James Franklin fills his Penn State staff, names David Corley running backs coach

York Daily Record

Penn State head coach James Franklin polishes the champions trophy after the Fiesta Bowl victory over Washington. The latest man to help him build on that success? New running backs coach David Corley, most recently at Army. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

James Franklin completed his Penn State coaching staff by filling the vacant running backs' spot just as they hit the recruiting road for a crucial stretch.

David Corley is the 10th assistant coach — an extra position created by NCAA legislation last year. He most recently was the wide receivers coach at Army and coached running backs at two previous stops.

"David is a dynamic football coach who will be a great fit in our program,” Franklin said in a prepared statement. "I have gotten to know David over the last several years and followed his career closely. He has continuously impressed me with his drive and passion for the game and recruiting. He has an infectious personality and competitiveness that will impact our running back room.

"People I respect in this profession think the world of David and his family and we feel they will be a tremendous addition to our Penn State community."

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The Nittany Lions' staff was shaken up after the regular season with offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead leaving to become the head coach at Mississippi State. He took special teams and running backs coach Charles Huff with him.

Since then, Moorhead has hired former Penn State defensive coordinator Bob Shoop and former Lion linebacker Nyeem Wartman-White as a graduate assistant.

Corley joins a staff hitting the road to finish up their 2018 recruiting class by the Feb. 7 national signing day. He will be in charge of helping junior-to-be Miles Sanders take over the main rushing duties from departing Saquon Barkley.

Miles Sanders (24) expects to take over the starting tailback spot this coming season. He'll now be learning from a new assistant coach. Army's David Corley was just hired to take over the running backs room.

Corley's other new tailbacks include senior Mark Allen, redshirt freshman Journey Brown and highly rated incoming freshman Ricky Slade.

Corley recently helped Army to a second-straight bowl win and the Commander in Chief’s Trophy in 2017. Army won back-to-back bowl games for just the second time in school history and claimed the Commander in Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 1996. The Black Knights also tied the school record with 10 wins.

Prior to working at Army, Corley coached running backs, receivers, special teams and was the director of player engagement over three years at the University of Connecticut. He even served as the Huskies' offensive coordinator over the final month of a season.

As special teams coordinator, Corley led the Huskies’ punt return defense to a Top 20 national ranking.

Corley began his coaching career at his alma mater William & Mary in 2008. There, he led the running backs after setting nearly every program record as a quarterback. He also coached the team's quarterbacks from 2010-2012 and then its receivers.