Newly hired Penn State football offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s resume is about as impressive as they come.

Along with his noted success at Ohio State and Texas, Yurcich spent six seasons at Oklahoma State cultivating one of college football’s most explosive offenses. Over that span, the Cowboys averaged 38 points and 478.3 yards per game.

In case you needed a quick reminder, Penn State’s offense didn’t hit that kind of success in 2020. In Kirk Ciarrocca’s one season as offensive coordinator, albeit an unprecedented situation, the Nittany Lions averaged 29.78 points per game and 430.3 yards. While that may sound like a fairly solid stat line, it simply isn’t enough for Penn State to keep up in today’s brand of college football.

Yurcich has only two weeks of on-field practice experience with his new group with spring ball underway, but his presence has already been felt by the team.

“He is somebody who, as he says, brings the juice every day,” Sean Clifford said Monday. “He’s never short of it. He’s given us a lot of optimism and just made us all excited to be here — excited to come into work every single day. I think that’s what we need, honestly.”

Clifford’s 2020 season was hardly up to his expectations, especially compared to 2019, but he remains confident with a new coach at the helm.

“I’m very excited to be coached by [Yurcich], and I’m very excited for the future,” Clifford said.

Yurcich has already explained that he’s willing to do anything and everything to make this offense succeed, even a little power football. However, the most important facet of this new offensive unit will be its increased tempo.

With a goal to minimize the amount of time the defense has to communicate between snaps, Yurcich has already embraced this style of play during Penn State’s spring ball practices. Just ask veteran safety Jaquan Brisker.

“[The offense] is very fast. Super fast, I would say,” Brisker said. “He came in with a plan. You can tell he’s all business. He’s gonna make you tired. It’s a very fast-paced offense, so they’re gonna put a lot of points on the board this year.”

As well as Brisker and the rest of Penn State’s defense may play this year, the Nittany Lions will still need to score at a high clip when they have the ball. Even in the Big Ten, there’s no arguing that college football is built around offense. Perennial conference powerhouse Ohio State is the first example of that. The Buckeyes’ offense averaged 519.4 yards per game and 41 points en route to an undefeated record all the way to the National Championship last fall.

If Yurcich wants his offense to keep up with conference and national blue bloods, there’s no question he’ll need to rely on his superstars. Junior wideout Jahan Dotson will likely be at the top of the list, as the Nazareth, Pennsylvania native had the opportunity to leave for the NFL Draft after an impressive 2020 season.

Dotson was one of the few bright stars for the Nittany Lions on offense this past fall. The speedster was everywhere for Penn State, hauling in 52 catches worth 884 yards and eight touchdowns, including a three-touchdown night against Ohio State.

“One word I can use to describe [the offense] is it’s been exciting,” Dotson said. “Learning new concepts, the different ins and outs with the playbook, getting familiar with everything. We didn’t get spring ball last year, so it’s a great opportunity for us to build and grow as a team.

“[Coach Yurcich] is a character. I love it, though. The first day he stepped in, I loved the energy he brought to the team…He’s a mastermind. I just can’t wait to pick his brain and learn the new things he has to offer,” Dotson added.

Yurcich and the rest of his offense have just begun week three of spring ball, but that’s already much more time than Ciarrocca got with his group at this time last year.

Penn State’s new offensive coordinator has already been described as a “mastermind” and a “mad scientist,” and he’ll have plenty of time to implement his system before the Nittany Lions open their 2021 campaign.

The Nittany Lions will play their final spring practice at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 17. From there, the group will take part in summer workouts over the next few months until Penn State kicks off its season at Wisconsin on Saturday, September 4.