Two football assistants resign at Penn State

Penn State coach Bill O'Brien announced Tuesday night that he is losing two members of his staff with the resignations of linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden and quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher.

O'Brien said that both coaches will pursue other opportunities.

"I appreciate all of Ron and Charlie's hard work and thank them for their dedication and service to Penn State," O'Brien said in a statement. "I wish them well in all their future endeavors."

The university announced the departures 24 hours after FightOnState.com first reported the news. It was not clear at that time whether the coaches left on their own or were pushed out.

The Nittany Lions finished the 2013 season Saturday with a 7-5 record after posting a 31-24 upset at Wisconsin.

Vanderlinden, one of two holdovers from Joe Paterno's staff to work for O'Brien, just completed his 13th season with the Nittany Lions. He continued the Penn State tradition of "Linebacker U.," coaching current NFL players Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor, Sean Lee, NaVorro Bowman, and Michael Mauti. He also was one of the Nittany Lions' top recruiters.

"I've greatly enjoyed my 13 years at Penn State and all the student-athletes I had an opportunity to work with," Vanderlinden, 57, said in the statement. "I wish Coach O'Brien and Penn State nothing but the best in the future."

Fisher, who was Temple's offensive coordinator in 2000 and 2001, went to Penn State after O'Brien was hired in January 2012. In his two seasons, he helped develop quarterbacks Matt McGloin and Christian Hackenberg.

Fisher called his time "a great experience" and added: "I am very proud of what we accomplished. Now I'm looking forward to the next chapter and making a positive impact on the next group of players I have the privilege of working with."