Ohio State fans melt down over Penn State DC Manny Diaz quote

There are still 3 weeks until Penn State football travels to Columbus to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. But that doesn’t mean the intensity surrounding the game isn’t already picking up. The entire college football world knows that the October 21 matchup will help decide the battle for the Big Ten East, as well as the College Football Playoff race. But with a bye and UMass on the calendar between now and then, the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to briefly look ahead to the upcoming game. Penn State DC Manny Diaz was asked his opinion of the Buckeyes this week, and his somewhat cryptic answer took on a life of his own. And apparently, Diaz’s remarks were not received well by folks in Columbus.

Penn State DC Manny Diaz has ‘very strong’ opinions on Ohio State

During the bye week, Penn State football made all of its coordinators available to the media. The coordinators are only heard from a few times during the season, so it was a welcomed opportunity to hear their perspective on the Nittany Lions’ progress so far this year.

During his Zoom call this week, Penn State DC Manny Diaz was asked about beginning preparations for the October 21 matchup against Ohio State. With the Nittany Lions expected to be heavy favorites against 1-5 UMass next week, the bye seems to have come at an opportune time for Penn State to start work for one of its biggest games of the year.

While Diaz noted that advanced scouting is always done by analysts within the program, the bye week does present the opportunity for the coaching staff to get an early watch on several of Penn State’s upcoming opponents.

But it was Diaz’s final remarks on his early thoughts on Ohio State that went viral on social media. “My opinions are absolutely very strong,” Diaz said of his views on the Buckeyes. “And they’re absolutely going to stay to myself.”

Buckeyes fans react to Manny Diaz’s comments

In reality, the remarks made by Manny Diaz were pretty harmless. Of course, the Penn State DC is going to develop opinions on Ohio State during early scouting. That’s really the point of the entire process.

However, not everyone felt the same way, especially for some in Columbus. And some Ohio State fans took to social media with some “strong opinions” of their own.

We don’t need a decoder for this one. Pin it to the bulletin board. https://t.co/AgJvDX4q0w

— Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. (@WhoIsWynton) October 4, 2023

While some Ohio State fans clearly plan to use Diaz’s comments for motivation, others quickly rushed to puff out their chests in defense of their Buckeyes.

Ryan day the king of college football, will run through this guy. It won’t be close https://t.co/HHpq9suOK9

— 𝓶𝓲𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓮𝓵™️ ALPHA MALE (@Burke_island10) October 4, 2023

PSU prepared all off season for OSU. How many games is the losing streak at currently?

So they needed to😂 https://t.co/NuIlINQrLk

— 👀 (@Zona_Buckeye) October 4, 2023

Lil’ Manny ain’t never won a thing. The Shoe is “We Are” kryptonite @Coach_MannyDiaz https://t.co/0wRiLTo08D

— BeInTheArena.com (@BeingInTheArena) October 4, 2023

And, of course, some Ohio State fans took the opportunity to throw shade at Penn State football coach James Franklin.

Dont worry Franklin is just gonna Franklin

— Buckeyes Crootin' 🅾️ (@BuckeyesCrootin) October 4, 2023

The October 21 matchup has already been declared as the “Scarlet the Shoe” game by Ohio State. According to Vegas Insider, the Buckeyes are currently 15.5-point favorites over Penn State football.

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