Manny Diaz appears on multiple coaching candidate lists

Penn State football may have fallen short of expectations in 2023, but it wasn’t for a lack of defensive prowess. In year two under Manny Diaz, the Nittany Lions played a championship-caliber level of defense, becoming one of the best units in the entire country. Given that he is one of the highest profile assistants in college football, it was only a matter of time before Diaz’s name started to appear on coaching short lists. The Penn State defensive coordinator has now seen his name pop up on several coaching candidate lists, although they may not all be for the top job. In the last week, Diaz has been mentioned as a candidate for the Mississippi State head coaching position, as well as the open USC defensive coordinator job.

Manny Diaz mentioned as head coaching candidate for Mississippi State

It’s that time of the year. As underperforming coaches get fired, the college football media starts to play match-maker with elite assistants across the country.

And perhaps no other assistant coach fits the title of “elite” more this season than Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. While the offense has wildly underperformed in 2023, the Nittany Lions defense ranks in the top 10 of most major statistical categories.

The second year with a high-performing unit in Happy Valley, many figured it wouldn’t be long before the former Miami coach had the opportunity to return to the head coaching ranks.

On Monday, Manny Diaz appeared on his first head coaching hot board, as On3’s Andy Staples pegged the Penn State defensive coordinator as a good fit for the Mississippi State Bulldogs job. Mississippi State fired Zach Arnett Monday after one year in Starkville.

Mississippi State Hot Board via @Andy_Staples🔥

Who will be the Bulldogs' next head coach? 🤔https://t.co/uYAbz2LMpO pic.twitter.com/KY6ewy7Ouu

— On3 (@On3sports) November 14, 2023

247Sports floats Penn State defensive coordinator for lateral move to USC

While Mississippi is the first head coaching hot board that Manny Diaz has been mentioned on, it isn’t the first candidate list he’s made recently.

Last week, 247Sports analyst Andrew Ivins floated Diaz as a potential name of interest for the open USC defensive coordinator position. USC coach Lincoln Riley fired Alex Grinch following a 52-42 loss to the Washington Huskies last week.

It’s not hard to understand why this move would be welcomed by many, if not all, of the USC faithful. USC is one of the worst defenses in Power Five football, allowing 34.5 points per game and ranking in the bottom 15 in total defense this season. With a move to the Big Ten coming next fall, defense will be paramount for USC moving forward.

Would Diaz leave Penn State football for either of these jobs?

In all honesty, it’s hard to know if either of these openings would interest Manny Diaz. It’s hard to see Diaz leaving to take the same position at USC, given what he’s built in two years with the Penn State football program.

The Nittany Lions defensive coordinator has gone on the record about his satisfaction with where he is right now, although he did express the desire to return to the head coaching ranks one day. If he were to leave State College, Diaz made it clear that it would be for somewhere that he feels is the right fit.

“I love my job and that’s the first thing,” Diaz said on the Next Up with Adam Breneman podcast this summer. “I tell people all of the time when they ask me for advice in this profession, I always ask them are you happy? Because if you’re happy, don’t mess with happy, happy is hard to beat. I also love being a head coach though, but I think what you realize and I’ve spoken with other head coaches, you realize it’s about being at the right place at the right time.”

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