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James Franklin shares early impressions of Manny Diaz from start to spring practices
By Paul Harvey
Published:
James Franklin lost some pieces of his coaching staff this offseason. Most notably, longtime assistant Brent Pry left Penn State to become the head coach at Virginia Tech.
Pry’s time with Franklin dates back to 2011 when Franklin landed the head coaching job at Vanderbilt. Pry was also Penn State’s defensive coordinator since 2016.
Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, the program was able to pivot and landed Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator. Diaz brings with him a wealth of experience as a DC and was unexpectedly available after a whirlwind offseason at Miami led to his removal.
In his first impressions of Diaz, Franklin pointed to the experience that Diaz brings to the table. Franklin also likes the fit and is “excited” for some new wrinkles from the defense under Diaz.
Franklin on Manny Diaz: “He’s got tremendous experience — both as a head coach and defensive coordinator. I’ve been really impressed with him.”
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 30, 2022
Franklin says defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has fit well so far, and is excited for “some new wrinkles” that’ll be added to the defense.
— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 30, 2022
Diaz takes over a unit that allowed 17.3 points per game in 2021, a mark that ranked 7th nationally. He will try to replicate those numbers with a strong showing in 2022.
Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.