STATE COLLEGE, Pa. —
Former Penn State defensive coordinator Ted Roof won't forget his one season in Happy Valley.
But home is home. And after the opportunity arose quickly to take the same position at his alma mater, Georgia Tech, he said he made the difficult decision to leave the Nittany Lions and return to his native Georgia.
"That was a real privilege and special deal for me to be part of that football team," Roof said about the 2012 Penn State season in a phone interview Thursday with The Associated Press. He called it a special year and the team a "special group of guys."
Nittany Lions coach Bill O'Brien moved immediately to fill the void by promoting secondary coach John Butler to defensive coordinator after Roof's resignation Wednesday.
The move appeared to catch most people around the program by surprise. Roof said the opportunity at Georgia Tech only surfaced about two days ago.
In a statement Wednesday, Georgia Tech said Roof's hiring won't become official until a background check is completed, likely next week.
Roof played for the Yellow Jackets, and was an assistant under former coach George O'Leary, as well. O'Brien was also on that Georgia Tech staff. Roof was the head coach at Duke from 2003-7, where the Blue Devils went just 6-45.
Already known for good defense, Roof tweaked the Nittany Lions' schemes with more blitzes. Under his watch, Penn State was second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (19.1 points), first in sacks (34) and first in red-zone defense. He was also instrumental in opening up recruiting avenues in the South for Penn State, including the trail that led to backup quarterback Steven Bench, of Georgia.
When asked if there were any hard feelings in his departure, Roof quickly said "Absolutely not."
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Roof heads home after 'privilege' of being at Penn State
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