Golden reportedly offered Penn State position

Could Al Golden be Penn State's 16th head football coach?

Multiple sources tell Blue White Illustrated publisher Phil Grosz and CaneSport.com that the ball is in Golden's court following an offer from Penn State on Friday afternoon.

Golden, a former tight end for legendary head coach Joe Paterno, has been the head coach at Miami for the past three seasons, compiling a 22-15 overall record and a 13-11 mark in the ACC. Though the Hurricanes were ineligible to compete in the ACC title game or make bowl appearances his first two seasons, Miami did finished tied for first in the Coastal Division of the ACC in 2012 and most recently finished with a 9-4 mark in 2013, capped by a 36-9 loss to Louisville in the Russell Athletic Bowl.

Golden's rise through the coaching ranks began with his five-year tenure at Temple, though.

Taking an Owls program that wallowed in the basement of the Big East, Golden revived the Owls in the MAC. Starting with a 1-11 mark in his debut season as a head coach, Golden gradually built up the Philadelphia school's records to 4-8, 5-7, 9-4 and 8-4 from 2007-2010, respectively. He finished with a 27-34 overall record with the Owls and a 20-12 mark in four seasons in the MAC.

With the offer reportedly on the table for Golden, the question now becomes whether or not he'd like to pursue the position following the recent departure of Bill O'Brien to the NFL's Houston Texans.

Multiple sources with ties to Golden have suggested that the former Penn State product views a possible return to State College as a welcomed opportunity, though clearly, contract negotiations would remain, regardless of the school's initial offer Friday afternoon.

Should Golden ultimately decide to accept the offer, multiple sources currently within the football program responded positively to the possibility. A strong recruiter, Golden is widely revered as a character individual with outstanding ties to Penn State's past.

Blue White Illustrated will be tracking this story closely as it continues to develop.