Penn State has a Philly ‘helpful’ hand in getting a leg up on the offense of No. 3 Ohio State

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Gabe Infante embraced Kyle McCord in a bear hug after leading St. Joseph’s Prep to a 40-20 victory over Harrisburg in the 2018 Class 6A PIAA championship game. It was Infante’s fourth and final state title in his nine-year tenure as the Hawks’ head coach.

Infante left the program the following season for the college world as McCord and wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. stuck around before heading to Ohio State in 2021. McCord is now the Buckeyes’ starting quarterback, and Harrison is arguably the nation’s top college wide receiver.

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Now, heading into his second season as a defensive analyst on head coach James Franklin’s staff at Penn State (6-0, 3-0 Big Ten), Infante will reunite with his two former high school stars when the seventh-ranked Nittany Lions travel to Columbus to take on the No. 3 Buckeyes on Saturday.

“If you’re looking at his touchdown-to-interception ratio, it’s really good,” Franklin said of McCord this week. “I’m not surprised, obviously. His high school coach is on our staff.”

Although the NCAA limits the involvement of analysts within a program, Infante is likely to know the tendencies of McCord and Harrison better than most and could be a secret weapon in Penn State’s preparation for the Buckeyes (6-0, 3-0).

“The analysts, specifically Gabe, are doing everything that they legally can do,” Franklin said Wednesday. “Obviously, when you’re able to have some guys behind the scenes that either know a staff or know a coach or know a player, it’s helpful.”

McCord has quickly blossomed into one of the Big Ten’s most efficient quarterbacks in his first season as a starter. He has thrown for 1,651 yards and 11 touchdowns with just one interception through Ohio State’s first six games.

Harrison, meanwhile, is on pace to surpass 1,000 receiving yards over the next few weeks — for a second consecutive season. Harrison’s progression began with Infante at St. Joseph’s, where he led the Hawks with eight receptions for 76 yards in that 2018 state final.

These days, Infante continues to work with some of football’s brightest rising stars, such as Penn State defensive end Chop Robinson, a potential first-round NFL draft pick who leads a defense that has allowed just 8 points per game through six contests.

“Gabe is the best,” Robinson said Wednesday. “He’s like a father. He has an offensive mindset from being [a high school head coach]. … Just having that on the defensive side is a benefit for us.”

Infante, who found success leading teams in the high school ranks, now works on a staff fronted by former Miami head coach and current defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. With two ex-head coaches in the building, the Nittany Lions have been granted unique perspectives in their preparation for opposing offenses and the life that comes after they graduate.

“He’s one of those guys you can talk to about anything,” cornerback Kalen King said of Infante. “Like, he’s willing to have conversations with anyone, at any time about anything.”

For the sake of this week, as Penn State looks to cement itself into the conversation for the College Football Playoff, the discussion may be fine-tuned to focus on the scouting reports on McCord and Harrison.

» READ MORE: Penn State lacks big plays. Here’s why head coach James Franklin thinks that’s OK.

Infante’s game plan when a pair of future Buckeyes stars were on his St. Joe’s Prep team led to success. Now, his presence could be essential to stopping them as the Nittany Lions attempt to claim their first victory over Ohio State in seven years.

“Whenever you have anybody on your staff that’s got history with a staff or a coach or a coordinator or a player, specifically a quarterback, there’s some value in that,” Franklin said.