UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Head coach James Franklin and his staff will welcome high school and middle school coaches for the Penn State Football Spring Chalk Talk, set for March 29-30 on the University Park campus. In addition to sessions with the Penn State coaching staff, there will be six additional speakers for the clinic.
Chalk Talk attendees will have an opportunity to observe one of the Nittany Lions' drill-heavy spring practices and attend several chalk talk sessions. On the evening of Friday, March 29, attendees will have dinner with the opportunity to talk football and socialize with the Penn State coaching staff.
In addition to chalk talk sessions with the Penn State coaching staff, Paul Alexander, Hue Jackson, Michael Lombardi, Shawn Lutz, Paul Shaffner and Bill Zwaan will address the clinic participants.
Coaches interested in attending the Penn State Spring Chalk Talk can register or get more information by visiting the Penn State Sport Camps Website. Event check-in begins at 2 p.m. in Holuba Hall with the first chalk talk session beginning at 3 p.m. Walk-up registration is also permitted.
The two-day Spring Chalk Talk costs $45 per person and includes instruction, Friday's dinner, social and continental breakfast.
Alexander spent 27 years as a coach in the NFL, including 24 seasons as the offensive line coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. He is currently an offensive line consultant for the Potsdam Royals of the German Football League. Alexander was a graduate assistant at Penn State for two years (1983-84).
Jackson has 18 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including four seasons as a head coach and five years as an offensive coordinator. Additionally, he spent 14 seasons as a collegiate coach. While at USC as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Jackson worked with Carson Palmer. The duo was reunited in the NFL with the Raiders and Bengals.
Lombardi has more than 33 years of experience as an NFL scout and executive, working with the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders and New England Patriots. He was the general manager and vice president for the Browns for two seasons (2013-14). Lombardi has also worked as a broadcaster for ESPN, CBS, FOX, Showtime and NFL Network. He wrote Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in 2018.
Lutz is in his third year as the head coach at Slippery Rock University. He was selected as the 2018 PSAC West Coach of the Year after guiding The Rock to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West title, an appearance in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and a No. 12 final ranking. Prior to taking the helm at SRU, Lutz was a 20-year assistant coach under former head coach George Mihalik.
Shaffner helped Colgate to its 10th Patriot League title with a perfect 6-0 conference record and went on to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. In his six seasons with the Raiders, Shaffner's defense has been dominating. Last year, Colgate led FCS in scoring defense (9.3 ppg), team passing efficiency defense (88.77) and total defense (237.7), while finishing in the top 10 in the country in passing yards allowed (2nd; 136.9), red zone defense (5th; .652) and rushing defense (7th; 100.8). In 2016, the Raiders set a school and Patriot League record with 69.4 rushing yards allowed per game.
Zwaan is in his 17th season as the head coach at West Chester University. He has led the Golden Rams to six PSAC East Division titles, including three of the last four years. In 2018, Zwaan's squad was a perfect 10-0 in the regular season, including a 33-10 win over Slippery Rock to secure WCU's first outright PSAC title since 1971. He claimed PSAC East Coach of the Year accolades for the fifth time in his career.
For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club and reserving new season tickets for the 2019 Penn State Football season presented by PSECU, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.PSUnrivaled.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Nearly 3,000 new season tickets have already been sold for the 2019 campaign.
