Ed DeChellis taking Navy job isn’t as surprising as it seems

It's going to raise some eyebrows any time a coach trades a major conference gig for a place in the Patriot League, but Ed DeChellis leaving Penn State for Navy isn't nearly as illogical as some are suggesting.

With stars Talor Battle and Jeff Brooks having graduated this spring and promising Dayton transfer Juwan Staten not eligible for another full year, DeChellis was staring at a major rebuilding effort next season. Pressure on the eighth-year coach had been mounting in recent years, so why not leave now if he wasn't confident the Penn State administration was behind him long term?

DeChellis certainly had to be an easier sell for an athletic director now than he would have been were he fired at Penn State in a year or two. He has done a credible job at a football-crazed school, earning a three-year contract extension in 2009 for winning the NIT title and then making a late surge to the NCAA tournament this past season.

The downside to the Navy job is of course that it will likely come with a substantial paycut and it will be a big drop in prestige from the Big Ten to the Patriot League. Furthermore, Navy's admissions standards and post-graduate military service requirements make it more difficult to recruit there than at some of its Patriot League peers.

DeChellis replaces Billy Lange, who left Navy earlier this month to become the associate head coach at Villanova. Navy went 11-20 overall and 6-8 in league play last season, falling to Lehigh in the Patriot League quarterfinals.

As DeChellis begins his transition at Navy, Penn State will have to find a replacement at an awkward time. Most of the coaching vacancies have already been filled, and a high-profile coach isn't nearly as likely to leave his job for rebuilding Penn State as for powerhouse Maryland or stacked Texas A&M.

The other problem for Penn State is that DeChellis' departure may cost it Staten, a one-time top-75 recruit who was considered a steal for Dayton last year. The point guard did not immediately return a text message seeking comment, but his father told the National Hoops Report that Staten will open his recruitment again.

Jennifer Garner Poppy Montgomery Evangeline Lilly Lisa Marie Keira Knightley