Penn State has hired former Miami head coach Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator, the program announced on Saturday.
Diaz spent the past three seasons as the Hurricanes’ head coach and the 2016-2018 seasons as Miami’s defensive coordinator. Diaz was fired earlier this month and replaced by Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal.
Replacing longtime defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who left for the head coaching job at Virginia Tech, Diaz brings with him a long history of defensive coaching. He spent every year from 2006 until 2019 as a defensive coordinator at a combination of schools including Miami, Texas, Louisiana Tech, Mississippi State and Middle Tennessee.
“We are thrilled to add Manny Diaz as our defensive coordinator,” said Penn State coach James Franklin. “Manny is a veteran defensive play caller whose head coaching experience will bring tremendous value to our organization. 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. His defenses have been aggressive and led the country in several categories throughout his career. We are excited to have Manny and his family join us in Happy Valley!”
It’s unknown how much Penn State is paying Diaz in the role. He is reportedly owed upwards of $8 million for his buyout at Miami and his Penn State salary coupled with any form of payment from Miami could give him a comparable take-home to James Franklin in 2021 and beyond.
The Hurricanes went 7-5 this past season, including a 5-3 record in ACC play and a second-place finish in the conference’s Coastal Division
Miami posted solid top 25 defenses under Diaz’s watch as defensive coordinator. The Hurricanes finished 23rd in the nation in scoring defense in 2018 and 12th in 2016. Previous stints earlier in his career garnered similar results over the span of his tenure.
Diaz has at least some familiarity with the Keystone State. He was named Temple’s head coach in 2018 but ultimately returned to Miami two weeks later to become the Hurricanes’ head coach.
The hire is easily the biggest name recognition hire of the Franklin era and pairs well with the news that safeties’ coach Anthony Poindexter – who was among the favorites to land the Virginia head coach position – would return to Penn State. The hire also comes just a week prior to National Signing Day.
“My family and I are so excited to come to Happy Valley and join the Penn State family,” Diaz said. “The opportunity to lead Linebacker U is an honor and I will work every day to uphold that tradition. Penn State’s defense has been among the nation’s best, both historically and under Coach Franklin. I will continue to pursue excellence with our defensive unit on a daily basis. I can’t wait to get on the field with this talented group, to get to know them, and to ultimately develop them as football players, students and young men. Penn State’s fans are the best in the country, and I look forward to seeing them this fall in Beaver Stadium!”
