Reports have surfaced linking two Penn State assistant football coaches as potential candidates for two NCAA Division I-A head coaching vacancies.

Ron Vanderlinden, the current linebackers' coach at Penn State, has been reported among six finalists for the Eastern Michigan head coaching position by the Ann Arbor News.

A story published in last week's Times-Herald Record also named Vanderlinden as a strong candidate for the Army vacancy.

Kenny Carter, who had said previously to the Times-Herald Record that the coaching job at Army was his "dream job," has also submitted an application for the opening at West Point.

Vanderlinden has significant connections to the state of Michigan.

He is a native of Livonia, Mich. and was a four-year starter at Albion College, a liberal arts school in Michigan. He was also a graduate assistant at the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1980.

Strath Haven linebacker Dan Connor, a Penn State verbal commitment, said Vanderlinden told him in an e-mail message that he would remain at Penn State.

Carter was both a player and later on an assistant coach from 1994 to 1998 at The Citadel, a military college in South Carolina.

Carter told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he has a love for the military and is excited about having an opportunity to coach at Army.

The assistant coaches could not be reached to confirm or deny the reports despite numerous attempts to contact them.

Vanderlinden has not made himself available for comment in accordance with Penn State football coach Joe Paterno's rule that assistants could not speak to the media this season, sports information director Jeff Nelson said.

Also yesterday, Penn State president Graham Spanier declined to comment on anything involving the Penn State football program.

In an e-mail message sent to The Daily Collegian, Spanier said that he will not be able to "talk about football for several weeks yet."

Spanier said that he would only discuss Penn State football after he has had his traditional end of the season meetings with both Athletic Director Tim Curley and Paterno.

Nelson said that Curley has not met with Paterno yet and would not comment until he did.

Nelson did not know when Curley and Paterno would meet.

Eastern Michigan sports information director Jim Streeter said the university would not comment on the candidates in an effort to protect the school's privacy.

"We are still a day or two away from naming a coach," Streeter said.

Army spokesman Mike Albright said no official decision would be made on the head coaching decision until after the Black Knight's season finale against Navy on Dec. 6.

Carter told the Tribune-Review he notified the Lions' receivers that he was applying for the Army job and that the players were "fine with it."

He also told the paper that he indicated his interest in the job to Paterno, who was supportive of his decision.

Former Army football coach Todd Berry was fired on Oct. 13 after an eight-game losing streak this season.

The Black Knights had won just one game in their last 17. They finished with a sub-par 5-35 record in four seasons under coach Berry.

John Mumford was elevated from his position as a defensive line coach, which he held for four years, to interim head coach.

The Eastern Michigan job became available when Jeff Woodruff was fired on Nov. 3rd following an eight-game losing streak. He finished his career with the Eagles with a 9-34 record in four seasons.

Al Lavan the team's running backs coach guided the Eagles to two wins in their final three games as the interim coach.