Since former Penn State coach Joe Paterno's firing on Nov. 9, speculation and rumors about his long-term replacement have been wide-ranging while hard reporting has proven difficult to find. With the university's announcement of a search committee headed by acting athletic director David Joyner on Monday, however, actual reports about candidates to replace Paterno are beginning to emerge.
One, from ESPN's Joe Schad, says Mississippi State's Dan Mullen is at the top of Penn State's wish list.
Mullen, a former assistant of new Ohio State coach Urban Meyer at Florida, Utah and Bowling Green, is a Drexel Hill native and graduated from Ursinus College in 1994. He is 20-17 in three seasons with the Bulldogs and just finished up a 6-6 campaign after a 9-4 season a year ago that ended with a victory against Michigan in the Gator Bowl.
Joyner's committee, which includes women's volleyball coach Russ Rose, Penn State faculty athletics representative Linda Caldwell, and chairman and co-founder of Independence Capital Partners and Lubert-Adler Partners Ira Lubert contains a variety of voices, however, in an effort to, as Joyner said, "align our core values in Intercollegiate Athletics with the rest of the academic units," so it's likely any potential candidate will be evaluated from a variety of angles before he can emerge as a true frontrunner for the job.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest on the Penn State head coaching search.