‘My School Disgusts Me’: Penn State Fans Heartbroken By Manny Diaz’s Reported Departure For Duke

Joe Lister | Onward State

Thank you and farewell, Manny Diaz.

Penn State’s defensive coordinator is reportedly leaving Happy Valley to take the head coaching position at Duke. In his two years with the program, Manny Diaz led a dominant Penn State defense that posted four shutouts and locked up multiple top-25 opponents.

Following the announcement of Diaz’s reported departure, Penn Staters took to Twitter to speak their minds. The general consensus? People are sad to see him go.

Some people jumped right to the third stage of grief: depression.

pic.twitter.com/dOEUbqANmr
— Sean (@capt_ramius) December 8, 2023

Manny Diaz to duke pic.twitter.com/HDPdspisEr
— bagel (@pittsburghbagel) December 7, 2023

Man, Penn State is going to win so many national championships from the NIL money that comes from the amount of Happy Valley Vodka I’m about to drown myself with. https://t.co/aLPaDUlvqr
— Dear Old State (@_DearOldState) December 7, 2023

Others skipped to the “acceptance” stage of grief and began reminiscing on Diaz’s time with Penn State.

Manny Diaz final game with Penn State:
0 points given up
53 total yards allowed (least ever for MSU)
2/13 on third down
-35 rushing yards (-1.3 yards per rush)
— Penn State FB Thoughts (@PSU_FB_Thoughts) December 7, 2023

“Dad, what was it like watching Manny Diaz lead Penn State’s defense?” pic.twitter.com/qtlgkcDvvK
— suffering pittsburgh sports fan (@Dylan_Means4) December 7, 2023

Some people were just outright angry…

Manny Diaz and Duke kind of fucked Penn State by slow playing the decision. Two of the best DC targets in the country were Penn State guys, and they both already landed jobs.
— Dave O’Reilley (@JonathWhite) December 7, 2023

my school disgusts me https://t.co/9IBGOj7hU9
— Phil the thrill (@JoelFarabaae) December 7, 2023

…while others joked about Diaz returning to the ACC. He was the head coach at Miami before coming to Happy Valley.

What if Manny Diaz really wanted the Duke job so he could beat Miami?
— Walk-On Redshirts (@walkonredshirts) December 7, 2023

Manny Diaz next time Duke plays the Canes pic.twitter.com/pQA7Al8x8G
— R-V-B Jr. (@rvbemisjr) December 7, 2023

Many people thanked Diaz for his time in Happy Valley and wished him the best moving forward.

Good for Manny Diaz… he’s one hell of a coach. PSU defense was STOUT under his leadership. He’ll be missed for sure. Duke got a good one!
— Joe Bobiak (@JoeBobiak) December 7, 2023

Manny Diaz came in 2 years ago and immediately changed the identity of our defense. I will miss his aggressive style and I hope the next guy has the same mindset.

I wish Manny the best at Duke but this sucks.
— Penn State Talk (@PSURecruitTalk) December 7, 2023

Good for coach! While we’d hate to lose him, the goal is always to elevate and promote. Congrats if he takes the job as the next head coach of Duke or anywhere else! https://t.co/YpnCDzgESZ
— Zakee Wheatley (@ziggakai) December 7, 2023

Looking forward, many fans aren’t worried about Penn State finding another big name to take over for Diaz.

James Franklin’s last 2 hires at DC were Brent Pry and Manny Diaz.. who both went on to be head coaches due to their job as DC’s. I have very little doubt in Franklin’s ability to hire our next DC. #WeAre
— C-PAYNE (@corycpayne) December 7, 2023

Manny Diaz rules and I'm very happy for him that he's getting another head coaching job. He's fully earned it, and Franklin continuing to get his coordinators HC jobs is fantastic for the health of the program.

I'm not at all worried about Penn State hiring a new DC
— The 4th-Best Nick You Know (@TheREALNPolak) December 7, 2023

Some Penn State defensive players took to social media to seemingly share their mixed thoughts about Diaz’s departure.

https://twitter.com/chopyoungbull/status/1732914505938858042

Finally, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin seemed relieved to not face Diaz in the Peach Bowl. Who can blame him?

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About the Author

Mikey DeAngelis

Mikey DeAngelis is a Penn State graduate with a degree in film production who served as Onward State's visual editor from 2023-2025. While not reminiscing about his time at Penn State, he enjoys making content for his YouTube channel. Mikey loves Philly sports, traveling and hiking in National Parks, and watching movies. To reach Mikey, feel free to reach out on Twitter (@mikey_deangelis) or by email ([email protected]).

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‘My School Disgusts Me’: Penn State Fans Heartbroken By Manny Diaz’s Reported Departure For Duke

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About the Author

Mikey DeAngelis

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