Kavanaugh to depart PSU staff for head coaching gig

Bentley University (Waltham, Mass.) has announced Bill Kavanaugh as its next head football coach.

Returning to his alma mater following a six-year stint at Penn State in multiple roles, most recently as the Director of Player Personnel, Kavanaugh said via press release that he was excited to get back to his native Boston area.

"I am excited for the opportunity to lead the football program at my alma mater, a place I have held in high regard since stepping on campus as a freshman," said Kavanaugh, a native of Dartmouth. "The opportunity to return home to Boston and lead a program with such a great tradition is a dream come true."

The loss at Penn State is not insignificant as Kavanaugh, 31, has held a heavy role in the Nittany Lions' recruiting efforts under head coach Bill O'Brien for the past two years.

According to the press release provided by Bentley, Kavanaugh was responsible for "directing all aspects of recruiting, managing a staff that included 14 coaches, a three-person personnel office and 30 interns, and responsibility for the oversight of a 115-player roster."

In other words, Kavanaugh was one of O'Brien's true right-hand men.

This, of course, coming after a three-year term as a graduate assistant under former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno between July 2008 and January 2011, followed by a 15 month ride as Penn State's Recruiting Coordinator and, following the revelation of the Jerry Sandusky scandal in November 2011, three months as Penn State's Wide Receivers coach in the absence of Mike McQueary.

"Bill Kavanaugh was a tremendous asset to us here at Penn State University," O'Brien said via press release. "He was involved in all facets of our program and I credit him with much of our success in recruiting and all of the things that went on behind the scenes here at Penn State.

"Bill will be a fantastic head coach at Bentley University. Bentley is very lucky to have a guy like Bill Kavanaugh."