Former Penn State analyst Frank Leonard is back in football for the 2025 season; here's where he's coaching now

Shortly after news broke in late March that Frank Leonard was retiring from his role as the Penn State assistant offensive line coach, a few Nittany Lions were asked to speak about the longtime confidant and colleague of head coach James Franklin. Two things quickly became clear: He was beloved within the program, and while he’d be missed, it meant he’d be back with his family.

“Coach Leonard is one of my mentors,” Lions offensive line coach Phil Trautwein said. He worked as closely with Leonard as anyone over the last three seasons. “Having him here every single day was awesome for me growing. I learned a lot from him. He coached longer than I’ve been alive. So when you do that, you know, me and him, you know, just had a great relationship. He made work fun, and I love him. I miss him. I’m happy for him, because I know that now he’s able to see his family.

“Being away from his family for three years [at Penn State], also, before that, he was at Colorado State for two years without seeing his family, but that’s just because he loves ball. So you know, being away from his family for five years, I don’t know how he did it, but it just shows you how much he loves football, and you know how much he loved the guys here in Penn State, and it was a really hard decision for him.  So, I know I’m excited for him. I miss him every day, and he’s a great person.”

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A 2024 profile on Leonard, who lived over top of Franklin’s garage during some, if not all, of his time in State College, from the Reading Eagle noted that it was because the football lifer’s family continued to live in the Boston area. The two spent time together at Kansas State before Penn State. But their relationship spans nearly three decades.

“Once my daughters (Maria and Sarah) got into high school, I was not going to move them,” Leonard told the outlet. “I had a wonderful high school experience and I wanted them to have the same thing.

“Maybe James knew that. He said, ‘You’re going to live with me. I have a place above my detached garage.’ It’s a beautiful room. I’m very close not only with James but with Fumi (Franklin’s wife) and their two daughters (Shola and Addison).”

Leonard has not publicly commented on his departure. But, the assumption was that he’d be joining his family back in the Boston area. And, while you can’t always have everything in life, that could very well be the case here.

Leonard is the new senior offensive assistant working with the offensive line and tight ends at Nichols College. The Division-III school is located in Dudley, Mass. Google Maps clocks it as a 60-mile drive from Boston’s Logan International Airport. It may be an even shorter ride from where the Leonards actually live. Either way, the former Penn State assistant’s new role will keep a coaching streak intact that dates back to 1981.

“He was a big impact on the offensive line room; his energy, his passion for the game, the way he taught, it was big for us,” Lions left tackle Drew Shelton told The Daily Collegian in April. “Obviously, we were all really sad to see him go, but sometimes, life’s bigger than football, so he’s got some things he’s got to deal with and some things he’s got to do. We’re sad to see him go, and we love him and we miss him every single day.”