ALTOONA, Pa. -- One of James Franklin's biggest strengths during his Penn State tenure has been finding and bringing coaches with outstanding track records to Happy Valley as assistants, and he did it again Saturday with a big splash hire.
Manny Diaz, who spent the past three seasons as Miami's head coach, was named Penn State's new defensive coordinator Saturday. Diaz has an extensive resume with plenty of stops at major programs as an assistant, plus he's been a head coach of one of the more prestigious programs in the country. He's been a defensive coordinator for 13 years, at stops such as Texas and Mississippi State.
Diaz was fired last week by Miami after going 7-5 this year and 21-15 over three seasons. The school strung him along for several days as it pursued Oregon's Mario Cristobal, then wound up making the coaching change and giving Cristobal a lucrative contract of 10 years and $80 million.
That made Diaz available, and he wasn't out of work long. Franklin has brought him on board as the Nittany Lions' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, replacing Brent Pry, who left to become head coach at Virginia Tech.
"My family and I are so excited to come to Happy Valley and join the Penn State family," Diaz said in a university release. "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!"
It was during Diaz's tenure at Miami that the "turnover chain" became a big thing in college football. His defenses have excelled at forcing turnovers throughout his career.
Here's a look at Diaz's career, from GoPSUSports:
2019-21: Miami (head coach)
2016-18: Miami (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2015: Mississippi State (defensive coordinator)
2014: Louisiana Tech (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2011-13: Texas (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2010: Mississippi State (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2008-09: Middle Tennessee (defensive coordinator/linebackers)
2006-07: Middle Tennessee (defensive coordinator/safeties)
2004-05: NC State (safeties/special teams)
2002-03: NC State (linebackers)
2000-01: NC State (graduate assistant)
1998-99: Florida State (graduate assistant)
Diaz got his first head coaching job at Temple after the 2018 season, but just two weeks later, he was hired at Miami.
"We are thrilled to add Manny Diaz as our defensive coordinator," Franklin said. "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!"
GIGER'S TAKEAWAYS
* This looks like a home run hire. On paper, at least. My only reason for skepticism is that we all got burned last year thinking Mike Yurcich was a sensational hire for Penn State, based on his name and resume, and so far that has not been the case. Diaz isn't Yurcich. But you get what I'm saying about judging any hire based solely on the name.
* Diaz is a big name with a great resume. Penn State being able to lure someone like him says a lot about the program, its reputation and Franklin's ability to attract quality assistants. Yes, Diaz needed a job, but you gotta think he had some other great options and wound up taking this one.
* Diaz's defenses force turnovers. For as good as the Lions have been on defense forever, that's an area where they haven't always been highly successful.
* Diaz has head coaching experience, which is always a plus. It's just what Penn State needs, as well, because Franklin lets the coordinators be the head coaches of their units, so Diaz will be comfortable there.
* He's a good recruiter, and his ties in Florida in particular can only help Penn State. The Lions have hit that state hard in recent years, and having Diaz on the staff along with running backs coach Ja'Juan Seider is a big plus.
* I'm a little surprised Franklin didn't stay in house and promote Anthony Poindexter to defensive coordinator. Then again, Diaz has so much experience in that role that it makes much more sense to go this route.
* I wonder how long Diaz will be at Penn State. If he has great success, I would see him landing another head coaching job in as little as a year or two. That means Franklin could be looking to fill this role again before too long, which isn't ideal. But again, Franklin couldn't pass on a guy with so much experience as a coordinator and also as a head coach.
