Greg Gattuso Leaves Albany to Become Defensive Consultant at Penn State

Greg Gattuso, the former Penn State football player who played on the 1982 national championship team, is leaving his head coaching position to return to his alma mater. Gattuso stepped down as Albany's head coach after 11 years to join Penn State's staff as a defensive line consultant and work with new coordinator Jim Knowles.

"It's an exciting day for me and my family," Gattuso said in a statement. "The Purple Family welcomed me with open arms when I got here in 2013, and their support remained unwavering over every part of my 11 years. We've been through so much over that time. There are countless people I need to thank for their roles in this program's success. UAlbany does, and always will, have a special place in my heart."

At a news conference Wednesday in Albany, Gattuso said that Knowles was "looking for a veteran defensive line coach" to work with the line and position coach Deion Barnes, also a former Penn State defensive lineman. Gattuso recalled an assistant telling him that he would "never leave Albany unless it was for Penn State" and choked up talking about the opportunity to return to his alma mater.

"It's very special," Gattuso said in this video courtesy Griffin Haas of WTEN in Albany. "I can't wait to get there."

Now former @UAlbanyFootball head coach Greg Gattuso talked about how the opportunity to join James Franklin’s staff at Penn State came to be. He got emotional at the idea of returning to his Alma Mater, where he played from 1981-1983. @CoachGGattuso @PennStateFball pic.twitter.com/TiMwH55KGX
— Griffin Haas (@Griffin__Haas) February 5, 2025

Gattuso, 62, has been a head coach for more than 20 years, spending 12 seasons at Duquesne and 11 at Albany. In 2023, Gattuso led the Great Danes to an 11-4 record, its first CAA regular-season title and the FCS semifinals for the first time in school history. Gattuso won multiple coaching honors, including FCS coach-of-the-year awards from the AFCA and Walter Camp Foundation.

"We can't thank Coach Gattuso enough for his commitment to UAlbany, the Great Dane fanbase, and all of the staff and student-athletes he has helped mentor over the last 11 years," Albany athletic director Mark Benson said in a statement. "He has shown nothing but class to all of those he has worked with since the moment he stepped on campus. Greg has taken this football program to unprecedented levels, and we will forever be appreciative of him and the legacy he leaves behind. UAlbany football is well positioned for future success thanks to his steady leadership."

Gattuso played at Penn State from 1981-83 and was a starting defensive lineman on the Nittany Lions' 1982 championship team. He began his coaching career as a Penn State graduate assistant and coached his high school alma mater, Seton-LaSalle in Pittsburgh. He was the defensive coordinator at Duquesne before becoming head coach in 1993 and served on the staffs at Pitt and Maryland before taking the job at Albany in 2014. Gattuso coached the defensive line at both Pitt and Maryland, where he also held the title of assistant head coach.

Gattuso becomes the latest Penn State letterman to join James Franklin's staff. The group includes Barnes, associate head coach Terry Smith, tight ends coach Ty Howle and linebackers coach Dan Connor.

Penn State hired Knowles as defensive coordinator to replace Tom Allen, who left the program for Clemson after one season. Knowles spent the past three years at Ohio State, helping the Buckeyes to the 2025 College Football Playoff national championship.

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