Former Miami coach Manny Diaz finds landing spot at Penn State
Former Miami coach Manny Diaz will be the next defensive coordinator at Penn State, the Nittany Lions announced on Saturday morning.
Diaz is coming off three seasons as Miami’s head coach but is a longtime defensive coordinator. Here’s the announcement:
📍Happy Valley
Welcome to the family, @Coach_MannyDiaz. #WeAre | https://t.co/wR7tu8KWHF pic.twitter.com/vvfUoUMcPc
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 11, 2021
“My family and I are so excited to come to Happy Valley and join the Penn State family,” Diaz said in a 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.”
Diaz has been a defensive coordinator since 2006, coaching at places like Texas, Mississippi State and Miami. He was the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator for three seasons before taking over as head coach.
Miami replaced Diaz with Oregon coach Mario Cristobal, who is from the area and played for the Hurricanes.
Penn State had an opening at defensive coordinator because Brent Pry left to take the Virginia Tech head coaching job earlier this cycle.
This will be Diaz’s first experience in the Big Ten.