Ex-Penn State QB joining Joe Moorhead staff for first on-field role

A former Penn State football player is reuniting with his one-time coordinator to jumpstart his own coaching career. According to reports last week, ex-Penn State QB Michael Shuster is set to be hired as QBs coach at Akron by Joe Moorhead. Shuster will take over the role after the Zips’ last QBs coach, a fellow former Nittany Lions QB, Billy Fessler, left for the same position at UCLA.

Former Penn State QB set to join Joe Moorhead at Akron

Last week, Pete Thamel of ESPN was the first to report that Joe Moorhead is set to hire Michael Shuster as Akron’s next QB coach. Shuster played under Moorhead while the Akron coach was the offensive coordinator for Penn State football in 2016 and 2017.

Sources: Akron is set to hire Michael Shuster as the school's new quarterbacks coach. He worked last at Duke as a graduate assistant with the quarterbacks. He's a former Penn State quarterback who worked two years at Old Dominion.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) February 1, 2024

A Camp Hill native, Michael Shuster saw limited action with Penn State football during his time in Happy Valley. After his playing career ended, Shuster spent two years as a graduate assistant at Old Dominion, where he worked for another ex-Nittany Lions offensive coordinator, Ricky Rahne. Last season, Shuster served as a graduate assistant for Duke in the ACC.

Nittany Lions QB room reunion for the Zips

This isn’t the first time Joe Moorhead has hired an ex-Penn State QB at Akron. Michael Shuster replaces Billy Fessler, a fellow former Nittany Lions backup who joined Moorhead in 2022. As QBs coach and offensive coordinator last season, the Zips averaged 279 yards per game.

In early January, Billy Fessler left Joe Moorhead and Akron to take the QBs coaching role at UCLA. Penn State football will have the chance to face Fessler this fall, when the Nittany Lions welcome the Bruins to Beaver Stadium on October 5.

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