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Duke targeting Penn State DC Manny Diaz for head coaching job

By Josh Yourish

Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz grins as his unit comes to the sideline after creating a turnover late in the the second half of an NCAA football game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in State College, Pa.
Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz grins as his unit comes to the sideline after creating a turnover late in the the second half of an NCAA football game against Indiana at Beaver Stadium Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, in State College, Pa. /
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There seems to be a connection between James Franklin’s defensive coordinators and the ACC. In 2022, Virginia Tech hired Penn State’s defensive coordinator Brent Pry to be its head coach, and it looks like the same is happening with current Penn State DC Manny Diaz and Duke. Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that Duke has selected Diaz to be its next head coach and that an official deal should be coming soon.

Diaz came to Penn State after a three-year stint as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes, his first head coaching job. In those three seasons, Diaz only compiled a record of 21-15, but he did manage to win 16 ACC games across those three years. After two seasons of career restoration on Franklin’s staff, Duke is ready to give Diaz his second chance as a head coach.

Duke’s head coaching position is open after Mike Elko left to replace the fired Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. Elko coached at Duke for two seasons and took them from 3-9 in 2021, David Cutcliffe’s final year, to 9-4 in 2022.

While Diaz was at Penn State, he took the defense from good to great. The Nittany Lions defense ranked No. 17 in 2022 and No. 1 in 2023. This season, his unit also led the country in sacks and pressure rate while allowing just 223.3 yards per game and 3.9 yards per play.

Penn State went 11-2 despite a questionable offense because the defense only gave up 11.4 points per game, the third lowest in the country, only behind Michigan and Ohio State.  Diaz coached Joey Porter Jr. who was selected No. 32 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft and two Nittany Lions defenders are expected to be first-round selections in the 2024 draft, Chop Robinson who recently declared for the draft, and Kalen King.

Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter is the top in-house candidate for the job. The former Virginia Tech Cavalier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame for his contributions on the field but has proven to be a quality asset on the sidelines as well.

Poindexter has coached for 20 years and has held the title of either defensive coordinator or co-defensive coordinator for nine of those, with previous stints at Virginia, UConn, and Purdue.

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