It's been intriguing to watch the movement among coaches in the college football world, how the searches are being handled and how some of it could ultimately affect what candidates are available when Joe Paterno ultimately retires.
So far all is quiet on whether all the current Penn State assistant coaches will be with the Nittany Lions in 2011.
Defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was interested in the Pitt job but did not receive an interview, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Wednesday night, the Panthers hired Miami of Ohio head coach Michael Haywood.
Here's hoping Pitt Athletic Director Steve Pederson handled the hiring of the head coach better than he did the departure of Dave Wannstedt.
Pitt should not have allowed Wannstedt and his players to attend the press conference. It was inappropriate and awkward. Then Pederson showed up and said the decision was mutual. It was only mutual in that Wannstedt agreed to resign rather than be fired.
If Pederson gummed that up, he then saw his reported top candidate, Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen, become the offensive coordinator and coach-in-waiting at rival West Virginia - essentially telling the Panthers that he thinks WVU is a better job.
Which it might be. But imagine Bill Stewart's reaction to that. During a recruiting trip, Stewart was informed that the Mountaineers had hired his successor, and that 2011 would be his final year.
Wonder how that scenario would fly at Penn State. Wonder if Al Golden wondered that, too. The guess here is that Golden, a former Nittany Lion captain, would rather have succeeded Joe Paterno, if he had the chance, than take the Miami job.
He probably probed far enough to learn that the situation is what it is - that despite steady Internet rumors and barring an about-face, JoePa plans to stay around, at least for another year, and that the administration will likely not push the issue for 2011.
Meanwhile, Ball State still hasn't filled its vacancy in which PSU linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden is or supposedly was involved. Stay tuned on that.
Vanderbilt is poised to hire Maryland offensive coordinator Jerry Franklin, and the thought persists that Penn State assistants rarely land these various openings - even if, surely, several of them would be attractive candidates.
Temple, of course, is now open after Golden's exit. Let's examine Golden's past 10 years.
He was on the Penn State staff for one year in 2000, left rather abruptly and amid hard feelings during the middle of recruiting to become Virginia's defensive coordinator, and today stands as head coach at "the U," one of the more storied programs in the country.
If you really want to be a head coach, whose map is better to follow - Al Golden's or the longtime assistants of JoePa's staff?
Rudel can be reached at 946-7527 or nrudel@altoonamirror.com.
