How Manny Diaz Landed at Penn State

'This past month has been a hell of a year,' Penn State's new defensive coordinator said in December.

As Penn State progresses toward the 2022 season, we're looking back at the team's construction. From coaching changes to transfer moves to quarterback decisions, the Lions made substantial moves this offseason determined to rebound from a 7-6 season.

To start the series, we're taking a look at how James Franklin quickly and decisively pursued Manny Diaz to be his defensive coordinator. We present this story, initially published in December, with refreshed information.

Driving through Cleveland on a spring recruiting trip, Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz laughed at the concept of his life settling down a bit.

"It couldn't have not settled down compared to that," Diaz said. "But no, it really has."

In December, Diaz barely had time to boil about his dismissal as Miami's head coach when James Franklin called. In fact, he had a day.

Penn State's head coach, who needed a defensive coordinator quickly, said he tried to respect Diaz's feelings after that Dec. 6 firing while also making his pitch. The two talked for the first time on a Tuesday, extended their discussions into Wednesday and essentially agreed to terms Thursday.

Late on Dec. 10, a Friday night, Diaz landed in State College, and by Saturday morning he was at a Penn State bowl practice, exuding a self-assurance that won over many players.

"You can feel his confidence as he's speaking to us," Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown said. "From that moment, I was like, 'This guy's the real deal.'"

Five days after Miami fired him, Diaz had found a new home at Penn State. He also began processing order out of the chaos.

"This past month has been a hell of a year," Diaz said in December. "... That was quite an extraordinary turn of events."

Diaz, Franklin's third defensive coordinator at Penn State, is unlike the others. He has three years of head-coaching experience at Miami (along with 18 days in 2018 at Temple) and a career built largely in Florida and the South.

Diaz and Franklin essentially were acquaintances before this, having coached against each other in the ACC and chatting at conventions. Diaz was more familiar with former Penn State coordinator Bob Shoop, with whom he has discussed defense for 15 years.

But Franklin, who wanted "the most experienced, successful defensive coordinator that we could get," made Diaz a quick target based on his resume and philosophy, which aligned with Penn State's. Also, the timeline mattered. It wasn't getting shorter.

Franklin's initial call intrigued Diaz, who considered it a possible option for January, after some decompression time with his family. But of course, with the "all-powerful Signing Day" (as Diaz called it) looming, Franklin couldn't wait. And neither could the competition.

"It was a whirlwind, so I was trying to be respectful of what he was going through both personally and professionally, but also making sure that we talked enough that we could come to a point where both parties were comfortable with it moving forward," Franklin said. "... And then the other thing, there were a bunch of big-time programs that were in need of defensive coordinators, and a lot of us were all talking to the same people. So that factored into it as well."

Diaz has significant experience as a defensive coordinator, having served in the role at five schools before Penn State. Diaz became his own coordinator last season at Miami, which ranked ninth in the ACC in scoring defense.

The Miami job ended abruptly when the program replaced him with Mario Cristobal during a process that left Diaz "disappointed." At first, Diaz said he thought "everything was on the table" regarding his future, even though he had no concrete plans. Then, Franklin called.

"I've always kind of felt in my mind that, when presented with moments of transition in my life, God sort of shows his hand at that time and sort of nudges you a certain way," Diaz said. "And I think the way that James reached out, if you're talking about defensive coordinator jobs — and premier defensive coordinator jobs across the country — Penn State has got to be up there with the best of them."

Diaz owned that first meeting with players, already looking and sounding the part of Penn State's defensive coordinator. Brown even called Diaz a little intimidating. "He looked like he was ready to ball," the safety said.

"Passion man, just passion," linebacker Jamari Buddin said of Diaz. "We see how much Manny Diaz puts into this. We see how much he cares about all of us the whole collective. It really just makes you feel a different way toward the game."

Diaz arrived at Penn State with some staff familiarity: He had hired Taylor Stubblefield as his receivers coach in 2019. Franklin then hired Stubblefield in 2020. Diaz spent the winter and spring learning about his talent, installing his defense and allowing his experience to emerge.

"It's growing, but obviously nowhere where it will be [when training camp begins in August]," Franklin said of his relationship with Diaz. "He’s done a really good job in meetings he’s got a presence to him. I like how he views the game of football and how he leads. The tweaks that we’ve made on defense are really going to be beneficial to us. I know the coaches and the players like it."

Since the head-coaching carousel spins relentlessly, Diaz of course faced a question about getting back on it. He laughed, trying to measure his future in steps.

"That's the last thing on my mind right now," he said in December. "... There are some things about it that I'll miss, and some things about it that I certainly won't miss. What I'm really excited about is coaching defensive football at Penn State University. That's fun to say out loud."

Added Franklin, "It's amazing how many people reached out to me after the hire about why they felt like it was a good hire."

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.