Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from the Deion Barnes hire

Oct 12, 2013; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive end Deion Barnes (18) during the first quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Michigan 43-40 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports /

1 of 4

Penn State Football welcomed one of its own to the coaching staff on Monday

Penn State Football has its new defensive line coach in former Nittany Lion edge rusher Deion Barnes.

Barnes, who had been a graduate assistant the last three years, takes over for John Scott Jr., who accepted an NFL coaching position earlier this offseason. Trying to do a proper coaching search this late in the offseason can be difficult, but James Franklin found his guy right in his own locker room.

Barnes is an exciting hire, but also one that comes with some risk. He has never been a position coach before in the college game. Franklin has not hired many first-time coaches before, but he clearly felt now was the time to take a chance on Barnes.

Here are the main takeaways from this hire.

Home/Penn State Football