What lies ahead for Joe Paterno and Penn State?
One moment, Joe Paterno, 83, talks of becoming college football’s first 90-year-old coach. Another, his peers at other schools extend the 25-year tradition of telling Penn State-leaning recruits Paterno won’t be around when they graduate. So, which is it? Not even the Nittany Lions legends can forecast the future of the program’s coaching position. “It’s the $64 million question,” former Penn State running back and College Football Hall of Famer Curt Warner told Sporting News. Paterno has restored consistency to the program, which has shared two Big Ten titles since 2005 and reached January bowls the past two seasons, but his health is a question mark—a leg injury forced him to coach from the press box in 2008, and an illness this offseason prompted him to cancel a series of public appearances. Warner, along with most in the program, say the Nittany Lions won’t slip when Paterno leaves. Strong recruiting classes keep coming to State College, lured mainly by a staff that includes five a
