Pennsylvania State University is expected to soon announcing a parting of ways with its current athletic director Dave Joyner, though the school apparently does not have a successor in mind.

David Jones, of PennLive.com, cited "several university sources" who said newly appointed Penn State president Eric Barron will announce Joyner's departure as soon as this weekend. While Jones said Jim Phillips, Northwestern's AD, could be a potential successor, Barron does not have one in mind.

The PennLive.com reporter said Joyner has not responded to text messages or phone calls requesting comment.

"But it's accurate to say that I've found him responsive and cordial throughout his very difficult stint as AD," Jones wrote.

Penn State is further distancing itself from one of the ugliest scandals to ever hit a college or university's athletic department, an alleged cover up for a former football assistant coach who was molesting young boys. Joyner took over after Tim Curley, who is currently standing trial on charges for assisting in covering up Jerry Sandusky's crimes.

As Jones noted, Joyner's job was anything but smooth and easy. The NCAA passed down historic sanctions on Penn State's athletic department, fining them $60 million over five years, taking away scholarships and banning the football team from postseason play.

Still, when Joyner leaves, as Jones says is imminent, Penn State will have lost the last of the major administrators from the NCAA sanction aftermath. With the hiring of James Franklin as the head football coach, Penn State also parted ways with the last of the late Joe Paterno's coaching staff. (Sandusky was a defensive coordinator and assistant coach under Paterno).

The school has also found a permanent replacement for interim president Rodney Erickson, who took over when Graham Spanier resigned amidst accusations he knew of Sandusky's crimes.

Jones praised Joyner for hiring Bill O'Brien to be Paterno's first permanent successor as head football coach. Even though O'Brien left for the NFL after one season, the newly minted Texans coach pulled the team out of despair and led them to a winning season.

Thanks to both O'Brien's and Franklin's recruiting efforts, Penn State even looks like it could compete in the highly competitive Big Ten this year, even though they cannot play beyond the regular season.

"Joyner was not perfect. But nothing else at Penn State during his stint was close to ideal, either," Jones wrote. "That he even took the job at a time when many would not have touched it is, in my mind, to his eternal credit."

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