Penn State football plucks staffer from in-state foe

Penn State football is poised to further supplement its off-field staff, this time at the expense of an in-state rival. First reported Saturday, James Franklin is set to bring on Keith Bruno as a special teams analyst for the Nittany Lions. Bruno was most recently at Temple and has experience in the Big Ten. The move is one of several off-field staffing changes that have occurred inside the Lasch Building this month.

Penn State football to hire analyst Keith Bruno from Temple

Reported by John Brice of Football Scoop on Saturday afternoon, Keith Bruno is expected to join the Penn State football staff as a special teams analyst. Bruno comes to Happy Valley by way of Temple, where he was hired to the same role last April. Before joining the Owls, Bruno spent three seasons as a special teams assistant in the Big Ten at Rutgers.

NEWS: James Franklin, Penn State fortifying special teams by hiring away a Temple staffer, sources tell @footballscoop: https://t.co/g0HVVqRrLU

— John Brice (@JohnDBrice1) January 27, 2024

Keith Bruno got his start in high school coaching after graduating from Albright College in Reading, where he played safety from 2008 to 2012. He worked up the high school ranks in his native New Jersey before two separate stints at Albright and one season at St. Lawrence in Canton, New York.

Fired up to be joining the @PennStateFball staff as a Special Teams Analyst! #WeAre pic.twitter.com/DZpUCuSCW8

— Keith Bruno (@CoachKeithBruno) January 27, 2024

Bruno is expected to fill the vacancy left by Eric Raisbeck, who left the Nittany Lions to become the special teams coordinator at UC Davis.

James Franklin adding to his off-field staff

Keith Bruno is just the latest in a string of off-field staff hired by Penn State football in recent weeks. On Friday, news emerged that James Franklin was reuniting with Nittany Lion letterman Jordan Lucas, who will serve as a recruiting coordinator.

Two weeks ago, Penn State hired a wave of off-field personnel. Mark Dupis replaced letterman Calvin Lowry as an offensive analyst. Zach Terrill and Jeff McInerney were hired as analysts on the defensive side of the ball.

The moves are a natural progression following changes at the top for the Penn State coaching staff. Since the end of the regular season, James Franklin has replaced all three coordinators. In the case of Bruno, the former Temple analyst will work with new special teams coordinator Justin Lustig, hired earlier this month from Vanderbilt.

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