Penn State’s Dan Connor Officially Earns Promotion to Linebackers Coach

Dan Connor has finally been promoted after three seasons as a Penn State defensive analyst. Connor, the program’s all-time leading tackler, will serve as the Nittany Lions’ next linebackers coach, as illustrated by an alteration in his title on the team’s staff directory. 

He will officially take over for former defensive coordinator Penn State Tom Allen, who coached the linebackers last season before leaving for the same role at Clemson in January. Jim Knowles, the Nittany Lions’ new defensive coordinator, has a linebacker background but will not coach an individual position group this season.

Connor continues his quick rise up the coaching ranks. In just 10 years, he has gone from linebackers coach at West Chester University to head coach at Philadelphia’s Archbishop Carroll to defensive coordinator at Widener and, finally, back to the Nittany Lions.

Connor now officially takes control of a linebacker room returning two starters in Tony Rojas and Dominic DeLuca. He will be tasked with finding a replacement for middle linebacker Kobe King, who declared for the NFL Draft this offseason.