Penn State has fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich, sources confirmed to Happy Valley Insider on Sunday. Jon Sauber of the Centre Daily Times was the first to report the firing.
The firing of Yurcich comes a day after Penn State lost to the Michigan Wolverines 24-15, dropping their record to 8-2 on the season, and effectively making the 2023 season for the Nittany Lions one of disappointment.
While Penn State has averaged 37.7 points per game this season, the Nittany Lions struggled extensively offensively against both Ohio State and Michigan, scoring a total of 27 points and totaling 478 yards.
Following Penn State's loss to Michigan, Penn State head coach James Franklin appeared to criticize Yurcich's play calling following Penn State's loss to the Wolverines noting "We've got to do a better job of calling a game to allow our quarterback to get into rhythm. That is critical. We've got to find easy completions for a quarterback to get into rhythm. That's what everybody does. We've got to do a good job of that."
In the loss to Michigan, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar struggled, completing 10-of-22 attempts for 70 yards and one touchdown.
Yurcich was originally hired by the Nittany Lions in 2021, following the departure of former offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarocca, who was dismissed by the program after one season.
The Nittany Lions' next offensive coordinator will be the program's sixth offensive coordinator in the James Franklin era.
“We thank Mike for his contributions over the last three years but feel it is in our program’s best interest to make a change at this time. We wish him and his family nothing but the best in the future,” James Franklin said in a press release by the athletic department on Sunday afternoon.
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