Their view: A self-inflicted wound from the administration

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Their view: DACA kids are victims of political system that thinks in exaggerations

<p>Speaking this week on a panel at the annual AFCA Convention, James Franklin laid out his process for making a new hire for his staff.</p><p>&#8220;Your resume means nothing,&#8221; <a href="http://footballscoop.com/news/resume-means-nothing-notes-afca-graduate-assistant-career-forum/" target="_blank">the Penn State coach said, according to Football Scoop</a>. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never looked at a resume &#8212; ever. Your references mean nothing. I&#8217;m not calling your references, I&#8217;m calling the people that I know. I&#8217;m not working with someone 16 to 17 hours a day if I don&#8217;t know them or someone that I know trusts them.&#8221;</p><p>David Corley had that going for him, which is a big reason why he&#8217;s now the Nittany Lions&#8217; new running backs coach.</p><p>Penn State announced the hire of its new 10th assistant on Friday, rounding out its staff for the 2018 season.</p><p>And his own impression and the word of other coaches meant more to Franklin than Corley&#8217;s most recent job, coaching wide receivers at Army West Point, which completed just 20 passes last year.</p><p>&#8220;David is a dynamic football coach who will be a great fit in our program,&#8221; Franklin said through the school. &#8220;I have gotten to know David over the last several years and followed his career closely. &#8230; People I respect in this profession think the world of David and his family, and we feel they will be a tremendous addition to our Penn State community.&#8221;</p><p>Corley replaces Charles Huff, who left for Mississippi State last month when the Bulldogs hired Lions offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead as head coach.</p><p>&#8220;My family and I are very excited about the opportunity to join the Penn State family,&#8221; Corley said through the school. &#8220;I have admired coach Franklin&#8217;s work for a long time.&#8221;</p><p>Before his lone season at Army, Corley had coached running backs at UConn and at his alma mater, William &amp; Mary, where he was a four-year starting quarterback who was recently inducted into the Tribe&#8217;s Athletics Hall of Fame.</p><p>In his three seasons at UConn, Corley impressed former Huskies coach Bob Diaco, who promoted him to offensive coordinator for the final month of a crumbling 2016 season.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an incredibly challenging circumstance he&#8217;s taking over,&#8221; Diaco said of Corley at the time. &#8220;David is really talented and he&#8217;s going to be an icon in our profession, but he&#8217;s not a magician.&#8221;</p><p>The Huskies were shut out in their next two games against Temple and Boston College and closed out the season with a 38-13 loss to Tulane. Diaco was fired and his staff scattered, with Corley ending up at West Point.</p><p>Diaco chose Corley for the job in part because of his overall football IQ, noting that &#8220;his suggestions in-game that I get a chance to listen to have been on point and spot on. He has a real good feel for that.&#8221;</p><p>Both Diaco and Corley recognized that the situation at UConn was likely unsalvageable. But the results weren&#8217;t what stood out to the head coach.</p><p>&#8220;No matter whether it&#8217;s in four days, four weeks or four years, he&#8217;s going to be a star in our profession,&#8221; Diaco said. &#8220;A very talented coach. And I&#8217;m looking forward to him grinding.&#8221;</p><p>Corley&#8217;s lone season at Army coincided with one of the Black Knights&#8217; best seasons in modern history, as they tied the school record with 10 wins and beat both archrival Navy and Air Force to win the Commander in Chief&#8217;s Trophy for the first time in two decades.</p><p>&#8220;These players are going to be leading our nation in a few years, (and) I feel very confident that America is in good hands,&#8221; Corley wrote on Twitter Friday, thanking Army coach Todd Monken for the opportunity. &#8220;Coaching Army West Point football has been an experience that I will never forget.&#8221;</p><p>Now he is tasked with leading a Lions running back room that must fill the enormous void left by Saquon Barkley but will also have a pair of five-star talents in projected starter Miles Sanders and incoming freshman Ricky Slade.</p><p>On top of that, Corley will also be asked to put in some heavy work recruiting, as his predecessor, Huff, was one of the Lions&#8217; best on the trail. Huff was a big part of Penn State&#8217;s nationally regarded 2018 class, performing well in the coveted DMV area (D.C./Maryland/Virginia).</p><p>A North Carolina native, Corley may end up inheriting some of those duties as well.</p><p>&#8221;He has continuously impressed me with his drive and passion for the game and recruiting,&#8221; Franklin said. &#8220;He has an infectious personality and competitiveness that will impact our running back room.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Corley </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_corley-mug.jpg</photo0><caption0>Corley </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_AP_133594266425.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">New Penn State assistant David Corley previously worked with running backs at UConn, where he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the end of the 2016 season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/web1_AP_133594266425.jpg</photo1><caption1>New Penn State assistant David Corley previously worked with running backs at UConn, where he was promoted to offensive coordinator for the end of the 2016 season. </caption1><photoCredit1>Jessica Hill | AP file photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Derek Levarse</p><p>dlevarse@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>PENN STATE STAFF CHANGES</strong></p><p><strong>Position`2017`2018</strong></p><p>Off. coordinator`Joe Moorhead`Ricky Rahne</p><p>Def. coordinator`Brent Pry`Brent Pry</p><p>ST coordinator`Charles Huff`Phil Galiano</p><p>QB coach`Joe Moorhead`Ricky Rahne</p><p>RB coach`Charles Huff`David Corley</p><p>WR coach`Josh Gattis`Josh Gattis</p><p>TE coach`Ricky Rahne`Tyler Bowen</p><p>OL coach`Matt Limegrover`Matt Limegrover</p><p>DL coach`Sean Spencer`Sean Spencer</p><p>LB coach`Brent Pry`Brent Pry</p><p>CB coach`Terry Smith`Terry Smith</p><p>Saf. coach`Tim Banks`Tim Banks</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Derek Levarse at 570-991-6396 or on Twitter @TLdlevarse</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Penn State hires David Corley as new running backs coach