Penn State Interviewing 49ers OC Greg Roman for Head Coaching Job

The Penn State Nittany Lions may be closing in on a new head football coach.

Via Tom Dienhart of the Big Ten Network, we know that the Nittany Lions are very much interested in a certain San Francisco 49ers coach:

Roman is in his first season as the 49ers' OC, but he has also coached in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, and he coached under Jim Harbaugh at Stanford.

Roman confirmed to the Press of Atlantic City via a text message that he interviewed with Penn State last month and that he has been in contact with the university recently. 

Penn State has been reported to be heavily interested in several notable coaching candidates, the most recent of whom was New England Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien. The two sides were reported to be close to a deal, but those reports have been shot down by both the school and O'Brien's agent.

The Nittany Lions have been without a permanent head coach ever since the school cut ties with legendary head coach Joe Paterno in November in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Veteran defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has been serving as Penn State's interim head coach.

The Nittany Lions finished the season with losses in two of their last three games, and they have been badly outplayed by the Houston Cougars in the TicketCity Bowl.

With Roman calling the shots, the 49ers scored 23.8 points per game in 2011. They managed 19.1 points per game in 2010.

Roman's success at the pro level speaks for itself, but the Nittany Lions' interest in Roman is presumably focused more around his track record at Stanford. He was a key member of a coaching staff that rebuilt the Cardinal from the ground up—an effort that included the development of quarterback Andrew Luck.

Given what Penn State has gone through in recent months, the football program could use a complete rebuilding process.