3 takeaways from former Penn State coordinator Manny Diaz's intro news conference at Duke

Former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz was officially introduced as Duke’s new head coach on Saturday. The 49-year-old Florida native spent two seasons in State College. He led a pair of defenses that were among the best in the nation in numerous statistical categories.

“We are grateful and humbled for this opportunity and could not be more excited to be the head football coach at Duke University,” Diaz said in a news release. “I’d like to give a special thanks to Dr. Price and Nina for their trust in me and our family as well as a true commitment to this program. Duke University is an elite institution in every facet, and we are excited to be a part of it. I’m beyond excited to get to work.”

Here is what Diaz, the 23rd coach in Blue Devils history, had to say about the Nittany Lions, his staff-building process, and more.

Why was Duke for Diaz?

Diaz covered that in his opening statement. He had high praise for the people in Durham, starting with the school president and athletic director. His former strength coach at Miami, David Feeley, also had a big role in convincing him that the Blue Devils were right for him.

“It’s got to be about the young men in the locker room,” Diaz said. “There is something about Duke. One young man explained to me that when we’re on campus we’re surrounded by the best people in the room. And, we think we have the best locker room in the world. And that’s it. That’s the something about Duke, that’s the culture. That’s the key. And that’s so worthy of protecting.

“I am in a place that has pure and proper alignment.”

He also said he has long thought about being a head coach again.

“There is nothing like being a head coach,” Diaz said. “After your first year as a head coach, you get your sea legs under you a little bit more, and in our second and third year at Miami, I thought we were on the way to building a really strong culture. You’re always learning. If you have the chance to do it again, make sure you do it at the right place. I feel really good about the support we have, the timing, and I think people are energized to make Duke excellent.”

Praise for Penn State

Diaz was extremely complimentary of his time at Penn State. It came up during the early part of his first news conference with the Blue Devils.

“I have to thank the players I had a chance to say goodbye to Thursday night. The chance to mentor those young men. They taught me so much. They aspired to be great, saw pressure as a privilege, and made it their purpose to be the No. 1 defense in the country. I’m thankful for them, the defensive staff; if there is a coaching staff that had more fun than us, I’d like to see it. And thank you to James Franklin for bringing me to Penn State and letting me be part of that culture.”

He also talked about leaving and going to Penn State.

“I think James called me an hour after getting fired. The body wasn’t even cold at the funeral. And Stephanie [his wife] encouraged me to get back on the saddle. I do believe that God steers us to where we need to be when we need to be there. And I think some of the lessons learned at Penn State made me a better man and better coach to be here now.”

And what did he learn about being a head coach from James Franklin?

“I’ve been blessed to work with a lot of great head coaches and to see James and where his program was in year 10, and the players understood what was established. Everybody knew what the core valuers were. The players could seek comfort in that. I learned a lot from that experience and the culture of those guys in that locker room.”

He said it

Diaz, on the ceiling at Duke:

“We will go as far as we believe we can go. I think how far we can go is in direct relation to what we believe we can accomplish. If we see ourselves as capable, we can accomplish anything. Even last year was an example. There was nothing we could do on the first play of the first game to finish as the No. 1 defense in the country. It was a journey.

“We don’t see a reason why we can’t be elite. We got to get the locker room to ignite that belief in what it means to be Duke.”