Woah! That’s how college football is. As the young chaps rage the gridiron, the best minds who have witnessed many springs mentor them. Yes, that’s how age is just a number when it comes to college football. Already, a 72-year-old coach, North Carolina Tar Heels’ HC Bill Belichick has been the talk of the town.

After all, that man at this age thought of trying his luck in college after years of being successful in the NFL. Now, it’s time for a 62-year-old coach to enjoy the limelight. It’s none other than Greg Gattuso, who is on cloud nine now. The reason? It’s a dream come true moment for the former Albany HC.  

A full circle moment for Greg Gattuso

Well, Gattuso might be humming the ‘I’m coming home’ song on a loop. Yes, he had stepped down as the Albany HC after 11 LONG YEARS! All for what? For the love of his alma mater, Penn State. Gattuso himself played for Nittany Lions and he was on the team that played the 1982 national championship. Now that he will be back at Penn State, the ex-Albany HC will take up the role of the defensive line consultant. However, that’s a kind of demotion. But who cares? Not Gattuso, at least. He had served as a head coach for more than 20 years- 12 seasons at Duquesne and 11 at Albany. The Great Danes still owe a lot to their ex-HC as he led them to an 11-4 record, its first CAA regular-season title, and the FCS semifinals for the first time in school history.

Gattuso has his eyes for the upcoming days at Penn State where after starting as a DL, he was also on the roster. Not to forget, he began his coaching career as a Penn State graduate assistant. He will be contributing to the position that had Tom Allen at the helm. And his excitement seems to have no bar. During the press meet, Gattuso expressed his happiness about joining Penn State’s defensive line coach, Deion Barnes, whom he recruited back in high school. The ex-Albany HC recalled a recent conversation he had with Great Danes’ running backs coach, Jordan Orlovsky, “When I talked to those guys yesterday he said coach you’ve always said that you would never leave Albany unless it was for Penn State.”

It’s a full circle moment for Gattuso and so, he definitely got emotional. “That’s two alma maters I’ve gotten to play at and coach at. I did it in my high school and probably still the best three years of our lives but it’s it’s very special. I can’t wait to get there,” confessed the 62-year-old coach. Looks like Franklin’s program will no longer have to look back when it comes to their coaching roster. 

A strategic advantage of James Franklin’s defense

The next month is going to be an excruciating process for Franklin’s defensive coaching staff. The reason? Besides, Gattuso, Penn State now has Jim Knowles as their defensive coordinator. So, they now will be overseeing a longstanding defensive staff here that has had success under numerous coordinators. In that way, their job now will be to get rid of all the things that do not serve well them any good. However, looks like Franklin’s program has an advantage here.

Knowles will be getting to welcome a couple of familiar faces to the staff to aid in the defensive efforts. As per the reports, Penn State has added Shane Eachus as a defensive backs coach and Brent Zdebski as an analyst. Now, that’s a WIN-WIN situation for Knowles. After all, both the coaches worked with him in some capacity at previous stops in his coaching journey. 

Back in Oklahoma, Shane Eachus assisted Jim Knowles while Brent Zdebski was a quality control analyst at Ohio State. Well, we are all aware of Knowles’ power, right? He led the Buckeyes in total defense by allowing just 254.6 yards per game. In that way, Greg Gattuso will the cherry on top, bringing passion and dedication to his beloved school.