Mike Munchak interviewing with Penn State
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak looks up against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at EverBank Field. Tennessee Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-16. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Tennessee Titans fired head coach Mike Munchak yesterday, and it was the right decision to move away from a head coach who led the Titans to a 3-20 record against winning teams during his three-year tenure. Despite some solid depth and playoff aspirations when he was first hired, Munchak did little to push the Titans forward, and he didn’t do a good job of developing Jake Locker. But despite the Titans constant mediocrity under Munchak, they were prepared to give Munchak an extension with the stipulation being that he would have to fire the majority of his assistants. Munchak was unwilling to do this, thus the Titans canned him instead of extending him.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that Mike Munchak is interviewing with the Penn State Nittany Lions today, and he seems to be one of their top candidates. Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden is the favorite and Vanderbilt’s James Franklin is also in the mix (Franklin has plenty of NFL interest and has interviews scheduled with the Cleveland Browns and Washington Redskins), but Munchak has NFL experience and played college football for Penn State; they are going to give him a fair look.
Penn State’s coaching position is an extremely difficult one due to sanctions, but the university is steeped in tradition and is a rewarding challenge for a head coach who is successful at rebuilding the program. It will be interesting to see how interested Munchak is in the job, but he was linked to the opening at one point when he was still the Titans head coach, so keep a close eye on reports following the interview.