Penn State Needs a Defensive Coordinator. Here's a Candidates List

James Franklin seeks a coordinator to continue the Nittany Lions' defensive success under Manny Diaz.

Penn State coach James Franklin is hiring again, as defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is leaving after two seasons to become the head coach at Duke. For the second time as Penn State football's head coach, Franklin is replacing his offensive and defensive coordinators at the same time. 

Penn State fielded one of the nation's finest defenses this season, one that allowed fewer yards per game than any since Alabama in 2011. The Nittany Lions need that to continue, particularly with the four Pac-12 offenses entering the Big Ten next season. Who will join offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki on the Nittany Lions' staff? Some candidates to consider as Penn State's next defensive coordinator.

Anthony Poindexter

Franklin has an exceptional in-house candidate in Poindexter, the program's co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach. Poindexter spent 11 years at Virginia and was a candidate for its head-coaching position in 2021. He has coordinator experience at Connecticut and Purdue (co-coordinator) and worked with Diaz the past two seasons. Franklin loved Diaz's aggressive system, and Poindexter knows it. Players and fellow coaches admire him. "The respect he has and garners every day is one of the reasons my son is named Christopher Dex," said Penn State receivers coach Marques Hagans, who worked with Poindexter at Virginia. "The opportunity to reunite with him here was a big reason [Hagans came to Penn State]."

Tom Allen

Two years ago, Franklin made what he thought would be an uncomfortable call soon after Miami fired Diaz. It turned into an exceptional decision for both coaches. Diaz parlayed his success into the Duke position, and Franklin proved that Penn State's DC job is one of the nation's best. Franklin could make a similar decision with Allen, the former Indiana head coach. Franklin long has been complimentary of Allen. "Good man, good person, good coach," Franklin said last year. And Allen built his career on defense, having turned it into an Indiana asset. Some of his early Indiana defenses were exceptional in takeaways (26 in 2018) and third-down success rate (eighth nationally in 2017). A fresh start could benefit Allen as it did Diaz.

Joe Harasymiak

In a league top-heavy with strong defenses, Harasymiak did much more with less at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights ranked sixth in the Big Ten in total defense and seventh in scoring. Yes, Rutgers stressed to the finish on a four-game losing streak, allowing 31.5 points per game, but its offense didn't help. Harasymiak has called defenses at Rutgers and Minnesota and has head-coaching experience. He was the 2018 AFCA FCS coach of the year after guiding Maine to a 10-4 record, the CAA championship and the FCS semifinals. And Franklin is a fan. "They make you earn everything," the Penn State coach said of Harasymiak's defense.

Jim Leonhard

Penn State could be provide a fresh start for the former Wisconsin assistant an interim head coach, who went 4-3 with the Badgers last year after Paul Chryst was fired. Leonhard was a Broyles Award finalist at Wisconsin in 2017, when the Badgers went 13-1, ranking second nationally in total defense and third in scoring. His 2021 group was exceptional as well, leading the nation in total defense (239.1 yards per game). Leonhard spent this past season as a senior analyst for Bret Bielema at Illinois. One major issue is Leonhard's 3-4 defense, a significant philosophy and recruiting difference that breaks with Penn State's strength on the defensive line. Urban Meyer broke down Leonhard's defense on BTN.

Blake Baker

Baker, the defensive coordinator at Missouri, was Diaz's DC at Miami in 2019 and '20, so he's familiar with the style and structure. He also coordinated top-20 defenses both seasons before joining the LSU staff in 2021. Baker left for Missouri in January 2022, was promoted to defensive coordinator a month later and guided a unit that was fourth in the SEC this season and 25th nationally in defensive efficiency, according to the ESPN FPI. He was a coordinator at Louisiana Tech as well and has experience coaching linebackers, the position Diaz coached at Penn State.

Zach Arnett

Arnett is another recently fired head coach with a defensive pedigree. He didn't last one season at Mississippi State, going 5-6 after taking over for the late Mike Leach. Arnett produced highly rated defenses Mississippi State and San Diego State but runs another unit with style differences. At Mississippi State he ran a 3-3-5 defense, which could be a passing-down set at Penn State but hasn't been its base defense. Arnett played linebacker at New Mexico.

D'Anton Lynn

Why not? What could be better than poaching the defensive coordinator whom USC recently poached from UCLA as both programs are about to enter the Big Ten? Of course, Lynn received a big raise from Lincoln Riley to leave UCLA that Penn State might not want (or be positioned) to match. But the three-time All-Big Ten cornerback at Penn State is one of the college game's rising stars and might be interested in stepping into a position of strength with Penn State's defensive roster. Or perhaps he knew this change was coming at Penn State and just prefers Los Angeles.

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