AP Sources: Penn State assistant turns down Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Two people with knowledge of the situation tell The Associated Press that Minnesota reached out to Penn State offensive coordinator Joe

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Two people with knowledge of the situation tell The Associated Press that Minnesota reached out to Penn State offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead about its open head coaching job and was turned away.

Minnesota contacted Moorhead's agent to gauge the possibility of landing the highly thought of assistant, but was told that Moorhead wasn't interested in leaving the Nittany Lions. The two people spoke on condition of anonymity because the school is not publicly discussing the specifics of its coaching search.

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

WIN $2KIN TICKETS

GET READY TO COMPETE

Pick your champion (you can change it later). We’ll email you when brackets open.

• Miami (FL)
• Georgia
• Utah
• Indiana
• Alabama
• Kentucky
• Texas
• UCLA
• BYU
• Ole Miss
• Notre Dame
• Ohio State

PREREGISTER TO PLAY

No purchase necessary. 50 U.S./D.C. 18+. Entry opens 3PM ET Dec 6, 2026 and closes 8PM ET Dec 18, 2026. Void where prohibited.See Official Rules for complete details. The College Football Playoff (CFP) is not a sponsor or administrator of this contest.

Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle fired coach Tracy Claeys on Tuesday after the program became embroiled in a standoff between the players and the administration over the suspension of 10 players in connection with an alleged sexual assault. Coyle promised Tuesday to move quickly to fill the position.

---

AP College Football Writer Ralph D. Russo contributed to this report.