Weekend college football news: Penn State, Texas, Louisville filling out coaching staffs

The first weekend of the offseason was a busy one in the college football world. A handful of coaching hires were officially made after days of speculation and rumors, and some of the nation’s elite athletes decided whether or not they would be playing in the NFL or returning to college next season.

James Franklin was officially named the next head coach of the Nittany Lions on Saturday afternoon. He received a six-year deal worth $4.5 million annually, which will be quite the raise from his days at Vanderbilt.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to come home,” the Pennsylvania native said in a statement released by Penn State. “I grew up watching Penn State football, and now to be at the helm of such a storied program is a tremendous honor. It’s important to me to be a part of a university that strives for excellence in everything they do. When football student-athletes come to Penn State, they have a unique opportunity to receive a premium education while playing at the highest level of competition.

“I’m incredibly excited to get to know the students, alumni, and fans who have demonstrated such loyalty to the university as a whole and to the football program in particular,” Franklin said. “I’ve worked my way through every division of football, and no other school boasts a fan base like we do. We are ... Penn State!!”

Here were some of the highlights of Franklin’s press conference, via Black Shoe Diaries, including a guarantee that every home game would be sold out from here on out.

It didn’t take long for Franklin to get the ball rolling. At least four of his former assistants at Vanderbilt will be joining him at Penn State, including defensive coordinator Bob Shoop. Shoop was once viewed as a potential frontrunner to replace Franklin as the head coach at VU.

Coming along with Franklin and Shoop are wide receivers coach and offensive recruiting coordinator Josh Gattis, special teams coordinator and tight ends coach Charles Bankins and strength coach Dwight Galt. There’s a chance a few other staff members could also be on the way.

In what was quite the surprise on Sunday afternoon, Todd Grantham will reportedly leave the Bulldogs to join Bobby Petrino’s new staff at Louisville, via ESPN’s Joe Schad.

Grantham received mixed results from his time at UGA, though he was criticized often in 2013 when the unit ranked 79th nationally in scoring defense. He will receive a hefty raise to go coach the Cardinals, reportedly earning upwards of $1 million annually.

Petrino’s Louisville staff is very quickly coming together.

Dorial Green-Beckham, who might be the top wide receiver in the SEC next season, was arrested on Friday night for misdemeanor drug charges, but doesn’t appear to be in serious legal trouble. However, it was his second arrest in nearly 16 months. We are still waiting to receive some of the details, though it would seem to be a pretty safe bet that DGB will be disciplined in some way by the coaching staff.

If this does end in a suspension-head coach Gary Pinkel might go the ubiquitous “violation of team rules” route-Missouri fans should hope it’s a brief one. Mizzou gets a pair of cupcakes to open up the season before facing reigning Fiesta Bowl champions UCF, then ultra-chaotic Indiana. Oh, then a trip to South Carolina in Mizzou’s SEC opener.

Green-Beckham led the 12-2 Tigers with 59 receptions and 12 touchdowns as a sophomore, and was second on the team with 883 receiving yards.

Franklin wasn’t the only coach getting his staff together over the weekend. Charlie Strong, who was named Texas’ head coach last week, has brought at least five assistants with him to Austin. Look for Strong to continue making additions to his staff this week.

Just a few days removed from becoming a national champion, Florida State running back Devonta Freeman decided to turn pro.

In a bit of good news for Ole Miss, defensive end D.T. Schackelford will return to the Rebels for a sixth season.

• To die at the Rose Bowl: Spencer Hall on the last BCS Championship

• Plot twists and the ends: Bill Connelly on the Championship’s numbers

• Florida State: The SEC’s worst nightmare

• How FSU and Auburn were built: Why recruiting matters so much

• College football news | Lane Kiffin works for Nick Saban now

• Long CFB reads | The death of a college football player