Where is Penn State at in its defensive coordinator search? James Franklin offers an update
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State coach James Franklin continues to search for the fourth defensive coordinator of his nearly decade-long tenure in State College. The leader of the Nittany Lions has been looking for a new play caller on that side of the ball ever since Manny Diaz left for Duke a week ago. Diaz spent two strong seasons here before moving back into a head coaching role in the ACC. Penn State enters the Peach Bowl with the nation’s No. 1 defense and it is among the FBS’ leaders in a number of different statistical categories.
Where does the program’s defensive coordinator search stand? Franklin said he would’ve liked to had made a hire “yesterday”. But, since that isn’t the case, he did declare what he is looking for in Diaz’s replacement.
“Kind of like what we’ve talked about in the past,” Franklin said. “Obviously, someone who’s got extensive defensive coordinator experience, someone that runs a similar scheme and philosophy, because our current players have had a lot of success in a similar system. I’ve had three defensive coordinators that have all been able to play at a high level. And, we’ve taken a similar approach with all three.And, we’ve recruited to a similar scheme, as well.
“The way we run defense is not the only way you can do it. I just think there are a lot of gymnastics that go into making [a scheme] change and guys asking if they fit into the new scheme. So prefer not to do that.
“You do in person interviews, Zoom interviews, what film, study the data and analytics, and then most importantly, you’re looking for a fit with your players and staff. If somebody had head coaching experience, three’s value in taht. Manny’s time as a head coach was valuable. Stacy Collins’ value as a previous head coach, there’s value. That’s not the end all, be all, but it’s helpful if we can find it.”
In other words, don’t expect someone who runs say, an odd front, or a 3-4 defense. It will be someone with a scheme similar to the one we’ve seen since 2014.
Full-time Penn State defensive coordinator job an ‘attractive’ position
Franklin should hire Diaz’s replacement sooner rather than later. But, the 10th-year leader of the Lions, will not rush the decision. He is looking for a head coach on that side of the ball, similar to what his previous coordinators have done.
“Whenever you’re going to make a decision in leadership, football is unique,” Franklin said earlier this week. “Some of my position coaches are coaching more players than some other sports have on their entire team. This is an attractive position. I’ve been fortunate. I’ve had three defensive coordinators and they’ve all had top 10 defenses consistently. Penn State has played really good defense for a long time. So, between the school’s history and our short time playing defense around here, this is an attractive job for a lot of coaches.”
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