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When hiring a former head coach to be a coordinator, as James Franklin did a couple of years ago, it is expected that a new head coaching gig isn’t that far away from materializing with a successful run as a coordinator. For Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, that time seems to be happening now. ESPN reporter Pete Thamel reports that Diaz and Duke are finalizing a deal for him to become the next head coach of the Blue Devils. If the deal does come to fruition, as Thamel suggests, then Penn State will have two new coordinators to begin the 2024 season after hiring Andy Kotelnicki last week. Franklin will once again have to dip into the coaching carousel to find a formidable successor to Diaz. Diaz came to State College in December 2021 after three years as the head coach at Miami. This year, Diaz formed his unit into a top-2 group in the country and arguably the best defense in the country. His unit only allowed 3.9 yards per play and a meager 16 touchdowns. The Nittany Lions were also the second-best run defense in the country, allowing 836 yards through 12 games and just 2.2 yards per carry. A season leading a national championship-caliber defense was bound to end with his name being circled for head coaching jobs, and once Mike Elko left Duke for Texas A&M, Diaz’s name was repeatedly linked. After leading one of the best defenses in the country, Diaz looks set for another shot as a head coach in Durham.
Penn State football has named Tom Allen its next defensive coordinator.
The hire, which has similarities to Penn State’s hire of Manny Diaz, comes just ahead of the team’s trip to the Peach Bowl. Allen spent the past seven years as Indiana’s head coach. He spent eight years, in total, with the Hoosiers after he was initially hired as defensive coordinator in 2016.
Allen inherits one of the nation’s top defenses that led the country in yards allowed and ranked near the top in every defensive category. In a release, he said he was honored to be entrusted with such a historic program.
Fire Franklin! He can't make the CFP whether he has the best or worst recruiting class.
Do what you want with Franklin, but I'm beginning to believe that the whole "star" rating of high school players, and the resulting rating of recruiting classes, is just plain broken. Trying to guess which 17 or 18 year old kid is going to be a solid producer at the next level is at best a SWAG.
For instance, Kyle McCord was a "5 star" prospect coming out of St. Joseph's Prep in Philly, and we all know how that worked out. He is now properly placed in Syracuse, given his real talent level. I wish him well.
James Franklin will resign as the head coach of Penn State football if the team misses the next College Football Playoff (CFP), he announced Sunday. Franklin, the 10-year leader of the Nittany Lions, has never made the CFP in his tenure.
“I’ve been at Penn State for 10 years,” Franklin told Onward State. “It’s time for me to show my worth. There are people out there who say I’m a fraud, and until I win some big games, they might be right. There are going to be 12 teams in the playoff next year, and that’s prime opportunity for this program to make its mark.”
“I just can’t have that as Penn State’s head coach,” Franklin continued. “If I don’t make the playoff next year, I’m resigning.”
Allar is going to be the starter for a second season barring injury or extreme struggles. His line last year was solid overall with 2,631 passing yards to go with those 25 touchdowns and just two interceptions. And he compiled the No. 4 passer rating (136.89) in the Big Ten. Allar's completion percentage, though, fell to 59.9 percent. He has built his 6-5 frame to 241 pounds, but Allar and Franklin have mentioned that he is moving as well as he has in his career. Perhaps he can add onto the 210 rushing yards and four touchdowns he had a season ago.
Pribula, meanwhile, will see the field. Kotelnicki has been brutally honest with his players, saying the most talented will play. The backup quarterback proved, especially after Yurcich's departure, that he could offer a new element to the Penn State offense. Allar still has plenty to prove in the passing game, but there’s also room for two-quarterback sets in Happy Valley while Allar continues a stronghold of the top spot.
Penn State lost multi-year starters Daequan Hardy (sixth round to the Buffalo Bills), Kalen King (seventh round to the Green Bay Packers) and Johnny Dixon (undrafted) from the cornerback group, along with safety Keaton Ellis, who signed with Tennessee, from the safeties room. That group, along with recent NFL selections Joey Porter Jr., Jaquan Brisker and Ji’Ayir Brown, helped brand Penn State’s secondary as "Lockdown U" and earn more national recognition.
Safeties Jaylen Reed and Kevin Winston Jr., along with cornerback Cam Miller, are the familiar names tasked with continuing that trend this year. But a pair of transfers, Georgia’s A.J. Harris and Florida’s Jalen Kimber, look to be plug-and-play options at cornerback, and safety Zakee Wheatley should build on a strong spring. Penn State’s corner depth will be tested this season, especially considering the lack of experience beyond Miller and Kimber, but there’s upside all around the secondary. Sophomores Elliot Washington II and Zion Tracy, who experienced a bit of trial by fire in the Peach Bowl, will factor in heavily after playing primarily on special teams last season.
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