Ricky Rahne

Last updated

Ricky Rahne
Current position
Title Head coach
Team Old Dominion
Conference Sun Belt
Record19–28
Biographical details
Born (1980-07-19) July 19, 1980 (age 44)
Morrison, Colorado, U.S.
Playing career
1999–2001 Cornell
Position(s) Quarterback
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2004 Holy Cross (assistant DL)
2005 Cornell (RB)
2006 Kansas State (GA)
2007–2008Kansas State (RB)
2009–2010Kansas State (TE)
2011–2013 Vanderbilt (QB)
2014–2015 Penn State (QB)
2016–2017Penn State (TE)
2018–2019Penn State (OC/QB)
2020–present Old Dominion
Head coaching record
Overall19–28
Bowls0–2

Ricky Rahne (born July 19, 1980) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at Old Dominion University. He played college football at Cornell.

Contents

Early life

A native of Morrison, Colorado, Rahne attended Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, where he lettered in football and track and field. During his senior season, Rahne led all Colorado quarterbacks with 3,114 passing yards for 33 touchdowns. [1]

College playing career

Rahne was a three-year starting quarterback at Cornell University from 1999 to 2001. [2] [3]

Coaching career

Early coaching career

Rahne spent the 2004 season as a defensive assistant at Holy Cross, primarily working with the defensive ends. Other important roles included coordinating the scout teams, breaking down opponents' game film and assisting the defensive coordinator in developing games plans. [4] Cornell head coach Jim Knowles hired Rahne as the Big Red's running back coach in 2005. [5]

Kansas State

In 2006, Rahne served as an offensive graduate assistant at Kansas State under Head coach Ron Prince and Offensive coordinator James Franklin. Scott Frost served as a defensive graduate assistant for the Wildcats during the same period. [6] In 2007, Rahne was promoted to running backs coach where he served for two seasons. After the firing of Ron Prince, Rahne was retained by Head coach Bill Snyder as the tight ends coach, a position he would hold for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. [7]

Vanderbilt

In December 2010, Rahne was hired away from Kansas State to lead the quarterbacks for James Franklin and the Vanderbilt Commodores. At the time of the hire Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder was quoted as saying, “I am proud of Ricky, He is a fine young coach and person. His desire was to become a quarterback coach and that opportunity presented itself at Vanderbilt. I am happy for him and his wonderful family.” [8] It is a position he would hold for three successful seasons mentoring quarterbacks Jordan Rodgers and Austyn Carta-Samuels. Rodgers, under Rahne's guidance, finished 2012 season completing 60 percent of his passes for 2,539 yards, and 15 touchdowns to 5 interceptions. [9] Following the season, Rodgers would sign a free agent deal with the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars. [10]

Penn State

Following coach James Franklin, Rahne spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons as the Penn State Nittany Lions quarterbacks coach. Working with quarterback Christian Hackenberg, Rahne helped him break all of the Nittany Lions major career passing records. Hackenberg finished his career with 693 completions, 8,457 passing yards, 48 touchdown passes, 9 career 300-yard passing games, and 21 200-yard passing games. [11] After the final game of the 2015 regular season, John Donovan was fired as Penn States offensive coordinator, and replaced by Rahne as the interim to coach the TaxSlayer Bowl. During preparation for the bowl game, it was announced that ex-Fordham Head coach, Joe Moorhead would be taking over as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2016 season. Rahne took over as tight ends coach, a position that was previously held by Donovan. [12]

During his time as the tight ends coach Rahne mentored Mackey Award finalist Mike Gesicki as he broke the Penn State career record for receptions (123), receiving yards (1,419) and touchdowns (15) by a tight end. Gesicki was selected first-team All-Big Ten in 2017 and second team in 2016. Gesicki set single-season records at Penn State for receptions (51), receiving yards (679) and touchdown catches (9) by a tight end. [13]

On December 1, 2017, Rahne was named Penn States offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach after Joe Moorhead left the Nittany Lions to become the head coach at Mississippi State. [14]

In 2018, Penn State saw its best rushing production in 10 years, averaging 204.9 yards per game. That was good enough to finish 29th nationally, and fifth in the Big Ten. [15] That season the offensive line was led by center Connor McGovern, who was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL draft, and tackle Ryan Bates. [16] Junior running back Miles Sanders, who was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2019 NFL Draft, rushed for over 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns. [17] Senior quarterback Trace McSorley, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft, passed for 2,284 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for 723 yards and 11 scores. [18] Both Sanders and McSorley earned second team All-Big Ten honors. [19]

In 2019, Rahne helped lead the Nittany Lion offense to 34 points and 204.9 rushing yards per game. [20] Wide receiver K. J. Hamler, guard Steven Gonzalez and tight end Pat Freiermuth earned second team All-Big Ten honors. [21] Hamler was selected by the Denver Broncos with the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. [22]

Old Dominion

On December 9, 2019, it was announced that Rahne had been selected as the next head football coach at Old Dominion. [23] On August 10, 2020, Old Dominion University announced the cancellation of the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [24] [25]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Old Dominion Monarchs (Conference USA)(2020–2021)
2020 No teamCOVID-19
2021 Old Dominion 6–75–3T–2nd (East)L Myrtle Beach
Old Dominion Monarchs (Sun Belt Conference)(2022–present)
2022 Old Dominion 3–92–67th (East)
2023 Old Dominion 6–75–3T–3rd (East)L Famous Toastery
2024 Old Dominion 4–53–2(East)
Old Dominion:19–2815–14
Total:19–28

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Engram</span> American football player and coach (born 1973)

Simon J. "Bobby" Engram III is an American professional football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Engram played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1996 NFL draft. Engram also played for the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs before becoming a coach by the 2010s.

The 2006 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented the Pennsylvania State University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team's head coach was Joe Paterno. It played its home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania.

John Coleman Hufnagel is an American special advisor for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He has previously served as the Stampeders' President, General Manager, Head Coach, and Offensive Coordinator. He played quarterback for fifteen professional seasons in the CFL and National Football League (NFL). Prior to his hiring to the Stampeders on December 3, 2007, he was the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants of the NFL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill O'Brien (American football)</span> American football coach (born 1969)

William James O'Brien, nicknamed "the Teapot", is an American football coach who is currently the head coach at Boston College. Previously, he was the head coach of the Houston Texans from 2014 to 2020, and at Penn State from 2012 to 2013. Prior to Boston College, O'Brien was the offensive coordinator at the University of Alabama and for the New England Patriots. After the Patriots parted ways with longtime head coach Bill Belichick at the end of the 2023 season, O'Brien was not retained by the team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles London</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Charles London is an American football coach and former running back who is the quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Franklin (American football coach)</span> American football player and coach (born 1972)

James Geoffrey Franklin is an American football coach and former player. Franklin has served as the head football coach at Penn State University since 2014 and served in the same position at Vanderbilt University from 2011 to 2013.

John Donovan is an American football coach who currently is the senior offensive analyst for the Florida Gators. He most recently the senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He has been an assistant in the NFL and in four of the Power Five college football conferences. He was a defensive back at Johns Hopkins from 1993 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 TaxSlayer Bowl (January)</span> College football game

The 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game played on January 2, 2016, at EverBank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The 71st edition of the Gator Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions of the Big Ten Conference against the Georgia Bulldogs of the Southeastern Conference. It began at noon EST and aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2015–16 bowl games that concluded the 2015 FBS football season. The game's naming rights sponsor was tax preparation software company TaxSlayer.com, and for sponsorship reasons was officially known as the TaxSlayer Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trace McSorley</span> American football player (born 1995)

Richard Thomas "Trace" McSorley III is an American professional football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, where he holds school records in single-season passing yards and touchdowns and career total yards. McSorley was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes played their home games at Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. It was the Buckeyes' 128th overall, the 105th as a member of the Big Ten Conference, and fourth as a member of the Eastern Division. They were led by Urban Meyer, who was in his 6th season as head coach at the school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Gesicki</span> American football player (born 1995)

Michael William Gesicki is an American professional football tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State. He is the record holder for most receptions by a tight end in Penn State history. He was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

The 2018 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by fifth-year head coach James Franklin and played its home games in Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. They were a member of the East Division of the Big Ten Conference.

Mike Yurcich is an American football coach who most recently served as offensive coordinator at Penn State. Prior to going to Penn State, he was the offensive coordinator at the University of Texas at Austin in 2020. He was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the Ohio State University for the 2019 season. Yurcich was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State University from 2013 to 2018. He was previously the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Saint Francis, Edinboro, and Shippensburg. Yurcich also spent time at Indiana as a graduate assistant.

Tyler Bowen is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Virginia Tech Hokies football. He previously served as the tight ends coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL), an assistant coach at Penn State University, University of Maryland, College Park, Fordham University and Towson University.

Matt Limegrover is an American college football coach. He is the run game coordinator and offensive line coach for Kent State University, positions he has held since 2024. He previously served as the offensive line coach at Arkansas State, offensive coordinator at Minnesota, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and Chicago.

Ja'Juan Seider, is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach for Penn State. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Florida A&M Rattlers. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Clifford</span> American football player (born 1998)

Sean Burke Clifford is an American professional football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State. He was the starting quarterback and team captain for the Nittany Lions from 2019 through 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">K. J. Hamler</span> American football player (born 1999)

Kahlee Jacoby Hamler is an American professional football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Freiermuth</span> American football player (born 1998)

Patrick John Freiermuth is an American professional football tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Kirk Ciarrocca is an American college football coach. He is the offensive coordinator at Rutgers University. He has previously served as the offensive coordinator at the University of Minnesota and Penn State University.

References

  1. "Going Shopping for a Ring", The Cornell Daily Sun , September 21, 2001, retrieved February 17, 2018.
  2. Hall of Fame, cornellbigred.com, retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. "Football Team Gives Out Annual Awards", The Cornell Daily Sun , January 31, 2001, retrieved February 17, 2018.
  4. 2009 K-State Football Media Guide, p. 65, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  5. "Knowles Brings In New Assistant Coaches to Staff", The Cornell Daily Sun , April 28, 2005, retrieved February 17, 2018.
  6. Greif, Andrew."A player's instinct and teacher's eye put Scott Frost in line for possible head coaching job", The Oregonian , December 28, 2013, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  7. 2010 K-State Football Media Guide, p. 65, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  8. Taylor, John."Franklin filling holes on Vandy coaching staff", collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com, December 21, 2010, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  9. Jordan Rodgers Bio, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  10. Wesseling, Chris (April 27, 2013). "Aaron Rodgers' brother to join Jacksonville Jaguars". National Football League . Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  11. Christian Hackenberg Penn State Bio Archived September 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , gopsusports.com, retrieved February 23, 2018.
  12. Cohn, Bob."Spotlight is shining on an unlikely PSU pair ahead of TaxSlayer Bowl", Pittsburgh Tribune-Review , December 31, 2015, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  13. "Rahne promoted to PSU offensive coordinator", wearecentralpa.com, December 1, 2018, retrieved February 22, 2018.
  14. Hirsh, Jack."Meet Ricky Rahne | What you need to know about Penn State football’s new offensive coordinator", The Daily Collegian , December 1, 2017, retrieved February 23, 2018.
  15. DiPaola, Jerry."Penn State fires offensive line coach Matt Limegrover", TribLive , December 31, 2019, retrieved January 8, 2020.
  16. Ferree, Benjamin."Penn State football's Connor McGovern drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 3rd round", Daily Collegian , April 26, 2019, retrieved January 8, 2020.
  17. Jones, Ben (April 26, 2019). "Penn State Football: Philadelphia Eagles Select Miles Sanders In The Second Round". StateCollege.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  18. Jones, Ben (April 27, 2019). "Penn State Football: Trace McSorley Goes To Baltimore Ravens In Sixth Round". StateCollege.com. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  19. Hill, Elissa (November 29, 2018). "Penn State Football: McSorley And Sanders Earn All-Big Ten Honors". StateCollege.com. Archived from the original on May 28, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
  20. Hockensmith, Dustin (December 26, 2019). "Penn State-Memphis Cotton Bowl game predictions: Lions' run game has a chance to run wild". PennLive.com. © 2019 Advance Local Media LLC. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  21. "Big Ten Announces Football All-Conference Teams for Offense and Select Individual Honors". Big Ten Conference. December 4, 2019. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  22. Gantt, Darin (April 24, 2020). "Broncos double up at receiver, take K.J. Hamler 46th". NBC Sports . Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  23. "Ricky Rahne Named ODU Football Head Coach". odusports.com. Old Dominion University Athletics. December 9, 2019. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  24. "Old Dominion postponing football and fall sports". The Virginian Pilot. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  25. "Old Dominion latest FBS team to cancel 2020 college football season amid COVID-19 concerns". CBSsports.com. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.