Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is happy in his role with the Nittany Lions but is hopeful for another chance one day down the road to become a head coach again. Diaz served as Miami’s head coach from 2019-2021 before taking over as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator this season. Diaz filled the role left behind now Virginia Tech head coach and longtime Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry.
“The great thing I have is, I’ve got a great job,” Diaz said Friday during his portion of Penn State’s bowl media day. “And it would take an amazingly great job to leave a great job. … If you’re doing a good job, they’re saying you’re leaving for somewhere else. If you’re not doing a good job, they say they want you to leave to go somewhere else. It’s just the nature of the business. So you manage to keep real what’s real and press on.”
Diaz led a Penn State defense this year that ranked No. 9 in scoring defense, first in passes defended and No. 16 in total defense. The Nittany Lions gave up more than 20 points just three times all year, going 1-2 in those contests. As Penn State prepares to face Pac-12 champion Utah in the Jan. 2 Rose Bowl, the Nittany Lions look to pick up their 11th win of the season and fifth straight since losing in a close contest to Ohio State at Beaver Stadium.
For his part, Diaz seems plenty interested in taking on a second season in State College even if that means putting off bigger and better things in 2023 and beyond. Diaz was fired from Miami in favor of longtime Hurricane target and former Miami assistant Mario Cristobal, who became available following his firing from Oregon. Penn State coach James Franklin called Diaz not long after he was let go to become Penn State’s defensive coordinator in early December of 2021.
“In terms of ambition, yeah, I’d like to be a head coach again,” Diaz said. “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 and 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 that’s where I’m very blessed that I’ve got a place where I know we can play great defense for a long time.”
With Penn State gearing up for the Drew Allar era at quarterback in 2023 and beyond, the fewer instances of change on Franklin’s staff the better off the Nittany Lions’ will be. With Diaz seemingly on board for at least another year, if not longer, that’s a big foundational piece still in the fold. Good news for all within the Lasch Building.
