Penn State defensive coordinator [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] continues to see his stock on the rise. On Monday, Diaz was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award.
The Broyles Award is given to the nation’s top assistant coach in college football. First awarded in 1996, Penn State has never had a Broyles Award winner on the staff. Diaz would be the first if he were to come away with the honor this season.
Under the leadership of Diaz, Penn State owns the nation’s second-best total defense by allowing just 238.7 yards per game. Penn State’s pass defense (6th, 159.5 ypg) and rushing defense (4th, 79.2 ypg) are among the best in the nation as well. Penn State is also allowing just 12.5 points per game (4th in the nation) and Penn State has the second-most sacks in the nation with 41.0 with one game remaining in the regular season. Penn State has also forced 24 takeaways, mostly all attributed to the defense, which is always a key area of focus for Diaz and his defenses.
Last year’s Broyles Award winner was Garrett Riley. The current Clemson offensive coordinator won the award in the same role while with TCU in 2022. Josh Gattis, a former Penn State assistant under James Franklin, won the award while at Michigan in 2021. Gattis is currently the offensive coordinator for Maryland.
Other former Broyles Award winners include Steve Sarkisian (Alabama, 2020), Joe Brady (LSU, 2019), Lincoln Riley (Oklahoma, 2015), Pat Narduzzi (Michigan State, 2013), and Kirby Smart (Alabama, 2009).
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