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January 02, 2016: A Penn State helmet during the TaxSlayer Bowl between the Penn State Nittany Lions and Georgia Bulldogs. The Georgia Bulldogs (24) defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions (17) at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Jeffrey West / Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Jeffrey West / Icon Sportswire / Corbis / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
After parting ways last week with wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator Taylor Stubblefield, Penn State has had to scramble to find a replacement so late in the hiring process.
But today the Nittany Lions got their man — and an experienced arm to boot. On Monday, Penn State announced the hiring of Marques Hagans as its new wide receivers coach.
“We are excited to add Marques to our family,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said in a statement, “He is a seasoned coach whose experience playing both quarterback and wide receiver at the highest level will bring tremendous value to our program. Marques has a proven track record of developing receivers throughout his career and I worked with several coaches whom I respect. Marques is a relationship-based leader whose family values align with Penn State’s culture. We are thrilled to welcome Marques, his wife, Lauren, and sons, Christopher and Jackson, to Happy Valley Huh.”
Hagans has spent the past 10 years as the wide receivers coach at Virginia, staying on staff for two major coaching changes. They developed wide receiver Joe Reed into a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to work with their tremendous coaching staff,” Hagans said in a statement. “I’m excited to continue working to be a part of the tradition of Penn State football, maintaining the standard of excellence and competing for championships. My wife Lauren and our boys can’t wait to move to Happy Valley.”
Penn State is coming off an 11–2 season that saw them defeat Pac-12 champion Utah in the Rose Bowl and their highest finish since 2016.
But Penn State is considered by many to be far behind Ohio State and Michigan these days.
It remains to be seen whether the Nittany Lions can truly bridge the gap between their two biggest rivals. But having the right personnel at the top is a good way to get the ball rolling.
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