Former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett has been hired as what the school calls a "consultant" for the Penn State football team.
"He has great knowledge of the game at the next level, and we plan to put that to good use," Nittany Lions coach James Franklin said in a statement released by the school Wednesday. "He will work with our offensive, special teams and defensive coaches, and will be a fantastic sounding board for our staff."
Haslett, a Pittsburgh native who played college football at Division II Indiana (Pa.), coached the Saints from 2000-05 and also served as interim coach for the St. Louis Rams for part of the 2008 season. His most recent job was as defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins (2010-14).
Haslett, who turns 60 in December, should be a boon for Penn State defensive coaches. Penn State has one of the better defensive coordinators in the nation in Bob Shoop; still, Haslett's defensive background -- even if some of his recent defenses struggled -- should be helpful to the staff on that side of the ball.
Haslett spent three years as an assistant at Buffalo (1988-1990) in his only previous college coaching experience; at the time, Buffalo was a Division III program.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
