Penn State assistant Gerad Parker headed to West Virginia

"I'm excited to add Gerad to the coaching staff at West Virginia," Brown said. "I have known him for many years, and we have similar roots in the state of Kentucky. He brings years of successful experience, not only on the field but also as a recruiter who has covered a lot of territory. He will make an immediate impact on our staff. I look forward to him and his wife, Kandi, and their family becoming a part of Mountaineer football."

The change would mark Penn State's third assistant coaching shift of the offseason, joining Ricky Rahne, who became head coach at Old Dominion, and Matt Limegrover, whose contract was not renewed.

In the place of Rahne, Minnesota offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca was hired as Penn State's new OC while former Florida offensive lineman and NFL veteran Phil Trautwein was hired as the Nittany Lions' new offensive line assistant coach.

During his one year with the Nittany Lions, Parker's group was charged with 31 drops for the season according to Pro Football Focus, 12 of which belonged to K.J. Hamler.

Asked leading into the bowl game about the impact of Parker on the receivers, sophomore wideout Jahan Dotson was effusive with his praise.

"Coach [Gerad] Parker is almost like a second father to me. He does way more than just be a wide receivers coach," Dotson said. "He’s taught me so many life lessons. He invites us over to his house almost every week to have dinner with him, play with his kids and stuff like that. He’s been like a second father to me and it’s been great to have him."

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