BREAKING: Manny Diaz set to leave Penn State for Duke head coaching position

Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is expected to leave the Penn State football program to fill the head coaching vacancy at Duke. The news, first reported Thursday by Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports and confirmed by others throughout the evening, comes as Diaz emerged as the top candidate this week. Now, a week after hiring offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, Nittany Lions coach James Franklin must set out to replace his coordinator on the other side of the ball.

Diaz expected to leave Penn State for Duke head coaching position

Manny Diaz has been linked to several head coaching vacancies in recent weeks, but none more prominent than Duke. Early reports indicated that Diaz met with the Duke administration last week after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M last month.

Reporting on Tuesday night indicated that Diaz was still “in the mix,” along with other candidates, but that Duke was still conducting interviews this week.

But in the last 48 hours, Manny Diaz has emerged as the top candidate for the Duke football vacancy. Thursday morning, reports emerged that Duke had targeted Diaz, with a decision expected within the day.

And now, it appears that a deal is done. After reporting earlier today that the process was in its final stages, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports is reporting Thursday night that a deal is officially done. The news was confirmed by Adam Rittenberg of ESPN, among others.

The deal is finalized, source tells @YahooSports: Manny Diaz is the new head coach at Duke. https://t.co/DdolmksQ9n

— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) December 8, 2023

Could things come full circle as James Franklin looks for a replacement? 

The ink hasn’t even dried on the deal with new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, and now Penn State football coach James Franklin must begin a search for Manny Diaz’s replacement. 

There are likely several qualified candidates that will emerge. But the top name could end up being former Penn State football player Elijah Robinson.

Robinson spent nearly a decade with the Nittany Lions as a student-athlete and staff member after his playing career was cut short due to injury. He most recently served as defensive line coach at Texas A&M before being promoted to interim head coach after Jimbo Fisher was fired last month. Although Robinson was just announced as the new defensive coordinator at Syracuse on Monday, the allure of returning home may be too much to ignore. 

But between Bob Shoop, Brent Pry, and now Manny Diaz, James Franklin has proven he can hire elite candidates at defensive coordinator. Don’t expect stingy Penn State defenses to become a thing of the past any time soon.

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