STATE COLLEGE — Coming soon to a city near you: Penn State coach Bill O’Brien!

The Nittany Lions’ new leader is embarking on a nine-day, 18-stop bus tour spread out over the next three weeks. It’s an extensive meet-and-greet road trip through seven states with an itinerary that might make a presidential candidate blush.

First stop: Philadelphia on Monday.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting everybody out on the road — the alumni, the fans — and really talking to people about my vision of the football program,” O’Brien said.

It’s not unusual in one respect for a rookie head coach of such a high-profile team to be so pro-active with outreach. With an alumni base of more than a half-million strong across the country, Penn State draws a passionate football following.

But O’Brien took on more than just the typical big-school coaching job — and that was even before the child sexual abuse scandal that erupted following the arrest of Jerry Sandusky. A retired defensive coordinator, Sandusky has proclaimed his innocence while awaiting trial scheduled to start in June.

Sandusky’s former boss was the late Joe Paterno, who was ousted in November in the aftermath of the scandal by university trustees. Division I’s winningest coach with 409 victories paced the sideline in his jet-black Nikes for 46 seasons and became one of the most recognizable figures in Pennsylvania, if not college sports.

Paterno died in January at age 85. He used to be a regular on the caravan circuit, too, but scaled back in recent years in part because of health issues.

“Joe was a living legend,” O’Brien said recently. “I think I have to reach out to make sure people get to know me.”