By Michael Lipinski, Sports Talk Philly Contributor 
Former University of Miami head coach Manny Diaz has been announced as Penn State’s new defensive coordinator. He takes over for Brent Fry who took the head coaching job at Virginia Tech. Diaz, 47, is coming off of a disappoint stint as head coach of “The U” where he compiled a 21-15 record at his alma mater.
📍Happy Valley
Welcome to the family, @Coach_MannyDiaz. #WeAre | https://t.co/wR7tu8KWHF pic.twitter.com/vvfUoUMcPc
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) December 11, 2021
Despite the lackluster head coaching record at Miami, this is a very good hire for Penn State. Diaz is considered by many to be one of the best defensive minds in college football. He held the defensive coordinator position at multiple schools from 2006-2018. Diaz’s defenses were routinely ranked near the top statistically.
He will take over a Penn State defense that has been the backbone of the program for the past few seasons. The Nittany Lions ranked 8th in team defense for the 2021 season and only allowed 16.8 point-per-game.
