Penn State has fired head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons following the program's third straight loss. With quarterback Drew Allar now out for the season as well, the 2025 campaign has become a complete dumpster fire for the Nittany Lions and their fan base. However, Franklin's firing could pay major dividends for the future of Duke football, as Duke head coach Manny Diaz has been named on the short list of coaches who could potentially replace Franklin at Penn State. Diaz has been nothing short of spectacular since taking over as the Blue Devils' head coach in 2024, but this big-time job opening could steer Diaz away from Durham if Penn State shows interest in hiring the 23rd head coach in Duke football history.
Manny Diaz listed on potential candidates for Penn State job after James Franklin's firing
Sports Illustrated released a short list of the top candidates for Penn State's job opening, and Diaz was included. Diaz was the defensive coordinator for the Nittany Lions for the 2022-23 season and has ties to athletic director Pat Kraft.
Diaz has been phenomenal through his short tenure as head coach of the Blue Devils. In his first year as head coach in 2024, he led Duke to its fourth season of nine or more wins in program history, becoming the second HC in Duke football history to win nine games in his first year with the program, joining Mike Elko. After a rough start to the 2025 campaign, the Blue Devils have now won three games in a row and sit at the top of the ACC standings with a 3-0 record.
Before coming to Duke, Diaz spent 2019-21 as the head coach at Miami. He led Miami to two winning seasons before heading to Penn State to take over as the defensive coordinator.
If Diaz ultimately leaves for the Penn State job, it unfortunately says a great deal about the current state of the Duke program. After Duke baseball coach Chris Pollard left Durham to take over as the HC at Virginia this offseason, it was revealed that Duke may just be a stepping stone for coaches to take bigger jobs later on, except for men's basketball. There are no rumors about how serious Diaz's interest in the Penn State job is, or vice versa, but if he does leave, that would be a rough look for Duke athletics as a whole.