James Franklin is among the few coaches who have been able to build a culture in their programs. Now beginning his 11th season as HC, Franklin has easily taken Penn State to a whole new standard from before. He’s seen both highs and lows in his time here, building a career graph that is proof of how seasoned he is. He’s coached some stellar players and also some exceptional staff who continue to hold him in high regard. When we talk of staff, who can forget the impeccable defense of 2022, put together by then-defense coordinator Manny Diaz?

Diaz landed at Penn State after Miami fired him in 2021. The new role was a step down from his former head coach position. It wasn’t that he did poorly at Miami; in fact, he did the very opposite as Hurricanes HC. However, the top brass were keen on having Mario Cristobal in his position. Nevertheless, he blended in seamlessly with the Nittany Lions right from the first season. His stint, though short, spoke volumes of his coaching prowess. More importantly, Franklin provided sanctuary to Diaz at an extremely tough time in his career. Now, as the head coach of Duke Blue Devils, he still looks up to James Franklin’s style.

He said in the April 3 episode of Next Up with Adam Breneman that the staff enjoyed a “consistency where they know when they walk in that building.”

“They know exactly what they’re going to get. The players know exactly what that program is going to be. The coaches know exactly what that program is going to be.” Diaz also added, “[[Y]ou don’t have to worry about, all of a sudden, wide variances of what mood is somebody in today. And that’s going to dictate how we decide to go about things today… It’s such a unique place; the culture of toughness and hard work is just baked into those mountains somehow.” Diaz established harmony at Coral Gables, and nobody needed a second telling of what needed to be done.

Diaz then spoke about how demanding college football coaching gets. “It’s like building a rocket and trying to get it into orbit, right? And gravity is the strongest those first few years.” At Penn State, Diaz said he was able to “have [his] thoughts flushed out, established,” with a staff that has been there for a long time.

“[They] get it exactly the way you want it done.” For a coach who had been let go of for another, Diaz stood tall and fell right into the rhythm of things at Penn State. Miami’s loss was Franklin’s gain, a glaringly obvious fact.

Manny Diaz was a natural at Penn State, according to James Franklin

Diaz will always be grateful to Franklin for calling him, as his future remained unclear in Miami. Those weeks of speculation after a 24-15 record were testing times for the Duke HC. The two seemed to be destined for each other. Diaz would not be the coach he is today if not for his tenure at PSU. Franklin himself was having a difficult time because his trusted DC Brent Pry left camp for a better job at Virginia Tech.

Franklin told NYT, “When you’re able to go out and hire a guy like Manny and he comes in and right away is able to get up in front of the room and talk about how we’re going to play defense and how we’re going to build on that foundation, he was able to get buy-in right a0way. And then in some ways, in some areas, has even taken it to another level.” During Diaz’s 2023 season, Penn State allowed just one passing touchdown. He was behind one of the country’s elite defenses. With Diaz as DC, PSU was 1st in the country when it came to total yards and yards per play.

Diaz will always have a special place for Franklin in his heart, despite moving to a different school. The two worked to create some of the best years of football for Penn State. It was tough to see Diaz leave a program that seemed like a place he had long belonged to. These are two coaches who truly know what it takes to shape a team into one that gets results. They work hard to prove themselves every season.