James Franklin adds Penn State football letterman, Super Bowl champion to staff

Penn State football letterman and Super Bowl champion Jordan Lucas is making his return to Happy Valley. First reported on Friday, James Franklin has tapped the former standout defensive back to join his staff as a recruiting coordinator. The move is the latest in a busy month of staff changes for Franklin and the Nittany Lions.

Former Penn State defensive back Jordan Lucas joins James Franklin’s off-field staff

First reported by Greg Pickel of On3 on Friday, letterman Jordan Lucas is joining the Nittany Lions off-field staff for 2024. According to the Penn State football staff directory, Lucas will have the title of Recruiting Coordinator for Personnel and Recruitment. He joins another Penn State letterman, Alan Zemaitis, who is also a Recruiting Coordinator. 

Jordan Lucas most recently worked for former Penn State assistant coach Charles Huff at Marshall. The New Rochelle, New York native spent six seasons in the NFL. He was part of the Kansas City Chiefs roster that won Super Bowl LIV for the 2019 season.

Lucas was one of six true freshmen to play for Bill O’Brien in 2012. He earned All-Big Ten honors in 2013 and 2014, appearing in 40 consecutive games before missing his first start in September of the 2015 season. After nine games, Lucas’s senior year was cut short due to a season-ending injury suffered against Northwestern.

Tracking the Nittany Lions’ January staffing moves

January has brought a flurry of activity inside the Lasch Football Building. The moves started when special teams coordinator Stacy Collins left to return to Bosie State on January 12. James Franklin hired Vanderbilt assistant Justin Lustig as his replacement five days later, on January 17.

The Nittany Lions lost a letterman from its off-field staff when former Penn State standout Calvin Lowry left his role as an offensive analyst to become the running backs coach at Middle Tennessee. Mark Dupuis, a former analyst returning to Happy Valley after following Ricky Rahne to Old Dominion, will fill his role. Special teams analyst Eric Raisbeck also left the program to take a coordinator position at UC Davis. 

Most recently before Jordan Lucas joined the staff, Penn State football added Zach Terrill and former Central Connecticut State head coach Jeff McInerney as defensive analysts.

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