State Monday evening, and by Tuesday afternoon, Penn State had officially found its next special teams coordinator.
It’s Stacy Collins, who was previously at Boise State.
Collins will also coach Penn State’s outside linebackers and nicklebacks, positions previously held by Lorig.
Collins was only in Idaho for a year, coaching the Broncos’ special teams unit as well as their edge position.
Before that, he was at Utah State for five seasons, and worked his way to co-defensive coordinator by his last season. In total, Collins has 24 years of coaching experience.
Collins expressed his enthusiasm for the chance to work with Franklin and new defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Manny Diaz.
“I look forward to developing and growing our special teams units which has had a history of success during coach’s tenure,” Collins said. “I’m also excited to work with Coach Diaz and the defensive staff to continue to build on the strong defensive tradition of Penn State. My family and I can’t wait to start this new chapter in Happy Valley.”
Aside from coaching special teams, Lorig has experience as a head coach (South Dakota School of Mines) an interim head coach (Vienna, Austria,) and a defensive coordinator (Vienna Austria, South Dakota School of Mines, Southern Oregon).
Franklin is excited to have somebody with Collins’s experience on staff.
“As a veteran coach, Stacy brings a wide variety of experiences to our staff having served as a head coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator during his career. He will bring significant value to our program and has a great depth of special teams knowledge and has found great success as a coordinator.”
Collins is also familiar with the man he’ll be replacing. The two played together at Western Oregon, where Collins graduated from in 1998, and coached together there for the 1998 season. Collins also replaced Lorig at Utah State.
Penn State had one of the top special teams units in the country this season, and Franklin hopes to see continued success under Collins.
His coaching style on special teams will allow us to continue our strong tradition as a special teams unit. I am thrilled to have Stacy, his wife Mandi, and their four daughters join our Penn State Football family.”
Although it will be a long trip from Boise to State College, Collins is eager, too.
“My family and I can’t wait to start this new chapter in Happy Valley,” he said.
Here is Collins’s full coaching resume.
2021 – Boise State (special teams coordinator/edge)
2020 – Utah State (co-defensive coordinator/safeties)
2019 – Utah State (special teams coordinator/running backs)
2017-18 – Utah State (inside linebackers)
2016 – Utah State (special teams coordinator)
2012-15 – South Dakota School of Mines (head coach/special teams coordinator)
2011 – Portland State (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator)
2008-10 – Central Washington (special teams coordinator/defensive line/linebackers)
2007 – Southern Oregon (defensive coordinator/recruiting coordinator)
2005-06 – Idaho State (linebackers)
2004 – Western Washington (special teams coordinator/linebackers)
2003 – Western Washington (linebackers)
2002 – South Dakota School of Mines (defensive/special teams coordinator)
1999-2001 – Vienna (Austria) (defensive coordinator/interim head coach)
1998-2001 – Western Oregon (special teams coordinator/linebackers)
