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Hire John Donovan: Former Penn State OC Joins Jacksonville Jaguars

Bauer

Former Penn State offensive coordinator John Donovan will join the Jacksonville Jaguars as an offensive quality control coach. For those who witnessed Penn State’s futility on the offensive side of the ball the last two years, there wasn’t much quality to go around. He was part of a recent coaching haul for Jacksonville that included former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and former Miami Dolphins offensive line coach John Benton.

Donovan’s remained out of the news since James Franklin fired him before the TaxSlayer Bowl back in November, with fans speculating that he’d likely take another job in the college ranks. Instead, he took a lesser position in the NFL, meaning he’ll have the opportunity to work with players like touted quarterback Blake Bortles and rising superstar wide receiver Allen Robinson. As an offensive quality control coach, Donovan will work with specific position groups during the week getting players prepared for the different schemes they’ll face on Sunday.

It’s no secret that I’ve been one of the loudest critics of Donovan over the past year between his abhorrent misuse of quarterback Christian Hackenberg and mind-numbing offensive decisions, specifically in the redzone. The noise reached a breaking point in October when a viral video surfaced featuring Indian children chanting “Fire John Donovan!” Not everything that imploded during his tenure was necessarily his fault, but nonetheless, a substantial amount of the blame fell on his shoulders.

Now, Donovan has an opportunity to rise through the ranks at the NFL level with head coach Gus Bradley and his upstart Jacksonville Jaguars. Though he’ll have a hand in ensuring his team’s offense preparation come gameday, Jaguars fans likely won’t see too much wildcat on 3rd and short.

On a more serious note, we wish coach Donovan the best in his new position with the Jaguars. Although his tenure in Happy Valley wasn’t sterling, he played a hand in weathering the storm and navigating his team through the darkest period in the program’s history.

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About the Author

David Abruzzese

David is a senior from Rochester, NY, nestled right in beautiful Western New York. He is majoring in Broadcast Journalism, and as an avid sports fan, he passionately supports the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres. He is the first Penn Stater from his family, and couldn’t be prouder to represent Penn State University. In his free time, he likes to alpine ski, and play golf. You can follow him on Twitter @abruz11, and can contact him via email at [email protected].

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