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Penn State football’s superior defense needs a new leader.
It’s no surprise that James Franklin must hire again, this time finding a defensive coordinator. Manny Diaz did everything paid to and more in his two seasons at Penn State, though his work was always seen as a stopover between head coaching gigs.
He got that shot again at Duke University on Thursday.
And now Penn State must hire its second coordinator in the past month − in the middle of Peach Bowl preparation, the NCAA transfer portal open period and the yearly high school recruiting run to National Signing Day (Dec. 20).
One thing certainly could help this time during the busiest point on the college football calendar: He may have his new coordinator already on staff.
James Franklin must hire his second coordinator in the past month – the first time he’s had to replace both offensive and defensive team leaders since the end of the 2015 season.
Here are five potential candidates to oversee the Nittany Lions’ defense − one that led the nation in total yards and sacks in 2023:
Anthony Poindexter, Penn State
Anthony Poindexter, Penn State’s safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator, is the top in-house candidate to take over the Nittany Lions’ unit.
The time may be perfect for the man who coaches safeties but also held a co-coordinator title with Diaz. Anthony Poindexter relates and resonates with players as a former All-America defensive back at Virginia. He’s known as a skilled recruiter. Plus, he has previous coordinating experience at Connecticut and Purdue and worked and learned under Diaz’s aggressive style the past two seasons.
He won’t stay a position coach much longer, either way. He was a candidate for Virginia’s head coach vacancy two years ago and again, reportedly, for the recent James Madison opening.
Tony Gibson, 51, is in prime running defenses…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/5-penn-state-football-defensive-161003859.html
Author : York Daily Record
Publish date : 2023-12-08 16:10:03
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