After three seasons as Penn State’s tight ends coach, Tyler Bowen is reportedly making a jump to the pros with Urban Meyer and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Phoebe Sheehan | AP file photo, Centre Daily Times
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Urban Meyer is gone from the Big Ten. But the former Ohio State coach is creating another headache for Penn State.
Well-regarded tight ends coach Tyler Bowen is set to leave the Nittany Lions for a job on Meyer’s new staff with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to a report by Lions247 on Monday night.
Recognized by analysts as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the college ranks, the 31-year-old Bowen has spent three successful seasons on James Franklin’s staff. In that time, Pat Freiermuth developed into one of the country’s top tight ends, and the recruiting at the position has been strong.
Even with Freiermuth leaving for the NFL, Bowen would be leaving a tight end room led by Brenton Strange — who took over the starting job midway through the 2020 season when Freiermuth was injured — and Theo Johnson, one of the Lions’ top recruits in the 2020 cycle.
Bowen also helped land tight end recruits Tyler Warren (2020) and Khalil Dinkins (2021) and has two four-star prospects verbally committed for 2022 in Jerry Cross and Holden Staes.
Franklin hired Bowen away from his alma mater, Maryland, where he was offensive line coach in 2017. Bowen’s success would later land him the title of co-offensive coordinator — typically a sign of a raise in salary. Bowen also served as offensive recruiting coordinator, and his Maryland ties helped the Lions land their highest-rated recruit of the 2021 cycle in offensive lineman Landon Tengwall.
Penn State helped serve as a launching pad for Bowen’s career as he was a grad assistant with the Lions back in 2014. He then joined Joe Moorhead’s staff as offensive line coach at Fordham, and when Moorhead left to run Penn State’s offense, Bowen added offensive coordinator to his roles with the Rams.
That knowledge of Moorhead’s offense and familiarity with Penn State made him a smart pick-up for Franklin ahead of the 2018 season after Moorhead left along with multiple offensive assistants.
Now Penn State looks to be in the unusual situation of replacing an assistant coach in February for the second straight year. Typically the annual coaching carousel has all but slowed to a stop by this point in the winter, but the NFL has had other plans for the Lions.
Last year, it was long-time defensive line coach Sean Spencer who got the call at the end of January, ultimately taking a job with the New York Giants.
Franklin filled the opening a little over a week later by hiring John Scott Jr. That capped an eventful offseason that also saw offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne and wide receivers coach Gerad Parker leave for promotions. Offensive line coach Matt Limegrover did not have his contract renewed at the end of that season.
That turnover in staff hit the Lions especially hard when the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out all of spring practice and forced the new coaches to integrate mostly through video calls rather than in-person meetings.
Bowen would be the second change on staff so far this offseason. Franklin surprised everyone last month when he replaced offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca after just one season with Mike Yurcich.
Yurcich is scheduled for his first media session as a Penn State coach on Tuesday.