ASSISTANT COACH & STAFF BIOS ➤ BRENT PRY Associate Head Coach/ Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers
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• A native of Altoona, Pa., Brent Pry’s coaching career has spanned 26 years and began during James Franklin’s final two seasons as an All-PSAC quarterback at East Stroudsburg University. Pry has helped each program he’s coached to success, including 11 bowl appearances, with Top 25 finishes in total defense in six of his last seven seasons (two at Penn State; three at Vanderbilt; 1 at Georgia Southern). He has played an instrumental role working with Top 10 defenses at Penn State, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Georgia Southern and Western Carolina. Pry was promoted to associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Penn State Jan. 10, 2016. In his first season as defensive coordinator, Pry helped the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten Championship by guiding a defense that finished 37th in FBS total defense (367.9), seventh in tackles for loss (8.1) and 19th in sacks (2.86) despite a significant number of injuries to the linebacking corps. As co-defensive coordinator for Penn State, Pry helped direct a unit that had back-to-back Top 15 finishes in total defense. In 2015, the Nittany Lions finished 14th, giving up 324.5 yards per game. Under Pry’s tutelage in 2014, the Penn State defense finished second in FBS in total defense, allowing just 278.7 yards per game, improving 46 spots from the 2013 season when the Lions finished 48th while giving up 381.3 yards per game. In 2014, Pry was a finalist for Football Scoop’s Linebackers Coach of the Year to continue the “Linebacker U” tradition. Mike Hull earned the Big Ten Butkus-Fitzgerald Linebacker of the Year award and eight All-America honors in 2014. Hull led the Big Ten with 140 tackles, tied for fourth in school season history. Pry tutored the Vanderbilt linebackers and was co-defensive coordinator from 2011-13. The linebackers led the team in tackles for loss during each of Pry’s three seasons and he helped Chris Marve earn All-SEC honors in 2011. While at Georgia Southern in 2010, his defensive unit helped the Eagles to a win over No. 1 Appalachian State and an appearance in the NCAA FCS semifinals. A member of the Memphis staff from 2007-09, Pry’s defensive line corps helped the Tigers to back-to-back bowl appearances. He also coached at Louisiana-Lafayette (2002-06), boosting the Ragin’ Cajuns to their first Sun Belt Conference championship, Western Carolina (1998-2001) and Virginia Tech (1995-97), helping the Hokies to three bowl games as a graduate assistant, including a win in the 1995 Sugar Bowl. Pry coached the East Stroudsburg outside linebackers and defensive backs in 1993-94. Pry’s father, Jim, has been a college football coach for 40 years and was Franklin’s offensive coordinator at East Stroudsburg.
➤ JOE MOORHEAD Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks • In his 20th year in college coaching, Joe Moorhead is in his second season as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after spending four seasons as the head coach of the Fordham Rams. • Moorhead was named the 2016 National Offensive Coordinator of the Year by 247Sports. • Moorhead’s offensive juggernaut, which broke the Penn State record for total offense (6,056) and passing yards (3,650) and tied the school record for points scored (526), helped the Nittany Lions to the 2016 Big Ten Championship.
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2017 PENN STATE FOOTBALL SPRING GUIDE
• Penn State improved its scoring average by 14.4 points from 2015 to 2016, which ranked fourth in FBS and second among Autonomy 5 schools. • The Nittany Lions scored 30 or more points in 11 games in 2016, which was the most since the 1994 squad did it in all 12 contests. • Offensive general, Trace McSorley threw for a school-record 29 touchdown passes en route to earning All-Big Ten second team honors, Big Ten Championship game MVP and Maxwell Club TriState Player of the Year. • After inheriting a program that went 1-10, Moorhead steadily built Fordham into a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff regular, along the way, leading the Rams to their best season in program history in 2013 and the Patriot League title in 2014. • Moorhead earned a 38-13 record as the Rams’ head coach with three consecutive berths in the FCS playoffs. • During his tenure, Moorhead produced the highest ranking in program history (No. 5 in 2013), highest final ranking in program history (No. 9 in 2013 and 2014), the first two wins over FBS schools in program history and the first two wins over Top 10 opponents in school history. • Moorhead guided the 2014 Jerry Rice Award for the NCAA FCS Rookie of the Year, three consecutive Patriot League Offensive Players of the Year, 11 All-Americans, five CoSIDA Academic AllAmericans and 55 All-Patriot League performers (37 first team, 18 second team) while with the Rams. • Under Moorhead, the Rams were consistently one of the top offensive teams in FCS. The Moorhead-led offense set 16 school records (individual and team) in 2013 and 2014. • In 2014, Moorhead led the Rams to their first Patriot League title since 2007 with a perfect 6-0 mark in league play and an 11-3 record overall. • In one of the most impressive seasons in school history, Moorhead guided the Rams to a 12-2 record in 2013, which included the program’s first win over an FBS opponent (Temple) and the school’s first two wins over Top 10 opponents (Villanova, Lehigh). • For his efforts, Moorhead was named the 2013 AFCA Regional Co-Coach of the Year and Patriot League Coach of the Year. He was also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award and the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year. • Before returning to take the helm at his alma mater, Moorhead spent three seasons at Connecticut, including two as the offensive coordinator. He helped lead the Huskies to 2010 Big East Championship and a berth in the 2011 Fiesta Bowl. • Additionally, Moorhead was at Akron for five seasons, Georgetown for four seasons and a pair of seasons as a graduate assistant at Pitt.
➤ CHARLES HUFF Special Teams Coordinator/ Running Backs Coach • Charles Huff is in his 13th season of coaching and fourth at Penn State as the special teams coordinator and running backs coach. • Huff was a versatile player and team captain at Hampton University, playing multiple positions on offense, which has greatly assisted him during his college and NFL coaching career. • In the 2016 Big Ten Championship season, Huff mentored a pair of Penn State record breakers in sophomore running back Saquon Barkley and junior kicker Tyler Davis. • Barkley broke the Penn State sophomore record for rushing yards (1,496), all-purpose yards (1,972) and points scored (132) on the way to winning Big Ten Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year and Big Ten Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year. • Davis collected All-Big Ten first team honors after tying the Big Ten season record for kicking points (128) and breaking the school record for field goals by a junior (22) and consecutive field goals made (18). Davis also won the Vlade Award for the nation’s most accurate kicker, given by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.
• Huff guided freshman punter Blake Gillikin, who was All-Big Ten honorable mention and ESPN.com True Freshman All-America, after averaging 42.8 yards per punt to rank seventh on Penn State’s season list. • In 2015, Huff was instrumental in the breakout season of Barkley. The Freshman All-American broke the Penn State freshman season rushing record with 1,076 yards en route to being named the Big Ten Network’s Big Ten Freshman of the Year. • In 2014, he guided Sam Ficken to All-Big Ten and Lou Groza Award semifinalist accolades, connecting on a Penn State season record 24 field goals (in 29 attempts). • Huff spent the 2013 season at Western Michigan as the running backs coach and helped the unit nearly double its rushing yards from 2012. The Broncos ran for 1,394 yards in 2013 after running for just 735 yards the year before. • Huff spent the 2012 season with the Buffalo Bills as assistant running backs coach, helping C.J. Spiller to his first career 1,000yard rushing campaign and a Pro Bowl invitation. The Bills topped 2,000 rushing yards as a team for the first time in 13 seasons and ranked sixth in the NFL with 2,217 yards in 2012. • Huff was a member of James Franklin’s 2011 staff at Vanderbilt as the offensive quality control coach and they worked together at Maryland in 2009, when Huff was the assistant offensive line coach. • He also worked at Hampton (2010) as the offensive line/running game coordinator. • Huff was the tight ends/special teams coach at Tennessee State (2007-08), working with NFL first-round draft pick Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. • From Denton, Maryland, Huff began his coaching career as the Tennessee State offensive line coach in 2006 and also had duties in football operations in 2007-08.
➤ TIM BANKS Co-Defensive Coordinator/Safeties
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• Banks is in his second season with the Nittany Lions as the co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach after spending four seasons at Illinois. • In his first season at Penn State, Banks helped the Nittany Lions to the Big Ten Championship by guiding a unit that finished 37th in FBS total defense (367.9), seventh in tackles for loss (8.1) and 19th in sacks (2.86). Under Banks’ tutelage, junior safety Marcus Allen garnered 2016 All-Big Ten third team honors after leading the team with 110 tackles, including 6.0 tackles for loss, and two fumble recoveries. Allen also blocked the field goal attempt that led to Grant Haley’s scoop-and-score for the game-winning touchdown against No. 2 Ohio State. As the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Illinois in 2015, Banks led the Fighting Illini to 15th-place finish in FBS in passing yards allowed (184.4) and 21st in team passing efficiency defense (112.24). He helped the Fighting Illini to the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2014. Three players from the 2012 Illini defense were selected in the 2013 NFL Draft - Akeem Spence (4th round; Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Terry Hawthorne (5th round; Pittsburgh Steelers) and Michael Buchanan (7th round; New England Patriots). Prior to his time in Champaign, Banks spent the 2010 and 2011 seasons as the co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Cincinnati, helping the Bearcats to the 2011 Big East Co-Championship. During his tenure, the Bearcats made significant improvement on defense, including finishing sixth in rushing defense the country, ninth in turnover margin and second in sacks in 2011. The defensive success helped propel Cincinnati to a win in the 2011 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Banks coached 2011 Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year and 2012 NFL Draft second round pick Derek Wolfe as well as firstteam All-Big East selections Drew Frey and JK Schaefer.