Making the morning rounds.
• Plz check: Yes or No? Finally, someone who actually wants to succeed Joe Paterno at Penn State: Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements has interviewed twice for the position, according to the Harrisburg Patriot-News, and is "known to covet the job." Clements grew up in western Pennsylvania, started for three years at Notre Dame, finished fourth in the 1974 Heisman Trophy race and has spent the last five years molding Aaron Rodgers into the killer robot he is today. The question now: Where does he fall on Penn State's wish list?
All signs among alumni and boosters continue to point to another NFL coach, Mike Munchak, whose former Nittany Lion teammates seem convinced is on the verge of returning to his alma mater after the Tennessee Titans are eliminated from the playoffs. That's probably going to happen Sunday, one day before Penn State closes its season against Houston in the TicketCity Bowl. No one is going to be hired before then — publicly, anyway — but an announcement should come soon after. [Patriot-News, State College News]
• Well, that makes a little more sense. In July, five-star Columbus, Ind., quarterback Gunner Kiel verbally committed to join his older brother at Indiana, pledging to help lift the Hoosiers out of their reserved seats in the Big Ten basement. Then he actually saw the Hoosiers play en route to a 1-11 finish, and said the hell with that. Instead, Kiel is now on his way to LSU, verbally committing to the Tigers on Tuesday and instantly joining the race to start for a championship frontrunner with no other glaring question marks heading into next season.
Kiel will arrive in Baton Rouge ranked by everyone as the No. 1 "pro style" passer in the 2012 recruiting class, and already looks the part at a sturdy 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. The team he joins will be bringing back the vast majority of this year's championship lineup in a strong bid to open as the preseason No. 1 next summer — with the notable exception of its steady senior quarterbacks, Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee, putting the job more or less up for grabs. Kiel's main competition for the job will be two of this year's hyped arrivals, juco transfer Zach Mettenberger and towering true freshman Stephen Rivers, brother of Phillip. [Rivals]
• Waiting for McGloin. Penn State held its first bowl practice in Dallas Tuesday with two notable absences: One was starting quarterback Matt McGloin, who still hasn't been cleared after suffering a seizure and concussion in a locker room scuffle with wide receiver Curtis Drake earlier this month. The other was Drake himself, who headlined a list of four players who didn't make the trip from State College for "personal reasons." [Altoona Mirror, Patriot-News]
In other injury news… UCLA will be without leading tackler Patrick Larimore in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, courtesy of torn ligaments in his right thumb. [L.A. Times] … Nebraska offensive lineman Andrew Rodriguez has been ruled out of the Capital One Bowl with a sprained foot. [Associated Press] … And Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins may be held out of the Orange Bowl after suffering a "mild concussion" in a car accident. [Charleston Post & Courier]
• We've been expecting you, Mr. Graham. Ohio State quarterback Taylor Graham, one of the four challengers for the Buckeyes' starting job after Terrelle Pryor was exiled from the team in June, is reportedly on his way to Hawaii to play for the Warriors' new head coach, Norm Chow. Graham didn't set foot on the field this season, but he has the size (6-4, 230 pounds), the pedigree (his father is former NFL starter Kent Graham) and the time (three years of eligibility) to make an impact for Chow if the transfer comes off. Just not an immediate impact: He'll still have to sit out the 2012 season. [Honolulu Star-Advertiser]
Quickly… South Carolina promotes secondary coach Lorenzo Ward to defensive coordinator. … ESPN taps Gene Chizik, Chip Kelly and Lane Kiffin as on-air hosts for the Rose Bowl and BCS Championship Game. … The Arkansas-Texas A&M series probably won't return to Arlington as a conference game. … Rivals High unveils its High School All-America team, consisting entirely of highly recruited seniors. … And it looks like the West Virginia-Big East divorce is going to take awhile.
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Matt Hinton is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.