FCS program adds ex-Nittany Lions coordinator, Penn State football letterman to staff, per report

A pair of coaches with ties to the Penn State football program appears set to join the same meeting room next fall.

On Tuesday morning, Doug Samuels of FootballScoop reported that Youngstown State head coach Doug Phillips is preparing to add Mike Yurcich and Michael Zordich to his staff.

The hire would be Mike Yurcich’s first sideline opportunity since leaving Happy Valley last fall. Joining Penn State as offensive coordinator in 2021, James Franklin relieved Yurcich of his duties following the Nittany Lions’ home loss to Michigan in November 2023. Penn State ranked No. 12 in scoring but No. 53 in total offense last season.

A native of Euclid, Ohio, about 75 minutes northwest of Youngstown, Yurcich has coordinator experience at Oklahoma State, Ohio State, and Texas at the FBS level.

Deeper into the annals of Penn State football history, Michael Zordich was a former All-American safety and team captain for the Nittany Lions. He was a member of the program’s first National Championship in 1982 and finished his Nittany Lion career with 201 total tackles.

© Junfu Han, Detroit Free Press

Zordich spent 12 seasons in the NFL, making 127 starts and recording nearly 600 tackles and 20 interceptions. Previously coaching for the Penguins in 2014, the Penn State football letterman bookended his time in Youngstown with four years on the Philadelphia Eagles defensive staff and six years at Michigan. He most recently was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at Central Michigan.

Originally hailing from Youngstown, Zordich’s son, Michael Jr., was a standout running back/fullback and captain for Penn State football between 2008 and 2012.

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