Parker named receivers coach
Penn State has hired Gerad Parker, a Duke assistant who was the interim head coach at Purdue in 2016, as its new receivers coach.
Parker spent last season as the receivers coach at Duke for David Cutcliffe. Prior to that he worked at Purdue, spending the last six games of 2016 as interim head coach after Darrell Hazell was fired.
Parker replaces David Corley, who was relieved of the position after one season at Penn State.
“We are excited to add Gerad to our staff,” Penn State coach James Franklin said in a statement. “He has a comprehensive background and knows the Big Ten. He is a terrific fit for our staff, university and community. He has a great opportunity to come in and make a significant impact both on and off the field with a very talented position group.”
Parker, who played receiver at Kentucky, spent the last two years on Duke's staff. Cutciffe hired Parker as a football operations assistant in 2017, then promoted him to receivers coach in 2018.
Parker came to Duke in June 2017, four months after being cited for operating a vehicle while intoxicated in Indiana. A jury trial, which has been postponed several times, is scheduled for Jan. 17, according to court records.
ESPN reported in February 2017 that East Carolina rescinded a job offer to Parker after the incident. Cutcliffe told the Durham Herald-Sun in 2017 that he felt the incident was “an outlier.”
“Everybody has made mistakes,” Cutcliffe told the HeraldSun. “This is one I felt very strongly about. This was an outlier. There are trends. There are people that have issues. He's not one of those. I have zero concern. I know he's comfortable with it, and I'm comfortable with it, that as we move forward that will not be any issue whatsoever.”
In a statement released by Penn State, Parker said that he is “humbled and honored” to join the coaching staff.
“We as a family are certainly very excited to be a part of a place that has been built with such a passion for football and with such a storied history,” Parker said in the statement. “Coach Franklin has done great things at Penn State and has high expectations of where this program can go. Personally, I feel I have been called on this earth to coach wideouts and help grow men, what better place to do that than Penn State, a place that is high in talent and has a chance to compete for championships.”
Prior to joining Duke's staff, Parker spent four seasons at Purdue coaching tight ends and receivers. He also was the recruiting coordinator.
In October 2016, Purdue named Parker its interim head coach. Parker went 0-6 as the interim coach, including a 62-24 loss to Penn State.
Former Penn State coach named offensive coordinator at Michigan
This should make Penn State's visit to Michigan in October even more interesting.
Michigan on Thursday named Josh Gattis as its new offensive coordinator. Gattis comes to Michigan from Alabama, where he spent last season as receiver coach.
Before that, Gattis had coached with James Franklin for six seasons at Vanderbilt and Penn State. Gattis spent four seasons in State College, leaving for Alabama early in 2018 after Ricky Rahne was named Penn State's offensive coordinator.
In a statement, Gattis, 34, called the Michigan job “the leadership challenge I've coveted.”
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