Who could James Franklin hire as Penn State’s new defensive coordinator?

12/10/2023
Manny Diaz is gone, leaving James Franklin in the market for a new defensive coordinator.
Diaz was officially named Duke’s new head coach Thursday night after two stellar seasons as Penn State’s defensive coordinator. The former Miami head coach wanted to run his own program again and will now have the opportunity to do so in the ACC.
So, where does Penn State go from here? Let’s take a look at some early names to know as Franklin, who had to have seen Diaz’s departure coming, looks for his replacement.
Anthony Poindexter
We’ll start by staying in-house. Poindexter is the Nittany Lions’ safeties coach and co-defensive coordinator. While Poindexter wasn’t calling plays — that was Diaz’s job — the 47-year-old has played a major role in the makeup of the defense. Ask any of the players, especially those in the secondary, and there’s a lot of respect for Poindexter, a College Football Hall of Fame safety.
Poindexter has DC experience from his time at UConn from 2014-16. He was also Purdue’s co-DC from 2017-20 before joining Penn State. But will Franklin give a relatively unproven play-caller the keys with so much on the line — a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff push — in 2024? Or will he go out and pursue someone with a larger sample size of success?
Joe Rossi
Rossi would make sense. From an experience standpoint, Rossi has coached in the Big Ten for a decade. He was Rutgers’ defensive coordinator before joining Minnesota’s staff in 2017. He’s been the DC there for the last five years, leading a unit that ranked third and ninth in the FBS in total defense in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Rossi is also a Pittsburgh native. The 44-year-old went to Central Catholic, a powerhouse program that has produced several Penn State players. Having those connections in the western part of the state can only help the Nittany Lions from a recruiting perspective.
Tom Allen
How about another fired head coach? Franklin brought in Diaz when he was unceremoniously shown the door at Miami. Perhaps he’ll do the same with Allen, who was let go by Indiana after seven years at the helm. Allen doesn’t have to jump back into coaching right away if he doesn’t want to, thanks to Indiana paying him a $15.5 million buyout.
But Allen made his name coaching defenses, and Indiana has had some stingy ones over the years. Franklin has consistently spoken highly of Allen before Penn State’s games against the Hoosiers. Last year, he called Allen a “good man, good person, good coach.”
Joe Harasymiak
Sticking with coaches who Franklin has recently complimented, let’s look at Harasymiak, who has “done a really good job” in two years at Rutgers. “They make you earn everything,” Franklin said of the Scarlet Knights, who attained bowl eligibility thanks to Harasymiak’s defense.
The wheels fell off a bit toward the end of the season, allowing 31.5 points per game in a four-game losing streak. But the New Jersey native has done more with less at Rutgers. He also has head coaching experience, being named the 2018 AFCA FCS coach of the year after guiding Maine to a 10-4 record. Franklin, who doesn’t have a defensive background, wants a coordinator who can operate as the head coach of the unit. That could be Harasymiak.
D’Anton Lynn
This would be a coup if Franklin could pull it off. Lynn, a Penn State letterman, emerged as a rising star in the coaching world as UCLA’s defensive coordinator. Last week, USC poached the 34-year-old from the rival Bruins. Could Penn State pull off a poaching of its own?
It’s unlikely. Lynn just doubled his salary with a reported three-year deal worth $2 million per season with the Trojans. But it’s worth a call if you’re Franklin. If he stays at USC, it will set up quite a storyline for the Nittany Lions as they face the Trojans next year in Big Ten play.