Penn State adds former NFL coach, college coordinator Charlie Frye to off-field staff
Penn State has added another longtime football coach to its off-field staff.
Former NFL assistant and college football offensive coordinator Charlie Frye is now listed as an offensive analyst and analytics coordinator in the athletic department’s online directory. He comes to the Nittany Lions after spending the 2021 season as the Miami Dolphins quarterbacks coach.
Frye, 40, had a fine playing career before moving into the coaching ranks. He holds numerous records at Akron. Once his time at the Mid-American Conference school was complete, the Willard, Ohio native spent time in the pros. He started 13 games and played in 26 throughout five NFL seasons. His best season came in 2006. Then, the new member of the Penn State staff tossed for 2,454 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Cleveland Browns, who drafted him in the third round of the 2005 selection process. He would later play for both Seattle and Oakland.
Frye got his start in coaching in Florida’s high school ranks back in 2012. He was also on staff at Florida im 2017 with current Penn State running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider, who was the Gators’ running backs coach and recruiting coordinator when Frye was its director of player personnel. Following a year at the Division-II level, Frye spent two seasons as the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator at Central Michigan in 2019 and 2020. From there, he moved on to Miami, but was let go when the rest of then head coach Brian Flores’ staff was back in February.
What will Frye do at Penn State?
Part of the job posting on the official Penn State jobs page offers insight into what Frye will do for the Nittany Lions. Responsibilities will include:
–Helping organizing, plan, and coordinate Penn State special teams while scouting opponents’ special teams units
–Helping offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich with preliminary scouting and game planning.
–Create self-scout reports for coaches and staff
–Assisting with data organization and distribution
–“Oversee the relationship with agents to ensure that our specialists are properly advised during the agent selection process”
Penn State coach James Franklin spoke earlier this offseason about the importance of adding support staff members. Frye is just the latest addition in that regard.
“It’s about manpower in recruiting,” Franklin said in March. “It’s about manpower in terms of when we’re breaking down film ,and when we’re watching tape, that we have enough perspectives in the room and enough experience in the room.
“Then, it also helps you obviously in terms of manpower when it comes to game planning and those types of things.”
Penn State started fall camp on Monday. It opens the 2022 season at Purdue on Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. on FOX.
