Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1464375
M A Y 2 0 2 2 2 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M T o Manny Diaz, the personal con- nections have made for a welcome return. Having previously served as head coach at the University of Miami, Penn State's new defensive coordinator and linebackers coach isn't just settling in this spring. Devoting his attention to the individual players who make up his unit, Diaz said he has rediscovered a joy that had been lost in his three years leading the Hurricanes' program. "I'm fortunate because of the de- fensive personnel in general — not just their talent, but who they are," he said. "So, you get back in the room and you get back to that relationship of being a teacher. You try to do that as a head coach and there's just a barrier. It's just not the same. So that part has been nice for me." That isn't to say Diaz isn't confront- ing plenty of challenges this spring. Stepping in for Brent Pry, now the head coach at Virginia Tech, Diaz in- herited a unit that is coming off an out- standing performance in 2021. But after allowing just 17.3 points per game, a fig- ure that was tied for sixth in the nation, many of the group's key performers — defensive backs Jaquan Brisker and Tariq Castro-Fields, defensive line- men Arnold Ebiketie, Jesse Luketa and Derrick Tangelo and linebackers Ellis Brooks and Brandon Smith — are all off to the NFL. The players who are vying to fill the void aren't sweating it, though, and nei- ther is Diaz. "I think that's just the nature of col- lege football," he said. "You lose guys to graduation or the NFL, and that's all part of it. As a coach, you like that chal- lenge. What doesn't change is the stan- dard ... and I think our guys are excited about that. "They want to step up. That's why they were recruited to Penn State, be- cause they knew when the great player who was older than them left, it would be their time. We have some guys [for whom] it's now their time." Where does that leave Diaz and the Nittany Lion defense this spring? Here's a position-by-position breakdown of Penn State's defense and where it stood heading into the final days of spring practice: Defensive Linemen To implement the aggressive ap- proach that Diaz prefers, the Lions will need major productivity from the de- fensive ends. They're excited about the return of redshirt junior Adisa Isaac af- ter a preseason setback forced him out for 2021, and they also welcome back a heavy rotational player in senior Nick Tarburton. In addition, the Lions landed a po- tential impact transfer in April in edge rusher Demeioun Robinson, who spent his true freshman season at Maryland. But PSU is seeking more consistency from redshirt junior Smith Vilbert and sophomores Zuriah Fisher and Amin Vanover, along with redshirt freshmen Davon Townley and Rodney McGraw. Diaz has talked this spring about "getting our destruction numbers up." That means sacks and tackles for loss. To effectively do so, head coach James Franklin acknowledged that Penn State might have to turn to the transfer portal this summer. Franklin said that he's been looking for steadier performances from the return- ing defensive ends. While Isaac "flashes consistently," he's been the only one. Coming off a three-sack performance in the Outback Bowl, Vilbert "needs to be more consistent," Franklin said. Tarbur- ton, a fifth-year senior, is suited to wear down opponents with effort but must expand his repertoire of moves. "We need more consistent edge pres- sure," Franklin said. Those needs won't diminish Penn State's hopes for Isaac. He's taking a gradual, deliberate ap- proach as he works his way back from an unspecified lower-leg injury he sus- tained last June. But even seeing limited reps, he's made a believer out of Diaz. He had 13 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries in limited ac- tion as a sophomore in 2020, and even more will be expected from him moving forward. "He just has some things you can't teach in terms of athleticism, his ability to bend, turning the corner, his length, the way he can get his hands on offensive linemen," Diaz said. REPEAT REPEAT AS NECESSARY NECESSARY James Franklin and new coordinator Manny Diaz seek more consistency from a revamped defense as PSU's spring practice sessions draw to a close Diaz said his defensive players are eager to meet the challenges he has laid out for them. "They want to step up," he said. "That's why they were recruited to Penn State." PHOTO BY THOMAS FRANK CARR N A T E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M