Why Eric Mangini Will Just Be the Next Guy to Turn Penn State Down

The Penn State football program is struggling right now. No, I'm not talking about the offense that averages less than 20 points per game. This team can't find a head coach for next season.

It seems like there is a new head coach that pops up everyday, and that's about as long as the rumor lasts because they quickly come out and say they're not interested.

Eric Mangini is now the newest name to be considered for the head coaching position.

“I know they are very interested on [Mangini] the former NFL coach who has been fired twice in the NFL,” says Mike Missanelli, who has reported on Penn State for years.

That's one of the reasons Mangini won't accept the job. He never was very successful in his days in the NFL, racking up a 33-47 overall record in five seasons and no playoff wins. He ended up getting fired by the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns. 

Mangini also has no college coaching experience. He became an offensive assistant for the Baltimore Ravens in 1996 and has had a position in the NFL ever since. Of course, now he works for ESPN, but that still doesn't do anything to prepare him to take over the Nittany Lions.

Neither does the fact that the university is currently going through a sex scandal that doesn't appear to be going away anytime soon. That's the main reason every coach has turned the offer down and will be another reason Mangini will do the same.

Penn State is one of the top programs in the country and would have coaches jumping at the opportunity to coach them, but not under these circumstances.

It's extremely hard to fill in the shoes of a legend like Joe Paterno, and it's even harder to do so when you have to deal with off-the-field distractions. Every candidate is going to be hesitant on accepting an offer. A coach that has no college coaching experience is going to run far away as possible.

It looks like the Penn State coaching search is going to continue for a long time.

 
Randy Chambers is a B/R Featured Columnist that covers College Football and the NFL. You can contact him @Randy_Chambers or [e-mail]