Penn State coordinator Manny Diaz taking the Duke head coaching job a 'done deal,' reports say
Penn State defensive coordiantor Manny Diaz leaving the Lions for the head coaching job at Duke is a ‘done deal.’ according to multiple national media outlets.. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports first reported on Thursday that the Blue Devils were moving to finalize a deal with the second-year Nittany Lions play caller. He then reported Diaz will officially be the ACC team’s next head coach.
Diaz was Temple’s head coach for two weeks before the 2019 season. He then abruptly changed course and took the Miami job. He led the Hurricanes to a 21-15 mark over three seasons before being ousted in favor of Mario Cristobal. Penn State coach James Franklin moved fast to bring Diaz to State College. The results have been stellar. Employing his aggressive scheme that features plenty of man coverage and blitzing, the last two Penn State defenses have been among the nation’s best in points allowed, opponent yards per play and per game, turnovers, sacks, and tackles for loss, among other stats.
Penn State will now have two new play callers in 2024. The Lions hired Andy Kotelnicki to be their new offensive coordinator last week. He replaces Mike Yurcich, who was fired in November.
Diaz has wanted to be a head coach again
The Lions undoubtedly would have liked to keep Diaz another season. But, there was never a question about the fact that he would become a head coach again at some point, either very soon or in the future.
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“In terms of ambition, yeah, I’d like to be a head coach again,” Diaz said in late December 2022. “I enjoy it. I think there’s some unfinished business with the way things happened a year ago. But I think the second time around, I think you’re a little wiser in the opportunity. You don’t necessarily let the opportunity choose you.
“I think you choose the opportunity a little bit differently. And so when you don’t have a platform that you feel comfortable where you’re at, you may feel more desperate to just lunge for something. So I’m very blessed that I’ve got a place where I know we can play great defense for a long time.”
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