San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman (right) talks to running back Frank Gore (21) before the NFC divisional round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
The Penn State Nittany Lions have shown interest in a large amount of high-profile head coaches in both the NFL and college ranks, as the likes of Mike Munchak, Greg Schiano, Al Golden, and James Franklin have been linked to the university as replacements for former head coach Bill O’Brien, who was hired by the Houston Texans. O’Brien is certainly a big name and Penn State a big university, so the Nittany Lions are naturally going to look to hire another excellent head coach. It appears that Franklin is the school’s top candidate, and there are some who believe that he is very close to accepting the job. However, he seems to be open at this point in time, as he still has interviews with the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns coming up.
CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora reports that San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman will interview for the Penn State vacancy, and this is definitely a big fish for PSU. Roman sometimes draws the ire of 49ers fans, but there is no doubt that he has a vast understanding of the game and is one of the most brilliant coaching minds on the offensive side of the ball in football. He’s definitely creative, and he would be a big splash and intriguing hire for the Nittany Lions to make.
The interest also appears to be mutual, as the San Jose Mercury News’s Cam Inman reports that Roman has spoken extremely highly of the Penn State head coaching position in the past and interviewed for the job back in 2011 when the university decided to hire O’Brien to replace Joe Paterno. Roman makes plenty of sense for PSU, and it will be interesting to see if he leaves the Niners. He has NFL interviews lined up as well for head coaching gigs, so stay tuned.