Penn State special teams coordinator Phil Galiano leaves for New Orleans Saints job

Phil Galiano, who spent last season as Penn State’s special teams coordinator, is leaving the Nittany Lions to become an assistant special teams coach with the New Orleans Saints, the program announced Friday.

Galiano, who grew up in South Philadelphia and graduated from Norristown High School, joined the program in 2017 as a defensive consultant and assumed the coordinator’s job that December. He also was an assistant defensive line coach last season.

“We are excited for Phil and his family,” Penn State head coach James Franklin said in a statement. “This is a tremendous opportunity for Phil to return to the NFL. We are very appreciative of Phil and everything he has done for our program over the last two years. We wish him nothing but success moving forward.”

Galiano also has been on NFL coaching staffs with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins in a special-teams capacity. He worked with new Saints special-teams coordinator Darren Rizzi on the Dolphins and at Rutgers from 2004 to 2006.

The Nittany Lions had issues with consistency on special teams last season. They were second in the Big Ten in punting but eighth in net punting, and were 12th in field-goal percentage (16-for-24, 66.7 percent). They allowed a kickoff-return touchdown and failed to recover two opponent onside kicks.

Galiano is the second Penn State assistant to depart since the end of the season. Wide-receivers’ coach David Corley was dismissed on Jan. 2, replaced by Gerad Parker.