Manny Diaz reveals why he didn't take year off following Miami debacle

It has been a whirlwind past month for former Miami football coach Manny Diaz. His job with the Hurricanes was on the thinnest of ice all season, and he was ultimately fired on Dec. 6 after a 7-5 finish.

With a buyout worth more than $8 million, no one would have blamed him if he decided to take a season off to reassess his circumstances. Instead, he claimed the Penn State defensive coordinator job less than a week later.

In a Friday media availability, Diaz shared what was going through his mind in the days leading up to his decision to join the Nittany Lions.

“I have no idea,” he said. “I think everything was on the table. When you come out of a situation like we came out of in Miami, you don’t really know where you’re going to go next. When I’m presented with moments of transition in my life, I’ve always felt like God kind of shows his hand at that time and nudges you a certain way. …If you’re talking about premier defensive coordinator jobs in the country, Penn State has gotta be up there with the best of them. (But) it’s not something I sought out.”

The coach has previously expressed his frustration with the way Miami handled his exit. The Hurricanes parted ways with athletic director Blake James weeks before Diaz was let go. They were reportedly in pursuit of Oregon coach Mario Cristobal while Diaz remained on staff.

But, as Diaz has come to realize, that is the nature of the current college landscape.

“Certainly, you have to keep in mind that the college football coaching carousel calendar is totally out of whack,” he said. “We’re in a new world from where we’ve been. It’s very rare to hire coordinators in mid-December. I don’t even know what day it is. This past month has been a hell of a year. I didn’t know where I was gonna go.

“I wanted to be kind of organic and see what the best opportunity was and make sure I was around great people and that we can win. Certainly, if it was going to be at a defensive coordinator level, it was going to be (somewhere) we have a chance to play great defense. I think Penn State ticked all those boxes.”

Diaz finished with a 21-15 overall record in Miami, which was his first head coaching opportunity. He brings plenty of experience as a defensive coordinator with him to Penn State, including stops at Texas and Mississippi State.

Safeties coach Anthony Poindexter will call the plays for the Penn State defense in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas. After that, Diaz will take over heading into 2022.