Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1503568
5 6 A U G U S T 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 / / / / / / / 2 0 2 3 F O O T B A L L P R E V I E W / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / M anny Diaz isn't necessarily con- cerned about the Hollywood narrative of what leadership looks like, although he does understand the sentiment. Ahead of his second season as Penn State's defensive coordinator, Diaz will be without the strong leadership of last year's captains, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher and safety Ji'Ayir Brown. Instead, the Nittany Lions will rely on the steady hand of senior safety Keaton Ellis, who was announced during the Blue-White Game as a captain, and a collection of dynamic, talented and youthful players throughout the lineup. Diaz is brimming with optimism over the unit's potential this season. "Leadership is not the 'Rah-rah, let's go!' speech," he said. "There's a time and place for that every now and then, but the team that goes 0-12 is the rah- rah guys. Good teams have guys that know their job and anticipate what the adjustment is going to be before it hap- pens." Overwhelmingly, the Nittany Lions boast that characteristic on the defen- sive side of the ball. Brown, Mustipher and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. are all off to the NFL after decorated Penn State careers, but even with those departures taken into account, the Lions should With Manny Diaz entering Year 2 as defensive coordinator, Penn State looks to build on last season's successes NAT E BAU E R | NATE.BAUER@ON3.COM Eyes On The Eyes On The Reprise Reprise In Diaz's first season at Penn State, the defense allowed only 18.3 points per game to rank 10th in the FBS. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE