Penn State welcomes All-American influence in linebackers room

Dan Connor was only two years into his NFL career when he realized what he wanted next. The former All-American linebacker and Penn State career tackles record-holder knew his playing career would end and, with it, he’d need a plan.

The son of a high school and college coach in the suburban Philadelphia area, with two brothers coaching at the high school level, Connor similarly held long-term coaching aspirations. Looking ahead to that possibility, which would come just six years into his NFL tenure, he wanted to be prepared.

So, he took notes.

“I started keeping a notebook, separate from my football notebook, of Tom Coughlin, Ron Rivera, Jason Garrett, Sean McDermott; I had great coaches,” Connor told Steve Jones on the Penn State Coaches Show. “I kept a notebook of stuff they were doing, how they were teaching, themes that they would use week to week.

“And I was fortunate. I finished playing and it took about maybe one month until I was hired at West Chester University and jumped into it. But it’s been in my blood. It’s something I knew I wanted to do really my whole life once the actual playing career stopped.”

Making a move

Traversing a professional journey that saw him spend two seasons at West Chester as a linebackers coach, two seasons at Archbishop Carroll High School, and four years at Widener as its defensive coordinator, though, the 2024 college football season stands to deliver the most significant, welcomed change of his career.

Joining the Penn State staff with Manny Diaz in the spring of 2022, Connor achieved a goal he’d described as a “pipe dream.” Having previously established a relationship with head coach James Franklin , a spot opened on the analyst staff, he was offered the position on a Thursday and started the job just three days later.

But, there was a catch.

Taking on the role of a defensive analyst, NCAA rules permitted a complete table setting of coaching responsibilities. All that was missing was the meal itself.

“The one limitation is you can’t coach the players on the field when you’re out there,” Connor said. “So you’re sitting in through staff meetings, defensive meetings, the linebacker meetings, the unit meetings, preparing film, making cut-ups for the players, game planning. So pretty much everything that you do as a coach, except when we’re out there on the field, you can’t actively coach the players.”

A new paradigm

On June 25, those rules changed.

Approved by the NCAA’s Division I Council, all staff members are permitted to “provide technical and tactical instruction to student-athletes during practice and competition.” Accordingly, Connor is one of a host of Penn State analysts on both sides of the ball now delivering comprehensive on-field instruction as the Nittany Lions progress through August’s preseason camp.

Bolstering virtually every element of Penn State’s coaching, practices have been fine-tuned to run more efficiently. They’re intended to maximize every available opportunity for instruction. And, at linebacker, the change’s impact has been particularly pronounced. Defensive coordinator Tom Allen has witnessed as much first hand as Connor’s influence has taken hold.

“It’s massive. To me, Dan Connor is one of the greatest linebackers to ever play here. He was a tremendous player and is a great, great coach,” said Allen. “He was limited with what he could do in the past. Now, that guy can be right in there with us, helping with drills, running drills. I can have the freedom to be able to go to some other spots. And he’s going to help me with the linebackers in a huge, huge way.

“And I trust him. I think he’s a phenomenal coach. So that’s massive. You can divide your groups up when you meet with them. You can be able to get more information covered. And I think also in practice, you get more guys getting individualized attention. It’s definitely a great thing.”

Penn State players feel impact

Penn State’s linebackers have shared in Allen’s enthusiasm for the change.

Already familiar with Connor’s coaching in the position’s meeting room, the technical instruction provided is admittedly different. Coming from one of the program’s best to ever play the position, redshirt junior Kobe King outlined that the additional voice brings a new dynamic into play.

“It’s awesome to have him out there. Just to be able to learn from him for him to coach us now,” said King. “It’s definitely a different aspect just from him being a player here. He can give us different tips than a coach can give us. Coach can give us the scheme and coach definitely does their job. But from a player that actually played within a scheme, it’s a lot different. I think guys cherish it a lot.”

Anchored by a starting duo of King and Tony Rojas, with extensive additional experience coming from Dom DeLuca and Tyler Elsdon, plus a sizable contribution from redshirt freshman Ta’Mere Robinson, Penn State is again poised to be strong at linebacker this season. And, while the extent of the dividends of Connor’s presence remains to be seen, the initial impact of the rules changes has been undeniable.

“He’s a guy that everyone respects when he talks and it’s great for us,” said King. “We learn a lot from him. He learns a lot from us. And he always wants us to get better every day. That’s where we get it from.”

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