USA TODAY Sports

Penn State defensive line coach Larry Johnson will serve as interim coach as the school looks for a replacement for Bill O'Brien, according to a report in the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa.

The Houston Texans and O'Brien have reached an agreement that will make O'Brien the third coach in franchise history, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday.

The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because the team has yet to announce the hire.

ESPN first reported O'Brien's move to the NFL

Johnson's main job will be to try to keep together the solid recruiting class.

O'Brien is 15-9 at Penn State, guiding the Nittany Lions through two winning seasons despite severe NCAA sanctions. Before following Joe Paterno at Penn State, he spent five years (2007-11) as an offensive assistant with the New England Patriots.

Penn State has formed a search committee that has a short list of candidates already identified, according to the newspaper. The list includes former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano; former Penn State all-American and Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak; former Penn State player and current University of Miami coach Al Golden; and James Franklin of Vanderbilt.