The former Miami (and Temple) head coach brings a strong defensive background and recruiting reputation to Penn State.
Diaz spent the past three seasons as Miami’s head coach, and 18 days before that in December 2018 as the head coach at Temple.
“Manny is a veteran defensive play-caller whose head coaching experience will bring tremendous value to our organization,” Penn State coach James Franklin said 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. His defenses have been aggressive and led the country in several categories throughout his career.”
Miami fired Diaz on Monday in a messy and public process that Diaz said “disappointed” him.
Penn State hires former Miami coach Manny Diaz as Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 11, 2021
Penn State hires Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator: https://t.co/3jcS9KjMb9 pic.twitter.com/0lTf1vmide
— 247Sports (@247Sports) December 11, 2021
