Kirk Ciarrocca | Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Q. What attracted you to this job and Penn State?
A: When I looked at Penn State, they had been a Top 10 team. Coach [Franklin] has done a great job getting them to that cusp, you know, where they're going to be considered and talked about every year about them being in the College Football Playoff. That was attractive to me. The other thing that I really loved was I felt like Coach has done a great job getting the program there and they hadn't done it in a while, I felt like I wanted to be apart of something like that. It felt special to me. The third thing was the fact that I grew up outside of Harrisburg and grew up as a Penn State fan; a chance to come back and coach at a school that I dreamed about playing at, which I was not good enough to do. It's really a dream come true.
Q. Heading into Spring practice, what are your goals for getting this offense to where it needs to be?
A: I think we've been working really hard at that since we got off the road recruiting. Merging and building the two systems. Taking the things that I've noticed they're already doing here, doing really well, that I think compliment and add to the system of what we've done at Minnesota. Ultimately, it's about what do your players do best? Accentuate their strengths and limit their weaknesses. That's something I've always been able to do, no matter where I coached. I'm excited about doing that here. I love the talent we have here to do that.
Q. How would you describe yourself as a coach? What's your personality like?
A: Off the field, I'm a pretty laid-back person, pretty easy-going. It takes a lot to rattle me. On the field, I love what I do. I just love it. I think if you come and watch on the field, you'll be surprised at my energy and the excitement I have for my job. I love working with these kids and helping them reach their fullest potential. I'm a teacher and a communicator and that's how I look at myself on the field.
Q. What are your initial impressions of Sean Clifford?
A: I love Sean. When I got down to the Cotton Bowl, I'm pretty sure he was the first guy I had a conversation with. As soon as I got out of the car, they were coming out and he saw me, came over and introduced himself. We got to talk and I felt a real connection with him right away. Very intelligent, very hard worker. Absolutely wants to be great and he's willing to pay the price to accomplish that. Really excited to work with him and help him realize his potential.
Taylor Stubblefield | Wide Receivers Coach
Q. How do you define your coaching style?
A: Detailed, direct, have lots of fun. We will make sure that we get the job done. I'll be consistent with my coaching approach in the words that I say, so that there's no kind of confusion amongst the players as to what's expected and what they'll get.
Q. Are you looking for stability at this point?
A: That's what I need. I mean, you know, we all have goals, career goals. Whether it be an offensive coordinator, whether it be as a head coach, but I need it for my career. I want to learn the way Coach Franklin has operated his program, I want to learn what Coach Ciarrocca does as an offensive coordinator so that I can, you know, truly have it be a part of what I will do in the future. So, you know, selfishly, like I said, that's the reason why I want stability is because I need it.
Q. You mentioned your career goals. What are they? What do you want to achieve in this profession?
A: Yeah, I mean, the natural one, I want to win a national championship. I want to win a national championship here. So often, I use the phrase stability and responsibility. So eventually, you know, the responsibility piece, whether that be as an offensive coordinator or head coach. I feel like I'm fairly aware of my abilities. I know that I am not ready for that for four or five years. I know that. So that's why when I sit here and say, 'yeah, I want to be here for a long time.' There's still parts of my development that I need to learn.
Phil Trautwein | Offensive Line Coach
Q. What are some of the things that have helped you along the way, not just playing, but also coaching, that you keep in mind?
A: "I'm relatively young in this profession but I know exactly what the players are going through and I kind of have that mindset that I want to be the best O-Line coach in the country. I want to have the best O-line in the country."
Q: How do you go about evaluating the roster at this point?
A: We're fixing stuff that I believe in and stuff like that, but we're just getting them to understand what I do and techniques that I do. Really, we're just focusing on that and then seeing how they learn and how I can teach them."
Q: How much of the last year do you go back and watch technique-wise?
A: I do. They're really athletic. The offensive line is really athletic but there are some things that I want to try to fix and it's just part of the game. They have a good base and I'm going to keep elevating them.
