Penn State Football: 3 Biggest Questions facing James Franklin

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Will the defense take a step back with Manny Diaz?

James Franklin and Brent Pry were together for ten years. The last six as the defensive coordinator. That doesn’t happen in college football anymore.

Brent Pry created one of the stingiest defenses in the country while at Penn State. Over the last six years, there were very few games in which Penn State didn’t have a chance to win. The defense was the strength of this program.

Manny Diaz is not inheriting an ideal situation. The Penn State defense is replacing seven key contributors on defense.

Apr 23, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Manny Diaz on the field during a warmup prior to the Blue White spring game at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

The defense that Manny Diaz gets to work with is athletic. Youth and inexperience will be Diaz’s most significant challenges.

The Penn State fans that thought Brent Pry would get too conservative won’t have to worry about that with Diaz calling the defense. Diaz has a philosophy that is aggressive and wants to create chaos on every play.

It will be interesting to see how this philosophy change plays out this season. Will the defense be as good? We will have to see.

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