Penn State relieves Kirk Ciarrocca as OC, names Mike Yurcich as replacement

The Kirk Ciarrocca era at Penn State is over.

Announcing a coaching change via press release, Nittany Lions' head coach James Franklin has named Mike Yurcich as the program's new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

"First, I would like to thank Kirk for his contributions to our program last year," said Franklin via press release. "This was a difficult decision, but felt it was best for our program to make a change. We wish him and his family all the best in their future endeavors.

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"We are excited to have Mike join our staff. He is an impressive offensive mind and talented play caller who has set records everywhere he has been as an offensive coordinator. I look forward to seeing what he can do with all of the offensive weapons we have here at Penn State. I have followed Mike's career for a long time, dating back to his time in the PSAC at Shippensburg and Edinboro. We look forward to bringing Mike and his family back to Pennsylvania."

Yurcich joins the Nittany Lions from a one-year stint at Texas during the 2020 season in which the Longhorns finished with the nation's No. 16-ranked offensive grade according to Pro Football Focus. Finishing the season at 7-3, the Longhorns averaged eighth overall nationally in scoring average at 42.7 points per game.

"I'd like to thank Head Coach James Franklin, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour and President Eric Barron for the opportunity to be the offensive coordinator at Penn State University," said Yurcich via release. "Having spent 11 years in the state of Pennsylvania as a player and coach, I understand the significance of this duty and will represent properly and with humble pride."

Playing at the California University of Pennsylvania as a quarterback from 1996-1998, Yurcich has an extensive coaching background that began at St. Francis University in Indiana, and included stops in the PSAC at Edinboro and Shippensburg before eventually landing at Oklahoma State from 2013-2018. The offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach there, Yurcich helped create some of the nation's most explosive offenses.

For the 2019 season, Yurcich joined Ryan Day's staff at Ohio State, helping to lead the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff with the third-ranked scoring offense in the country. The effort included a Heisman-candidate performance by Justin Fields in which the quarterback became the Big Ten Player of the Year.

At Texas this past season, meanwhile, Yurcich helped develop Sam Ehlinger into one of the nation's top passers. Ranked No. 11 among all Power Five starting quarterbacks with an overall offensive grade of 80.1, Ehlinger completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,5560 yards and 26 touchdowns with just five interceptions in 10 games of action.

According to USA Today, Yurcich's most recent contract with the Longhorns was for $1.56m after COVID-19 cutbacks, but initially was placed at $1.7 million. Terms of his contract with the Nittany Lions were not disclosed.

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