Manny Diaz set the tone quickly when he first had a chance to speak to the Penn State defense for the first time. The new Nittany Lion defensive coordinator was all business.

“He came into the meeting, slick hair back, chest poking out and stuff like that,” senior safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. “I was like, ‘yeah this guy is serious.’ …. Just so much confidence, you could feel his confidence as he’s speaking to us. From that moment, I was like, ‘yeah, this guy is the real deal.’ He’s gonna be great.”

Of course, not every impression will be the same when a group of 50-plus people is being addressed.

Curtis Jacobs was caught off guard.

“It was kind of funny,” the sophomore linebacker said with a laugh. “He’s probably gonna hear this anyway, but I thought he was a little taller.”

While Jacobs was surprised by his first meeting with Diaz, he still saw a lot to like.

“I like Coach Diaz,” Jacobs said. “… It was a good first impression. He came and had a fiery spirit about him. You could tell he loved football, you could tell he knew football and he’s a genius with it.”

The Nittany Lions will have to hope their impression is accurate as Diaz tries to bring the defense to the same level in past seasons — one of the best in the country with the ability to slow down anyone.

Jacobs will be at the center of that. He’s the only starter on the second level of the defense set to return next season after junior linebacker Brandon Smith and redshirt senior Ellis Brooks announced they’re entering the 2022 NFL Draft.

He’ll be tasked with carrying on the tradition of “Linebacker U.”

“We know how big of a deal linebacker play is here and how we fit in with the linebackers and how fast and aggressive we can get those guys to play,” Diaz said. “If you’re talking about defensive coordinator job, and premier defensive coordinator jobs across the country, Penn State has got to be up there with the best of them.”

Doing more of the same would be a success for Diaz at linebacker and as a whole on defense. Penn State ranked No. 6 in ESPN’s SP+, a tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency, this season after ranking No. 14 last season in the statistic.

It’s possible the team makes schematic changes, and, aesthetically, the unit could look different from it did under former defensive coordinator Brent Pry. At the end of the day, however, drastic changes are unlikely.

Penn State coach James Franklin made the hire, in part, because things will stay relatively similar to how they did in the past.

“(We wanted to be) able to go out and get the most experienced defensive coordinator that we can get,” Franklin said. “The head coach experience is a bonus, but (we wanted) the most experienced successful defensive coordinator that we could get that came from a similar scheme background.”

Diaz is acutely aware of those similarities. He and Franklin focus on similar keys. The program has emphasized winning the turnover battle and the big-play battle under, and the defense has done its part in both departments.

The replication of that success won’t be easy, but it is doable. Diaz has to toe the line of commanding the room while respecting what the group has accomplished without his stewardship over the years. He’s taking the opportunity he has over the few weeks of bowl practices to get to know the players on and off the field and to learn about how the unit operates.

“This is about the Penn State defense,” Diaz said. “I think it’s bigger than any one person. … No matter how the roster turns over, no matter how coaches turn over, there’s just a style that carries forward.”

For the time being, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Anthony Poindexter will control the unit and call the plays in the Outback Bowl against Arkansas. He’ll be the one leading the defense that carried Penn State’s team for most of the season.

But soon enough it will be Diaz at the controls. And he will be the one who decides if the defense can do more of the same in 2022.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)