REPORT: Penn State DC Manny Diaz now top candidate at Duke

Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is now the leading candidate to fill the head coaching vacancy at Duke. The news, first reported Thursday by Pete Thamel of ESPN, comes a little more than a week after the Penn State football coach was first linked to the position. 

Manny Diaz has been a candidate of interest in multiple coaching searches

The Penn State football has been dominating on defense under Manny Diaz for the last two seasons. The Nittany Lions rank first nationally in total defense and third in scoring defense in 2023. Penn State has also created havoc behind the line of scrimmage this fall, ranking second and first in tackles for loss and sacks, respectively. 

These stats and a host of other eye-popping numbers made Diaz a prime candidate for several head coaching positions this cycle. Diaz’s name has been mentioned for SEC jobs like Mississippi State, as well as for positions at smaller schools like James Madison and Middle Tennessee State. 

Penn State DC has emerged as leading candidate for Duke

But the one search to which Manny Diaz has been consistently linked is Duke. The Blue Devils’ search is in its second week after Mike Elko left to take the Texas A&M job on November 27. Early reports indicated that Diaz met with the Duke administration last week. 

The head coaching search in Durham has been slow but consistent. Reporting on Tuesday night indicated that Diaz was still “in the mix,” along with other candidates like Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, Toledo head coach Jason Candle, and Troy head coach Jon Sumrall.

According to 247Sports reporter Matt Zenitz, who spoke on The Football Recruiting Podcast Wednesday, Duke continued interviewing candidates this week in Las Vegas at the National Football Foundation Awards. While he wasn’t willing to rule out other candidates, Zenitz noted that Diaz’s name kept popping up in relation to the Duke position.

But in the last few days, Diaz’s name has emerged as the top candidate at Duke. “Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has emerged as the focus of Duke’s head coaching search,” ESPN reporter Pete Thamel posted on Twitter/X Thursday morning. “A decision is expected in the next 24 hours.”

Sources: Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has emerged as the focus of Duke’s head coaching search. A decision is expected in the next 24 hours. pic.twitter.com/f9p1RS4Ta3

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 7, 2023

“I like it,” 247Sports analyst Andrew Ivins said of the fit between Duke and Manny Diaz on The Football Recruiting Podcast. “This guy wants to get back into the coaching game. In the ACC, I could just see him causing plenty of issues for Miami in the years to come.”

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