After Penn State Football let go of head coach James Franklin following his 12 seasons with the Nittany Lions, the early candidates to replace Franklin included Duke football head coach Manny Diaz. Now, Diaz has given a shady message to Duke fans following the surrounding buzz to his name regarding the opening. Diaz himself has been fired as a head coach, as he was let go by the University of Miami after he coached the Hurricanes for three seasons. Shortly after his tenure in Coral Gables ended, Franklin brought Diaz in as a defensive coordinator in University Park. In two seasons at Penn State, Diaz led one of the top defenses in the nation. He then took the head coaching job at Duke, where he remains today.
Manny Diaz gives Duke fans cloudy message regarding Penn State job opening
During his press conference on Monday, October 13th, Diaz gave his thoughts on the head coaching vacancy at Penn State. His response won't exactly put Duke fans at ease.
“I’ve already been through it," Diaz told reporters. "Look, there’s three things you go through when you’re a coach. You’re in the honeymoon phase, you’re in the please don’t leave phase, and you’re in the please leave now phase, right? And, what I just told you is it can change in three weeks,” Diaz said. “You have got to be present of where you are. And, the second you start thinking about what’s next, you’re about to get it.”
Diaz didn't say anything about his potential interest, but also didn't necessarily ease the nerves of the Blue Devil faithful that Durham is where he wants to be. Granted, it's an impossible position for a head coach to be in, being asked about a head coaching vacancy while actively trying to coach a team to a successful season.
The 51-year-old has been nothing short of fantastic while he's been running the Blue Devil football program. In his first season at the helm in 2024, Diaz led Duke to its fourth season of nine or more wins in program history, becoming the second Duke head coach to accomplish that feat in his first season with the team (Mike Elko in 2022). Seven weeks into 2025, Duke is 3-0 in ACC action with legitimate aspirations to bring an ACC Championship to Durham for the first time since 1989.
Diaz isn't a leading candidate for the PSU job, but he has been included as an early potential candidate.