With Manny Diaz off to be the Duke head coach, James Franklin explained how far along Penn State is with its search for the next defensive coordinator and how the Peach Bowl will be coached.

The Penn State football team is going to look different from a staff perspective during the Peach Bowl. James Franklin will still be the head coach, but the Nittany Lions will be utilizing interim offensive and defensive coordinators against Ole Miss. They have already backfilled the offensive coordinator role by hiring Andy Kotelnicki from Kansas but with the departure of Manny Diaz, the Nittany Lions need to find their next defensive coordinator as well. On Monday morning, James Franklin outlined those next steps.

James Franklin details next steps in defensive coordinator search

There are two important elements to consider when James Franklin is looking for his next defensive coordinator. The first is finding suitable targets and completing the interview process. Secondly, the Nittany Lions are preparing for a New Year’s Six Bowl against Ole Miss. So, they need to be prepared to take the field in a few weeks without Manny Diaz.

When asked about where he’s at with the search, Franklin said, “So, obviously tremendous opportunity, and we are very happy for Manny Diaz and his family; he did a great job and has accepted the head coaching position at Duke. We will handle it internally very similar to how we handled it on offense for the last few games of the season. While also trying to balance that while also interviewing and trying to decide what we are going to do with our defensive coordinator position. Whether it’s an internal candidate or an external candidate, we’re working through that right now…”

What does James Franklin think about the outlook at DC at Penn State?

It’s a fair question, what is the outside perception throughout the country of the defensive coordinator position at Penn State? To many, it should show that if you come to the Penn State football team and produce results, you could find yourself in a head coach position in the future. Just think of Brent Pry and now Manny Diaz.

James Franklin shared his thoughts on this, adding, “This is an attractive position…Penn State has played really good defense for a long time.”