Penn State to hire Marques Hagans as wide receivers coach
One week after Penn State parted ways with wide receivers coach Taylor Stubblefield, the Nittany Lions have found his replacement. Sources have confirmed with Blue-White Illustrated that Virginia wide receivers coach Marques Hagans will take over as the team’s newest assistant.
Hagans has spent the last 11 years at Virginia, his alma mater. He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 2011 and has been the wide receivers coach since 2013. His tenure in Charlottesville spanned multiple staffs, as he was retained by both Bronco Mendenhall and Tony Elliott when they took over. Hagans was originally brought on staff by Mike London. He spent 2011-13 on the Virginia staff with current Penn State safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, another former Virginia standout. The two have remained close as their coaching careers have taken them to different locations.
He’ll be the fifth wide receivers coach of the Franklin era at Penn State. There’s no word yet on any additional titles for the Nittany Lions. He was the wide receivers coach and associate head coach for the Cavaliers under Elliott.
Hagans inherits rebuilding receiving room at Penn State
Hagans has his work cut out for him during year one at Penn State. He must replace the top two pass catchers from a production standpoint now that Parker Washington and Mitchell Tinsley are both off to the NFL.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith is back with plenty of experience but inconsistent results. Hagans recruited Lamber-Smith for Virginia in the Class of 2020. Then, a group of young players hoping to make their mark, such as Harrison Wallace, Liam Clifford, Omari Evans, Kaden Saunders , Anthony Ivey and Tyler Johnson, is joined by former Kent State receiver and transfer Dante Cephas, who is the oldest player in the room now, and former Florida State receiver Malik McClain, who is on campus for spring practice.
“All they have to do is put their head down and grind and just grind and not worry about anything. Block out the noise,” Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich told BWI of the group recently. “How good can you get as a player? How much can you master your techniques and what we’re asking you guys to do? See the big picture.”
Virginia lifer now headed to Pennsylvania
Hagans played quarterback at Virginia and was a four-year letterwinner from 2002-05. He’s currently No. 10 all-time in passing for the Wahoos with 4,877 passing yards. The St. Louis Rams selected Hagans in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins before calling it a career in 2010. He returned to UVA in 2011 to get into coaching.
Originally from Hampton High School in Virginia, Hagans has recruited the Tidewater region of his home state since going on the road for Virginia.
