Johnson tabbed interim head coach

Blue White Illustrated has been able to confirm an initial report from PennLive.com's Bob Flounders that longtime Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson Sr. has been tabbed as the program's interim head coach in the absence of Bill O'Brien.

Johnson, an assistant at Penn State dating back to 1996 when he took over special teams and defensive end coaching responsibilities, and the defensive line coach dating back to 2000, is the only remaining coach for the Nittany Lions from the Joe Paterno era that preceded O'Brien's short tenure in Happy Valley.

An official announcement from Penn State is expected sometime Wednesday afternoon.

Johnson steps back into another impromptu role for Penn State since he was named a co-defensive coordinator along with former linebacker coach Ron Vanderlinden when Tom Bradley was promoted to interim head coach following the firing of Paterno in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal.