The Jimmy Rex Show #663 - Jay Paterno - Former Penn St Assistant Coach & Son Of All Time Winningest NCAA Football Coach
Dec 3, 2025
45:17
In today’s episode of The Jimmy Rex Show, Jimmy sits down with Jay Paterno, former Penn State assistant coach, current member of the Penn State Board of Trustees, and son of the all-time winningest coach in NCAA football history, Joe Paterno. Jay has spent his entire life inside college football and just released his new book, Blitz, which pulls back the curtain on the pressures, politics, and realities shaping the sport today.
Jimmy and Jay start with the one thing everyone in Utah has been talking about this week — Penn State’s pursuit of BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. Jay shares what he was hearing behind the scenes, how seriously Penn State considered Kalani, and why it now looks like he is staying at BYU. From there, they dive into the changing landscape of college football: NIL, the transfer portal, player mental health, the explosion of sports gambling, and the lack of leadership at the top of the NCAA.
Jay also opens up about growing up as Joe Paterno’s son, what leadership looked like in his home, and how he has navigated criticism and controversy while trying to honor his father’s legacy. If you care about college football, coaching, leadership, or how the game adapts in the next decade, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to the show
01:05 – Who Jay Paterno is and his new book “Blitz”
03:40 – The Kalani Sitake situation and what Jay was hearing
07:25 – How Penn State viewed Kalani as a candidate
10:15 – Inside Penn State’s coaching search
13:00 – NIL, the transfer portal, and the new era of CFB
16:45 – What Joe Paterno would think about today’s game
19:40 – Where the NCAA has failed
22:30 – Mental health pressures on modern players
25:20 – Gambling, prop bets, and what’s coming
28:40 – Fixing the calendar: signing day and transfers
32:10 – How universities are risking their financial future
35:55 – Growing up as Joe Paterno’s son
38:20 – Legacy, criticism, and honoring his father
41:15 – What Jay hopes the future of the game looks like
44:30 – Where to find Jay’s book
46:20 – Final thoughts and wrap-up
Jimmy’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/mrjimmyrex
Jimmy’s TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mrjimmyrex
Jimmy’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mrjimmyrex
Subscribe for more conversations with leaders in sports, business, and life.
Jimmy and Jay start with the one thing everyone in Utah has been talking about this week — Penn State’s pursuit of BYU head coach Kalani Sitake. Jay shares what he was hearing behind the scenes, how seriously Penn State considered Kalani, and why it now looks like he is staying at BYU. From there, they dive into the changing landscape of college football: NIL, the transfer portal, player mental health, the explosion of sports gambling, and the lack of leadership at the top of the NCAA.
Jay also opens up about growing up as Joe Paterno’s son, what leadership looked like in his home, and how he has navigated criticism and controversy while trying to honor his father’s legacy. If you care about college football, coaching, leadership, or how the game adapts in the next decade, this is an episode you won’t want to miss.
Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome to the show
01:05 – Who Jay Paterno is and his new book “Blitz”
03:40 – The Kalani Sitake situation and what Jay was hearing
07:25 – How Penn State viewed Kalani as a candidate
10:15 – Inside Penn State’s coaching search
13:00 – NIL, the transfer portal, and the new era of CFB
16:45 – What Joe Paterno would think about today’s game
19:40 – Where the NCAA has failed
22:30 – Mental health pressures on modern players
25:20 – Gambling, prop bets, and what’s coming
28:40 – Fixing the calendar: signing day and transfers
32:10 – How universities are risking their financial future
35:55 – Growing up as Joe Paterno’s son
38:20 – Legacy, criticism, and honoring his father
41:15 – What Jay hopes the future of the game looks like
44:30 – Where to find Jay’s book
46:20 – Final thoughts and wrap-up
Jimmy’s Instagram: https://instagram.com/mrjimmyrex
Jimmy’s TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@mrjimmyrex
Jimmy’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/@mrjimmyrex
Subscribe for more conversations with leaders in sports, business, and life.