Penn State and James Franklin had already made a major priority out of having analysts on staff, but thanks to a change in NCAA rules, those analysts have been allowed to perform on-field coaching since last summer.
As of Wednesday, the Nittany Lions have officially found a pair of names who will help new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles as analysts: Shane Eachus and Brent Zdebski. Both have been listed on Penn State’s official staff directory, and both have previous ties to Knowles.
Eachus most recently served two seasons as the defensive backs coach at Georgetown. He was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Houston Christian before that and was a graduate assistant under Knowles at Oklahoma State from 2018-2020.
An Aston, Pennsylvania, native, Eachus played at Division III Ursinus College, where he was a three-year starter at safety and a captain in 2011, according to his Georgetown biography page.
Zdebski, hailing from Walled Lake, Michigan, was with Knowles at both Ohio State and Oklahoma State. Zdebski was a defensive quality control coach for three years with the Buckeyes and was an assistant safeties coach in one season with the Cowboys.
Before that, Zdebski was a graduate assistant in the Big Ten with Wisconsin. He played at Kalamazoo College for one season before graduating from UMass with a communications degree, according to his Ohio State biography.
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