From Stout to Mustipher to Stevens and more, Penn State has busy day

ALTOONA, Pa. -- Early January is always a very busy time for college football teams, and that certainly was the case for Penn State on Tuesday as there were numerous big moves impacting the program.

Almost all of it was good news, too, with two exceptions.

Here's a quick recap:

* Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher announced he's returning for another season, which is great news for the defense.

* All-American punter Jordan Stout declared for the NFL draft.

* The Nittany Lions hired a new special teams coordinator, Stacy Collins from Boise State.

* Long snapper Chris Stoll will return for another season.

* Senior director of football operations Michael Hazel left for the same job at Virginia Tech.

* Former Penn State quarterback Tommy Stevens signs deal in the Canadian Football League.

Here's more on each situation.

MUSTIPHER RETURNING

The defensive tackle was having an outstanding season before suffering an undisclosed injury that caused him to miss the final eight games. The 6-foot-4, 326 pounder will have one season of eligibility remaining.

"I am extremely grateful to have been a student-athlete at this university for the past four years," Mustipher wrote. "My time at Penn State has been better than I could've imagined. ... This past year didn't end the way I had expected, and I look forward to pursuing the goals I have for myself.

"I am excited to get back to school and continue my rehab and working with the guys for the upcoming season!"

Having Mustipher return is a huge bit of news for the defense, as he is an excellent run stopper and team leader.

STOUT TURNING PRO

Stout handled all three kicking duties for most of the season, and he excelled at punting, getting named second-team All-American by some publications. He also was the Big Ten punter of the year. He struggled at times kicking field goals and eventually was replaced by Jake Pinegar, but Stout also was outstanding on kickoffs.

It's no surprise that Stout decided to declare for the draft.

"I really can't find the right words to express how incredible my time in State College has been and how honored I am to have played at such an incredible place," Stout wrote. "From an early age I always dreamed of playing sports on the big stage. Little did I know I would be playing on one of the biggest stages in all of sports."

Stout began his career at Virginia Tech before transferring to Penn State in 2020. 

NEW SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR

Penn State moved quickly in replacing Joe Lorig, who left for the same job at Oregon on Monday. Just a day later, the Lions hired Stacy Collins from Boise State as the new special teams coordinator.

"We are excited to welcome Stacy Collins to Happy Valley," James Franklin said in a university release. "As a veteran coach, Stacy brings a wide variety of experiences to our staff having served as a head coach, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator during his career. He will bring significant value to our program and has a great depth of special teams knowledge and has found great success as a coordinator. His coaching style on special teams will allow us to continue our strong tradition as a special teams unit. I am thrilled to have Stacy, his wife Mandi, and their four daughters join our Penn State Football family."

Collins has 24 years' experience as a college coach. He also will coach the outside linebackers and nickel backs at Penn State.

"I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to work under the leadership of Coach Franklin and join the Penn State family," said Collins. "I look forward to developing and growing our special teams units which has had a history of success during coach's tenure. I'm also excited to work with Coach Diaz and the defensive staff to continue to build on the strong defensive tradition of Penn State. My family and I can't wait to start this new chapter in Happy Valley."

LONG SNAPPER COMING BACK

Long snapper Chris Stoll announced that he will return for another season, a subtle move but one that certainly will help the team next year given his experience.

Stoll had been a walk-on before earning a scholarship in 2020, which came open when Micah Parsons opted out of the season. Here's the funny story of Franklin talking about how he told Stoll about the scholarship.

HAZEL HEADING TO VIRGINIA TECH

As expected, Michael Hazel is leaving Penn State to become chief of staff and an assistant athletic director at Virginia Tech, which is coached by former Lion defensive coordinator Brent Pry. Hazel was one of Franklin's closest confidants at both Penn State and previously at Vanderbilt.

STEVENS HEADING TO CANADA

Former Penn State quarterback Tommy Stevens announced that he has signed a deal with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

Stevens, who transferred from Penn State to Mississippi State, was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round in 2020. He made his NFL debut playing one game for the Carolina Panthers in 2020, carrying the ball four times for 24 yards.