Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1488968
1 2 J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 3 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M After overseeing one of college foot- ball's most stout defenses during the 2022 regular season, Manny Diaz naturally had questions to address about his future when Penn State held its Rose Bowl media day Dec. 16. Calling this time of year "silly season" for its avalanche of noise, rumors and in- nuendo, the Nittany Lions' first-year de- fensive coordinator brushed off specula- tion about his career prospects. "I've got a great job. It would take an amazingly great job to leave a great job," Diaz said. A Broyles Award semifinalist, Diaz was mentioned in connection with two head coach openings in his home state: Florida Atlantic and USF. Florida Atlantic ended up hiring former Texas head coach Tom Herman, while USF chose Tennessee of- fensive coordinator Alex Golesh. Diaz was head coach at Miami (Fla.), going 21-15 in three seasons. When the Hurricanes hired Mario Cristobal last December, Diaz was let go. He said he thought about taking some time off fol- lowing his dismissal but couldn't pass up the opportunity to join Penn State's staff. While he may not be in any hurry to leave PSU, Diaz said he does aspire to be a head coach again. "I enjoyed it," he said. "I think there's some unfinished business with the way things happened a year ago. But the sec- ond time around, I think you're a little wiser about the opportunity, and you don't necessarily let the opportunity choose you. I think you choose the op- portunity a little bit differently." Diaz said his comfort with PSU allows him to be picky about his next steps. "When you don't have a platform that you feel comfortable at, you may feel more desperate to just lunge for something," he said. "I'm very blessed that I've got a place where I know we can play great defense for a long time, and that's the standard." ■ Lions DC Manny Diaz Dismisses 'Silly Season' Speculation N AT E B A U E R | N B A U E R @ O N 3 . C O M Penn State fielded one of the nation's top defenses in Diaz's first year as coordinator, allowing only 18.0 points per game during the regular season. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE A total of 23 Penn State football players received at least one form of postseason recognition in 2022. The Lions boasted a Big Ten Freshman of the Year, a national specialist of the year and three All-Americans. Here are PSU's honorees: RB Kaytron Allen • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, media) P Barney Amor • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches) S Ji'Ayir Brown • All-Big Ten (third team, coaches and media) LB Abdul Carter • All-Big Ten (second team, media; third team, coaches) QB Sean Clifford • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) CB Johnny Dixon • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, media) OT Bryce Effner • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, media) OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu • Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Ameri- can (second team) • All-Big Ten (second team, coaches; third team, media) DE Adisa Isaac • All-Big Ten (third team, coaches; honorable mention, media) LB Curtis Jacobs • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) CB Kalen King • Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Ameri- can (second team) • All-Big Ten (third team, coaches and media) DT PJ Mustipher • All-Big Ten (second team, coaches; third team, media) PK Jake Pinegar • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, media) G/C Hunter Nourzad • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) CB Joey Porter Jr. • Associated Press All-American (second team) • Football Writers Association of America All- American (second team) • American Football Coaches Association All- American (second team) • Walter Camp Football Foundation All-Ameri- can (second team) • CBS Sports All-American (second team) • All-Big Ten (first team, coaches and media) DE Chop Robinson • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) C Juice Scruggs • All-Big Ten (third team, coaches; honorable mention, media) RB Nicholas Singleton • Thompson-Randle-El Freshman of the Year (Big Ten) • All-Big Ten, Offense (third team, coaches and media) • All-Big Ten, Special Teams (second team, me- dia; honorable mention, coaches) LS Chris Stoll • Patrick Mannelly Award (nation's best long snapper) • Big Ten Sportsmanship Award TE Brenton Strange • All-Big Ten (third team, coaches; honorable mention, media) DE Nick Tarburton • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches) WR Parker Washington • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) G Sal Wormley • All-Big Ten (honorable mention, coaches and media) Penn State Players Earn Postseason Accolades