Now, Penn State Needs a Special Teams Coordinator, Too

Stacy Collins returns to Boise State after two seasons at Penn State. James Franklin will have three new coordinators in 2024.

Penn State football coach James Franklin will replace all three coordinators in less than two months, as special teams coordinator Stacy Collins is returning to Boise State. Broncos head coach Spencer Danielson announced the move Monday.

"To have someone with the level of expertise and experience as Stacy Collins want to come back to Boise State is truly a blessing," Danielson said in a statement. "Stacy is one of the best special teams coaches that I have ever come across and an elite linebackers coach. He does an amazing job of developing young men on and off the field, and the amount that he cares about his players is second to none. I'm incredibly excited to get to work with him again."

Collins spent the past two seasons at Penn State as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. Prior to that, Collins had not coached East of the Mountain time zone. The Oregon native spent his 24-year career in Oregon, Washington, South Dakota, North Dakota and Idaho (save for a two-year stint coaching American football in Austria).

Collins came to Penn State in 2022 after one season at Boise State, where he worked on staff with Danielson. Collins, originally from Oregon, has two degrees from Western Oregon. He also was the head coach at the South Dakota School of Mines.

"We know how special of a place it is and what can be achieved there, which is why I'm proud to Bleed Blue!" Collins said in a statement. "I am really looking forward to continuing building off the momentum from last season."

Collins coordinator a strong collection of special teams for Penn State last season. The Lions were 28th nationally in special teams, according to the ESPN SP+ rankings, and 12th nationally in punting. Kicker Alex Felkins took over the starting job in Week 1 and earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. Daequan Hardy returned two punts for touchdowns in the same game and ranked sixth nationally in return average (14.6). In 2022, Collins helped guide Chris Stoll to the Patrick Mannelly Award as the nation's top long snapper.

Collins' sudden departure means Franklin will replace all three coordinators in the same offseason for the first time. In December, Franklin replaced offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich with Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas State. Franklin then hired former Indiana head coach Tom Allen as defensive coordinator to replace Manny Diaz, who left after two seasons to become Duke's head coach.

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