Penn State's James Franklin praises defensive coordinator Manny Diaz
Nov. 22—Penn State football coach James Franklin felt a bit awkward last December when he called Manny Diaz less than 24 hours after Diaz was fired as Miami (Fla.) head coach.
Franklin needed to fill the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach position, which longtime friend and associate Brent Pry had held before Virginia Tech hired him as head coach.
"You almost feel uncomfortable reaching out," Franklin said Tuesday. "He was just delivered really bad news professionally. You try to be as respectful as you possibly can but also say, 'Hey, this may make sense for both of us.' "
Diaz's first season at Penn State can be called an unqualified success. He was named a semifinalist this week for the Broyles Award, which is presented to the nation's top assistant coach.
The No. 11 Nittany Lions (6-2 Big Ten, 9-2) rank in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense, total defense, rushing defense and pass defense efficiency going into Saturday's regular season finale against Michigan State (3-5, 5-6) at 4 p.m. at Beaver Stadium (TV-FS1, WEEU-AM.830).
"He's been great," Franklin said about Diaz. "I think he's really enjoying it. I think he's done a really good job of not just teaching the X's and O's, but also building a culture on the defensive side of the ball.
"That's something I thought Brent did a good job of, being the head coach of the defense, which is really what I want."
Penn State has played very well on defense lately, limiting Rutgers, Maryland and Indiana to an average of 9.0 points, 165.7 total yards and 52.3 rushing yards.
The Lions lead the Big Ten with 34 sacks. Sixteen players have sacks, and 26 have tackles for loss.
"I'm proud of him (Diaz)," Franklin said. "I'm happy he's here. When I go into the defensive staff room, they have really good morale. They have fun in there. They work hard. Everybody in that room has a voice.
"I think he's done a really good job not just with our players but with the staff as well. So it's been good."
Land Grant week: Many have cracked jokes about the design of the Land Grant Trophy, which has been presented to the Penn State-Michigan State winner every year since 1993.
Nittany Lions coach James Franklin and quarterback Sean Clifford had their tongues planted firmly in their cheeks when they were asked about the cumbersome trophy.
"We're playing for the most beautiful trophy in all of college football," Franklin said. "If anyone hasn't seen it, look it up. The Land Grant Trophy is just a sight to be seen. It is just beautiful."
The Spartans regained possession of the LGT with a 30-27 victory over Penn State last year at East Lansing, Mich.
"I think it's the prettiest block of wood I've ever seen in my life," Clifford said. "It's something we definitely want back in our locker room. We're going to do whatever it takes to get it here."
Ups and downs: Gov. Mifflin grad Nick Singleton was named Penn State's special teams player of the game for his performance in a 55-10 win at Rutgers last week.
Singleton returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown and rushed nine times for 62 yards. But he lost a fumble for the third time this season.
Franklin mentioned that ball security is an area of improvement for Penn State.
"You can't coach it enough," he said. "You can't talk about it enough. The ball was secured tightly (by Singleton). But part of ball security is pad level. You can't allow a defender to put his helmet right on the ball. You gotta get your pads down. We'll continue to work on that."
Running back Kaytron Allen was named the offensive player of the game, and linebackers Curtis Jacobs and Abdul Carter were co-defensive players of the game.
