Manny Diaz linked to SEC head coaching vacancy https://saturdaytradition.com/penn-state-football/manny-diaz-linked-to-sec-head-coaching-vacancy/
Manny Diaz
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That's a dangerous job as your second as a HC. If he fails again he's done. He should be looking at ACC or Big XII ropes IMO. Though he already failed in the ACC so who knows.
Well it's inevitable that offers will be sent his way given how he has helped PSU's defense. Maybe Franklin can take a paycut to free up more money for Diaz.
i don't think they would hire a penn state coordinator just because moorhead was so recent and didn't last there. that may be the only thing that saves psu from losing him on this one
Manny Diaz ain’t going to S$C. Period. No explanation needed. But if you want one, Msu just got rid of a defensive hc. They will look to offense this time.
In the division-less SEC, it might not be the absolute death row sentence the SEC West has been. However:
2024 SEC opponents: The Bulldogs will play home games against Arkansas, Florida, Missouri and Texas A&M. They will travel to Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas.
Based on this year alone, that is 6 conference losses, and 2 toss ups. No thank you. Unless Manny wants to return as DC in 2027-28.
As Teddy KBG said in Rounders "pay him, pay that man his money"
Yeah that conference schedule is ridiculously rough
Yeah, the 6th and 7th rated opponents in my book have top 15 recruiting classes (A&M top 5ish of late).
there is no way in hell Franklin would open his "golden" contract up for renegotiation unless he believed Kraft is as fiscally and economically stupid as Sandy.
Why would Diaz want to go there? He is better off right now
Does Manny get involved in recruiting? It helps to know that to try to quantify his worth. I would give him a raise and also give him the assistant or associate head coach title to clearly differentiate that he is the second in command overall under Franklin. Whenever Franklin moves on then Manny becomes the head coach.
I think it was, "Pay heem. Pay dat man heez money."
Manny will get better jobs than those. If USC opens up, I can see him going there. The positions open now are bad career moves. There is almost no way to be successful there. Those schools have hired a ton of head coaches and none of them have worked out. They have problems that go beyond HC. Those are positions for up-and-comers who want to show incremental progress and leave or coaches that want to cash in on a $30m contract before ruining their careers.
Linked? Because some media dope put his name on a list mean absolutely nothing.
Plus, Manny is too smart to go to a train wreck that is Stark Vegas. Manny has stated several times that if he leaves it will be the right place not just a place.
OK, fair enough. But the offense, unlike last season, was out of sorts all year. No run game after having two of the best RBs in college football and most of the OL back, WRs that look awful, and a blue-chip five-star QB that looks shaken after a great start to the season. Do you feel that is CJF's fault? I am not challenging you, just wondering. I don't know.
WTF happened in 2023 that caused the offense to sputter in all areas?
Why were we so inept and capitalizing on a pocket passer?
If we are giving Manny credit for the D, why are we not blaming the O on MY?
There would be a lot of negatives for him to make the move but it would also be several million dollars per year. If that's a primary motivator for him then the worst case would be suffering through a few 8-4 or 7-5 years and then taking the buyout to sail off into the sunset.
I can hear Teddy's voice saying the lines, just didn't know how to translate it into text. Well done.
A lot depends on personal situations. Diaz is making $1.6m per year. He's got a good thing going. He's only 49. If I am him, I am not jumping to a Miss St. or A&M job that probably will only last a couple of years based on history. Plus the pressure on him and his family. If I am him, I wait until the right opportunity comes up. GA, AL, TX, USC, O, UM, tOSU, OK, FL, FSU, ND. These are the schools where you can win a Natty.
Because fans are fickle.
Money would be good, but check the schedule: 6 wins would be tough with their schedule next year. It's one thing to get fired, again, with 7-5 records (essentially what he did at Miami. 21-15 over 3 years) but when you are fighting for 6 wins in year 1, in a exponentially tougher conference with significantly less recruiting advantages I would say that's a terrible "return to HC" gig.
Absolutely. I would wait for something else if I were him but he might think its a good fit for whatever reason. It will definitely pay better than some less risky options he might have down the road.
I think we are rewriting history a bit bc of a great Rose bowl, our best big game performance in years. We had same issues last year vs OSU/UM. OL who could not block, run game that disappeared, QB who was inaccurate with pressure. Alot of blame on WRs but it was mostly play-calling - quick release with one on ones that failed. To me, it is CJF bc it starts with OL. PSU is still waiting on dominant one and he can't deliver. He is obsessed with pass blocking and not run blocking. I also see alot of weak blocking downfield as well by TEs and WRs.
I think we are blaming MY for the offense but 6th OC is on CJF. Pry left the cupboard very full. Diaz is only second DC so good continuity. It is clear that DC/MD/VA/PA/NJ offer enough talent to be elite on D. We own the area in recruiting. Offense is not as easy. We lose to local prospects like MH2. We need someone who can get top talent and focus on OL.
If Franklin is obsessed with pass blocking maybe you could explain to me why Penn State keeps running predictable running plays between the tackles on early downs against defenses playing the run? Contrary to what you claim, this is part of the reason Yurcich got fired.
With the job Manny has done this year I’d imagine he’d be a top candidate for any HC opening. I’d love him to stay with PSU, but I think it’s unlikely. Best we can hope for is one more year if no HC openings are appealing to him this offseason.
I think, barring certain jobs firing coaches that have yet to occur, we could see a bigger risk of somebody throwing stupid money at Manny to coach their defense rather than a HC job come calling that I think Manny would be interested in.
A la A&M making him the highest paid DC. Or a USC cutting a check.
Why don't we just take MY's salary and add that to Manny's current salary? Or better yet, use that money to hire a "co-head coach", somebody who has no responsibilities except having the final say on 4th quarter 4th down decisions and 2 pt conversion decisions.
Please explain how effective the run blocking has been? He chooses body types at center and guard that can engage, move backwards and hold ground. Not ones with bigger upper body, strong off ball or good seal blockers. That is his philosophy. We all know that his offense has been pass first since he arrived on campus. Saquon had to make incredible individual plays to move ball forward. We had some bad luck with Journey, Noah but Holmes, Slade, Ford, Lee were prized recruit busts. Singleton is becoming that as well. Kaytron had to create his own yards by sheer force of will, not good OL. How long has it been this way? Years. Running is a necessity but Franklin wants offense to be explosive, big pass play. He builds it that way.
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I think you're overselling him. Top jobs will likely target existing HCs or guys like Urban Meyer not someone who failed at Miami.
I'd be more worried about him leaving for another DC job that pays better. If he gets a HC job it will likely be a mid-level job without much chance of success
Perhaps, though I kind of think he won’t make a lateral move just for money. My guess, and it’s purely a guess, is that he’s got a sour taste in his mouth from how his last HC job went down and would like another crack at that.
My thoughts also.....
USC needs a defense-NOW, Reilly is an offense guy and fine tune his OC.
A&M has the cash to make Manny the highest paid DC in the country.
Wrong...
$5M to be in charge or 30% of that to listen to Franklin.
Plus will be a guaranteed 4-5 year deal.
Easy answer but I don't think he is 1st choice. Dan Mullen return is who they are clamoring for.
Manny’s calling in life is as a DC. Hopefully he doesn’t want to follow in the footsteps of a Will Muschamp type HC. Both of them are defensive minds best suited as coordinators. Not everyone is cut of the head coaching mold. No disrespect to Manny at all as he is a darn good DC.
life as a dc for a couple of million a year is not a bad life. You don't have to put up with the "dirty" parts of being a head coach..the press, budgets, HR, the criticism....it's not all bad being the number2
There's no better job in the world than being a fired HC with a good buyout. Take the HC job depending on the offer. He can always fall back to a DC role.
