Penn State hires Manny Diaz as defensive coordinator
Title says it all, but here's a link if you insist:
December 11th, 2021 at 10:31 AM ^
An unfortunately good hire by PSU
December 11th, 2021 at 10:34 AM ^
I think it depends. He had some really good defenses while working for Mark Richt, but he had some really bad defenses that resulted in his firing while at Texas.
Also, his defenses while head coach at Miami were really, really poorly coached - the tackling was abhorrent.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:25 AM ^
He also got Rich Rod fired, and was Mullen’s best DC at Mississippi State. In hindsight, the Texas stuff seems less on him, knowing what we know about Mack’s late tenure. And obviously he has ties to Pennsylvania as a former Temple HC.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:33 AM ^
How did he get RichRod fired?
December 11th, 2021 at 12:48 PM ^
I guess because he was Miss State's DC when they blew us out?
I don't think we were going to win that game regardless.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:57 AM ^
Is this whole thing sarcasm, or just the PA ties? He was Temple’s head coach for 18 days before returning to Miami.
December 11th, 2021 at 4:01 PM ^
That part was, yes
December 11th, 2021 at 12:38 PM ^
Bravo on the "ties to Pennsylvania" line. Very nicely done.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:40 AM ^
It's definitely a big name hire hire for sure. Incredible how much turn over there is in college football.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:54 PM ^
I always find the wildly nomadic lifestyle of coaches very interesting. Can’t imagine moving across the country and rarely living in one spot more than 2-3 years.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:10 PM ^
A. That's certainly not the only career where that's common.
B. Not all coaches move around that much, only the ones intent on moving up. You see coaches all the time who pass on promotions to stay in one place (Fred Jackson).
C. They make a lot of money. Many high paying jobs come with some sort of quality of life drawback.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
Dear God.
I was so wrong about Harbaugh. All my takes were bad and incredibly lucky to have him. I can only imagine if we had Frames on a 10 year billion dollar contract. ?
December 11th, 2021 at 10:39 AM ^
Sometimes it's hard admitting to yourself that you are a fair weather fan. It's ok.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:49 AM ^
You can be critical of the coaching and still be a fan. I’ve learned this by being a lions fan!
December 11th, 2021 at 10:55 AM ^
I think it might be helpful to delineate “fair weather fandom” versus wanting to make a coaching change. The people that wanted a coaching change probably breathed Michigan football. I wanted to keep him. You can look back at last years MSU game thread and I called out sherif rob for saying Harbs should be fired. That said, I think most of us on here posting, though opinions differ, are really far from fair weather fans.
that is all from red rum
December 11th, 2021 at 11:12 AM ^
I'd like to see the Venn Diagram overlap between those who have been yammering for Harbaugh's firing for the last three years (up until the last few weeks) and those who were constantly screeching that Lloyd Carr should be fired.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:22 AM ^
I think like most things life, time will tell. I loved the JH hire in 2015. By 2020 I was ready to move on. I'm so happy for him and the program that he finally reached this level of beating OSU and winning a B1G title that we've been searching for going on 3 HCs now. But, I'm also not a fool. I'm not gonna assume this one special year is the new norm. Maybe we're "back" and maybe we'll go 8-4 and OSU will kick the shit out of us next year. JH by all measures has fixed several issues. He's still the same guy we get annoyed at. He hasn't changed. It's just that his schtick worked this year. Time will tell if it keeps working or reverts back.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:49 AM ^
I'm happy to be a fool optimist. I'm on top of the world with this delicious certainty that we're permanently elite, and you can't change my mind.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:32 PM ^
Not sure if Harbaugh is the same guy or not but he had the guts to completely change his coaching staff, and apparently get every hire 100% right. If those new and young coaches leave and the play on the field starts deteriorating, then I'll worry, but right now as a Michigan fan I can't see any reason to be anything but optimistic about next year and the next several years.
December 11th, 2021 at 1:13 PM ^
RE: Still the same guy we get annoyed at.
I'm going to disagree somewhat. One can debate if the success of his coaching moves is luck or not. One can debate if a lot of this has to do with generational players.
But it's totally clear that the coaches he has in place (new or moved to another position group) have 100% worked out. Every position group is better than a couple years ago. Also, it's clear that his in-game coaching has improved. Whether that's due to Weiss or not, who knows, but there is some semblance of tempo and reasonable two-minute drills are happening. More needs to be done in this area, but there is improvement. Also, the team culture has vastly improved, and I'm sure Jim seeing more energized has something to do with it.
I agree with you that time will tell, but I was a firm "fire Harbaugh" guy until I saw these improvements. It's clear to me that things are better.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:55 PM ^
We've had a faction of posters who were relentlessly negative all the time, spinning every bit of news into a reason to bash Harbaugh, complaining about him during other teams' games ("Harbaugh would never have called that play"), complaining about him during basketball/hockey threads ("Why can't Harbaugh win games like this?") and ridiculing posters who dared to be happy or optimistic ("You think we're winning next week, LMAO"). Whether you choose to think their heart was in the right place or not, they made this board absolutely toxic at times.
However you feel about a Michigan coach, don't let it turn you into the toxic negative guy.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:22 PM ^
Grossly unfair to call anyone who questions the coaching staff 'fair weather fans'. Harbaugh needed to make some changes and he did
December 11th, 2021 at 1:18 PM ^
Not all who questioned the coaching were fair-weather fans. But SOME were.
ALSO, what happened to our November-December moment of Zen? To enjoying this lovely stretch of wonderful feelings? Are we already mumbling about dire things that may happen later?
December 11th, 2021 at 1:15 PM ^
You're not a fair-weather fan if you sat through the 2008 NW game for a 3-7 UM team coached by a guy who's on his 4th job since then and at a Div-1AA school. That was horrific weather (rain, sleet, wind) but I'm sure a lot of us on this board went to that game. QB-ed by two stiffs, with a team that later ratted on him for extra stretching.
I was also wrong about JH at the end of Covid year - but was not in favor of firing him - he just looked so burned out that I hoped he would do something like Joel Klatt (I think) said about JH at the end of last year - that JH should just take a year off and travel the country with his wife and kids in an RV. Then come back refreshed somewhere else.
My take on last year is we got hit by a combination of external issues (breaking in a new QB and OL without spring practice) and internal bad karma in the locker room. The players this year talked a lot about changing the culture. As for the bad karma, perhaps we had a divide on the staff and also between certain coaches and players and also player cliques. The two original QBs may not have liked each other and it didn't help that Dylan first wanted to have the season un-canceled only to opt out and play a crappy season for his dad on a crappy team.
I believe it was Vincent Gray that made some kind of comments in the summer about the coaching playing more to the players strengths and not sticking with what was not working vs. MSU and Rocky, etc.
We've all been wrong before - if this message board had existed when I was a junior at UM in 1984 when Bo had his worst ever season (6-6) it would have blown up with calls for Bo to retire since the game had passed him by. But then the 1985 team finished 10-1-1 and #2 with JH having an incredible season.
My sense going forward is we won't need 10 more years to beat Ohio - JH was coaching tight in the past few years because of the pressure on him to beat OSU and also make the playoffs. The weight of the world has been lifted off him and I expect more great years ahead. We have to make up some of the talent gap on OSU but the portal should help.
GO BLUE!
December 11th, 2021 at 10:39 AM ^
That's a great hire for them. Hopefully he is burned out from his trying tenure at Miami...
December 11th, 2021 at 11:02 AM ^
Hey, you didn’t call me after last Sunday’s post brunch….. exercise. It’s usually customary to call after three days.
Da fuck?
December 11th, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^
You knew what this was
December 11th, 2021 at 4:08 PM ^
It still hurts. A transaction is a transaction
December 11th, 2021 at 10:50 AM ^
PSU gets to visit A2 next year in early Oct when the UM offense should be flitting on all cylinders with CM, JJ, BC, DE, RB, RW, CJ, and others.
Although Clifford is back for a 6th season, their O will likely struggle again and they won’t have Dotson.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:01 AM ^
If they can figure out their horrible OL play this year and correct it, the PSU offense should be pretty good. I think their WR - Washington ? - could be the next great one at PSU
December 11th, 2021 at 12:17 PM ^
They haven't been able to figure out their horrible OL play for the last five+ years; why would they be able to figure it out this year?
December 11th, 2021 at 11:26 AM ^
Also, that’s the week after the likely white out against Ohio State. And we know they’ll likely pull out all the stops there.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:54 AM ^
I have always had the impression that Diaz is a pretty smart guy, a solid recruiter and he had some success (and, in fairness, some failure) as DC.
I sure like this hire more than Oklahoma hiring Ted Roof, but then again Venables will presumably be keeping a close eye on the defense.
December 11th, 2021 at 10:55 AM ^
I never knew his wife was so hot ?
December 11th, 2021 at 10:59 AM ^
I didn't think Miami's defense was particularly good this year.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^
It wasn't particularly good. Mixed track record for Diaz.
Diaz's defenses ranking, rank within conference (using yards/play)
2010 (Miss St.) 6th
2011-2013 (Texas) 1st, 7th, 7th
2014- (La Tech) 2nd
2015- (Miss St.) 9th
2016-2018 (Miami) 3rd, 3rd, 2nd
2019-2020 (Miami, as HC) 3rd, 5th
2021- (Miami as HC and DC at same time) 6th
While I am not a huge fan of Diaz, he is a career LB coach. Since Pry was also coaching linebackers, Diaz does fill both the DC and LB coaching roles, which is a positive.
December 11th, 2021 at 2:18 PM ^
I had some interaction with Manny when he was in Starkville. He is a charismatic guy and was well liked by the players (and the women in town - many crushes were announced). At that time Manny had a gimmick where he would bring a sword to team meetings and use it as a metaphor for team unity (the coaches were the handle, the bench players the length of the blade, and the players on the field the sharp edge or something like that).
He wasn't here long enough either time to be responsible for much player development. He was hired as DC prior to the 2010 season and stayed only one year. That team was pretty stacked with Pernell McPhee and Fletcher Cox on the D-line and Benerdrick McKinney at MLB but the on-field results were middling. Manny had the opportunity to leave for Texas and wore out his welcome there in 3 years.
He came back to Mississippi State in 2015 for one year and had Chris Jones in the center of that D-line. Results, again, did match expectations, especially later in the season. Maybe because his mind was already in Miami.
Overall, he had the reputation of being a good self-promoter and hard worker who created adequate results but always had his eyes on something better.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:05 AM ^
I saw some Miami fans say he builds great defenses for 2010, and watching Miami the past couple of years I have to agree. His teams are incredibly sloppy and undisciplined, and I don't see Franklin being the type of guy to change that.
PSU has talent so they'll be solid but this feels like a step down.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:13 AM ^
I’m sure this is a fine hire, but I’d be more impressed if they pulled in an OL coach that could give them a semblance if a run game and/or not get their QB obliterated.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:18 AM ^
I expect more teams to take a page from Harbaugh and get an up and coming NFL guy
i like what a pro coach brings to the table
i like that PSU went for this low hanging fruit hire
I have a theory about Frames: he’s all about the glamour of the gig. Recruiting is what he likes l. Get the Starz.
The rest? Yawn
December 11th, 2021 at 11:46 AM ^
That's definitely true. According to Matt Millen and some of the old guard at PSU, Franklin's practices are all half speed with minimal coaching. Gotta keep 'em fresh!
December 11th, 2021 at 12:16 PM ^
grog, your posting history makes it plain you aren't a michigan fan - no problem. please tell us what school you went to/root for. my guess is msu, but maybe not?
December 11th, 2021 at 11:32 AM ^
I think it’s an exceptional hire for them. He will definitely help their recruiting efforts.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:33 AM ^
tough to say... Once he was a great DC, but it didn't really carry through to Miami, so I am not sure.
Obviously a lot falls on the DC, whom he hires, but even more, if the defense is doing poorly the head coach would/should step in and make adjustments
it will be interesting to compare the OSU and PSU DC hires
December 11th, 2021 at 11:38 AM ^
A decent hire for them.
Hopefully, Penn State at least let him know that this was their decision. Even with that small gesture, he would have been treated better than at the end in Miami.
December 11th, 2021 at 11:55 AM ^
It seems like a pretty good hire for PSU. I wonder when their fans become restless. I think they are 1-9 vs OSU in their last 10. Franklin has a losing record against Harbaugh. They have lost a lot of games the last two seasons and Franklin is sort of living off that 2016 season. They are recruiting pretty well but seems like they should win more.
Edit - They did win 11 games 3 times in 4 years from 2016-2019 so they are better than I remember.
December 11th, 2021 at 12:55 PM ^
Because of the mad dash to lock up coaches like Tucker, PSU's AD couldn't wait and try to pull what Warde did for JH at the end of the season with a smaller deal and lower buyout. Franklin was going somewhere else if they had waited on a deal (also, the talks about the deal started before the Iowa loss when Franklin had a lot of bargaining power - and PSU couldn't easily shelve the talks when the losses started happening).
December 11th, 2021 at 12:03 PM ^
Hopefully he brings his vaunted Texas defenses to Happy Valley
December 11th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
It's a good hire. But defense isn't their problem. It's their offense and it's Franklin
December 11th, 2021 at 12:39 PM ^
This thread took a quick detour from Diaz to Harbaugh…OP maybe you should change the title to Referendum on Harbaugh