Penn State hires fired Miami Hurricanes coach Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator
Eric J. WallaceFormer Miami head coach Manny Diaz has bounced back quickly after his recent departure from the Hurricanes football program.
Penn State announced the hiring of Diaz on Friday as the Nittany Lions' new defensive coordinator, days after Diaz exited Miami with the hiring of Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal.
Diaz, 47, was a longtime defensive coordinator, with stints at Mississippi State, Louisiana Tech, Texas before joining the Hurricanes. Diaz spent the last six seasons (2016-21) at Miami, including three seasons as head coach (2019-21).
Diaz led the Hurricanes to a 7-5 record (5-3 in the ACC) in the 2021 season.
“Manny is a veteran defensive play caller whose head coaching experience will bring tremendous value to our organization,” Penn State coach James Franklin said Saturday in a statement. “He has an innovative approach to complement his extensive Xs & Os knowledge which he developed through his stops at multiple Power Five conferences. Manny’s defensive philosophy is in line with our scheme and will help in the transition with our current team.”
The Miami Hurricanes compiled a 21-15 record in three seasons under Diaz.
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With Diaz as the coordinator, Miami’s defense ranked in the top three of the Atlantic Coast Conference in yards per play allowed in three straight seasons (2016-18). The Hurricanes’ performance on that side of the ball slipped when Diaz became head coach, but it still managed to rank in the top half of the conference in yards per play.
Diaz replaces Brent Pry, who left Penn State after eight seasons as coaching the defense to become Virginia Tech’s head coach.
Contributing: The Associated Press
