Penn State has found its next offensive coordinator.

Head coach James Franklin went the expected route and promoted from within, as the program announced on Friday that tight ends coach Ricky Rahne has been picked as the play caller to replace the former one and new Mississippi State head coach, Joe Moorhead.

"We are thrilled to elevate Ricky to offensive coordinator and add Tyler and Phil to our staff," Franklin said in a released statement.

"Ricky is one of the rising stars in college football. He is extremely sharp, driven and has a great rapport with our players. He has been very involved in our offensive scheme the last two years, which is why I anticipate our offense will continue to thrive under Ricky.

Rahne has served as the passing game coordinator and was also at one time the quarterbacks coach under Franklin as both have been at PSU for four years now.

The selection was expected in part because Rahne was the interim coordinator when John Donovan was fired at the end of the 2015 season, and also because Franklin heaped praise on the Colorado native and Cornell graduate before the 2017 season began.

"Besides one year [at Kansas State], we've been together for a long time," Franklin told reporters back in August. "He's a guy that I think can coach the running backs and has. Can coach the tight ends and has done so at a very high level.

"He can coach the quarterbacks. I think he's a future coordinator. He's a guy that in the spring game he'll call the offense on the other field for the guys. He's been fiercely loyal, he's a relentless recruiter and he's just a team guy."

Rahne, who has never served as a offensive coordinator in a full-time capacity, came to coach quarterbacks at PSU in 2014 after coaching the same position for Franklin when both were at Vanderbilt, will again be the quarterbacks coach.

The arrival of Moorhead at the start of the 2016 season meant Rahne was moved to the tight end room, but he was also the eye in the sky over the last two years, sitting in the press box on game day to radio in defensive formations, tendencies, and other nuggets that helped Moorhead engineer the Nittany Lions' successful offense from the field.

In other staff news, off-field assistant Phil Galiano was promoted to special teams coordinator and assistant defensive line coach after working as a consultant for a year. He replaces Charles Huff, who left for Mississippi State. Josh Gattis and Matt Limegrover both received title changes, as well, as Gattis is now the receivers coach and pass game coordinator while Limegrover will continue to handle the offensive line while also being listed as the run game coordinator.

"Phil brings a variety of experiences at both the college and professional levels as a special teams and defensive coordinator," Franklin said.

"He has been a valuable addition to our staff as a defensive consultant this season. Throughout his career, Phil's special teams units have had success at all levels and I know he will bring our special teams unit to another level. He is another guy with Pennsylvania roots and I am happy to be able to bring him home."

The news is in addition to a previously reported hire, as the Lions also brought former Maryland offensive line coach Tyler Bowen aboard to coach tight ends.

"Tyler is a young man I have known for many years, beginning as an offensive lineman at Maryland and then continuing our relationship while he was a student assistant at Maryland and as a graduate assistant at Penn State.

"He has a high football IQ and tremendous passion for the game that will impact our student-athletes on a daily basis. He has history with our offensive scheme, which will help this be a seamless transition."

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