Penn State coordinator Manny Diaz breaks down Dan Connor's role with the Nittany Lions
Penn State brought letterman and ‘Linebacker U’ member Dan Connor back within the walls of the Lasch Building last February as an analyst. The former Nittany Lion who was a star linebacker during his playing days in blue and white came to State College off stints at Widener University, West Chester, and Archbishop Carroll High School after spending some time on the field in the NFL.
Connor can not work directly on the practice or game fields with the players who now fill the role he used to in Manny Diaz’s defense. However, according to the second-year coordinator, the one-time Lion is an invaluable resource for both himself and the linebackers on the roster.
“Obviously, we have some limitations in terms of the NCAA rules,” Diaz said last week.
“But, his presence, I think for our linebackers in that room, to be able to have a guy sitting there who has sat in those same seats, had the success that he’s had, [and] to be able to understand process. Whether it was when he was at Penn State, or his successful career in the National Football League, of how to study, how to prepare, how to go about things, and maybe sometimes just how to deal with the stresses of the entire workload and the environment, Dan’s such a resource like that. It’s so valuable.”
Connor has ‘super helpful’ role at Penn State
Analysts handle all sorts of tasks. They range from self-scouting Penn State to working ahead on future opponents and evaluating players both at the high school level and in the NCAA transfer portal. Speaking at a media event last week in State College, Diaz raved about what Connor does for him and the program.
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“He’s super helpful to me in terms of preparing our guys for the game, whether it’s paperwork or different types of videos and whatnot,” Diaz said. “And so again, a guy who has been an outstanding asset for Penn State for a long time, and he’s still helping us in a lot of ways right now.”
Connor is one of many analysts on head coach James Franklin’s support staff. The number of people in those roles has swelled in recent years. The latest addition to it is former FCS coordinator and NFL assistant Ola Adams. He joins the Lions after a stint with the Denver Broncos.
