Source: Ex-Penn coach Bagnoli in talks with Columbia

Here's a move that would shake up Ivy League football, and send the greatest reverberations to Franklin Field: Columbia is in serious talks with Al Bagnoli to take over its football program, according to a source with knowledge of the discussions.

Bagnoli retired from Penn after last season, finishing up following 23 seasons that included nine outright Ivy titles. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

"I'm scared to death about overstaying my welcome," Bagnoli said last April when he announced his retirement, with defensive coordinator Ray Priore taking over. "Every year, I'm my own hardest critic. Am I doing everything I need to do to keep the program where it needs to be?"

At the time, Grace Calhoun had been announced as Penn's new athletic director, taking over for Steve Bilsky, but she hadn't taken over. Bagnoli's talks to retire were with Bilsky, and he hoped to stay on as part of Penn's athletic administration, which he has done. Bagnoli made it clear at the time that he wasn't retiring to the golf course.

At Columbia, head coach Pete Mangurian resigned in December after accusations from players surfaced that Mangurian had ignored concussion symptoms, a claim he denied.

Earlier this month, Columbia hired Peter Pilling as its new athletic director. When his hiring was announced, Pilling, a former Villanova administrator who was working as a vice president at the sports marketing firm IMG College, said: "I truly believe Columbia can win in the Ivy League. The hiring of a new coach will be priority No. 1 in this capacity, and making sure we hire an individual that is a program builder, that understands what the university represents and really being a leader of men."