Potential successors to Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator for Penn State football
Manny Diaz, the defensive coordinator for Penn State, will take over as head coach of Duke, according to a report published on Thursday by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports. With Mike Elko leaving to join Texas A&M, Duke found itself shorthanded at the top.
After being fired from his first head coaching position at Miami, Diaz spent two seasons at Happy Valley. He made his unit the best in the nation in those two years. With only 11.4 points allowed per game in 2023, Penn State’s defense was ranked first in total defense, first in yards per play, and third in points per game.
In addition to losing Diaz, the Penn State defense will probably lose some significant talent to the NFL—though not to another university. Prominent edge rusher Chop Robinson has already registered for the NFL Draft in 2024, and Adisa Isaac and Kalen King will probably follow.
On that side of the ball, the Nittany Lions will still have a talented group, but the question is: who will coach them? After firing Mike Yurcich, Franklin already needed to find a new offensive coordinator. The creative Kansas native Andy Kotelnicki was chosen. Is there a better option available, or could he choose to remain in-house for the DC?
The most obvious candidate to accept the position is Poindexter. Over his three years at Penn State, he is most known for coaching Ji’Ayir Brown and Jaquon Brisker to the NFL and for having Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston Jr. play excellent backup defense.
Poindexter, a hard-hitting safety at Virginia during his playing career, was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame recently. He has coached defense at UConn for three seasons and held the position of DC or co-DC for nine of his twenty years in the coaching profession.
Poindexter seems ready to take on the challenge of managing a defense at the highest level of college football, and for Penn State’s outstanding defense, consistency may be the most crucial factor. It might be difficult to keep him on staff if he doesn’t get the job, but if Franklin isn’t confident about getting promoted, there are still other options.
