Penn State is getting the full Manny Diaz experience — and it’s paying off

An offseason full of discourse about the Manny Diaz experience is starting to materialize.

Hired in December, the Penn State defensive coordinator/linebackers coach said in his introductory press conference that his group would be aggressive and have a knack for creating turnovers.

Those traits emerged on the field for Penn State (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten), which is No. 14 in the Associated Press poll.

In the season-opening 35-31 win at Purdue, Penn State’s defense held sixth-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell to a 50.8% completion rate (30 of 59) and one passing touchdown. In Week 2, Ohio crossed midfield just three times in PSU’s 46-10 victory. But Diaz’s defensive prowess shined brightest at Auburn, where the Nittany Lions forced four turnovers in Saturday’s 41-12 win.

“I think it’s our guys getting more and more confident with the tweaks to the scheme,” head coach James Franklin said. “I think we’re able to get more pressure. We would have had that many turnovers in the first couple games, but we dropped them.”

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Diaz’s most noticeable change has been the addition of an unorthodox defensive package.

Penn State uses a 4-3 base defense similar to what it ran under former defensive coordinator Brent Pry, who now serves as Virginia’s head coach. Pry thrived on wrinkles of five-man pressures and three-deep looks. He also coached future pros Micah Parsons, Cam Brown, and Brandon Bell.

The 2022 iteration of the Nittany Lions’ defense is becoming better known for an innovative approach installed this spring. It features three down linemen, with an outside linebacker standing at the line of scrimmage, and seven defensive backs.

The change was welcomed with open arms.

“It is fun. It’s fun being a MIKE [linebacker],” said safety Ji’Ayir Brown. “I like that, it’s been fun. That’s the biggest change from our last year’s defense to this year, and that’s one of the best changes.”

Added linebacker Curtis Jacobs: “I think the scheme has been great. I feel like that package is going to be deadly once we really, really work the kinks out of it. We just have to keep progressing and getting better. … It just allows you to always err on the side of being aggressive. You can have certain technical errors, but as long as you’re aggressive it’ll work out in the grand scheme of the defense.”

Three of Penn State’s four forced turnovers against Auburn — two interceptions and one strip-sack — were a result of the new scheme. The Nittany Lions are also second among Big Ten teams in sacks at nine, trailing only Michigan. And three of those belong to defensive backs.

Diaz was Miami’s head coach from 2019-21, having taken the position 18 days after accepting the Temple job. He famously introduced the “Turnover Chain” when he was the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator in 2017.

He brought a similar tradition to State College, introducing a sledgehammer that is believed to be awarded to the player who had the hit of the week. Cornerback Marquis Wilson carried it onto the field at Auburn and smashed it on the Jordan-Hare Stadium field’s SEC logo during the postgame celebration.

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Members of Penn State’s defense have painted Diaz as a players’ coach who motivates and connects with his group.

“He’s a great coach who spends a lot of time individually,” said linebacker Tyler Elsdon. “If you’ve got questions, he won’t hesitate to really explain it in a player way. But he’s also got a lot of fire. He’s got a lot of juice and energy. He brings something to our defense that’s kind of hard to replicate.”

The way Diaz conveys a message makes his players feel like the 48-year-old, who has been coaching in some capacity since 1998, is ready to take the field with them.

“This guy makes you want to hurt someone,” Brown said. “His knowledge of the game is one of the best I’ve seen so I’m going to continue to learn from him. I love the way he sees life and sees football.

“You would think he writes stuff down the way he talks, with his wordplay and his comparisons of football and life. If you ask him something, he’ll say some things and you’ll be like, ‘Golly, that actually makes a lot of sense.’ His wordplay and his delivery when he speaks is one of the best I’ve been around.”