A new candidate has emerged in the Penn State defensive coordinator search.
Sources have told Nittany Sports Now that the program has interviewed Cleveland Browns’ safeties coach Ephraim Banda for the position left vacant by Tom Allen’s recent departure for Clemson.
Banda just wrapped up his second season with the Browns.
Before that, he spent more than a decade coaching in college football, starting with Incarnate Word (student assistant in 2011) and ending at Utah State (2021-22). From 2012 to 2020, Banda spent all but one season on the same staff as a man who Penn State fans know quite well.
MANNY DIAZ TIES
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz during pregame warmups.
Banda has close ties with former Penn State DC Manny Diaz. Banda first started working with Diaz in 2012, when Banda was a graduate assistant at Texas and Diaz the defensive coordinator at linebackers coach. The two separated in 2014 when Diaz took the same position at Louisiana Tech and Banda stayed at Texas. But when Mississippi State hired Diaz ahead of the 2015 season, Banda joined him as defensive quality control coach. From 2016-18, Banda worked with Diaz at Miami, where Diaz was again defensive coordinator and Banda his safeties coach. When Diaz took over for the retired Mark Richt after the 2018 season, Banda stayed as safeties coach and added co-defensive coordinator to his title.
Diaz initially accepted the Temple head coaching job ahead of the 2019 season but resigned after two weeks when Richt stepped down and Miami offered Diaz its head coaching job.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Had Diaz gone to Temple, Banda would have gone with him.
“I’ve been fiercely loyal to Manny Diaz for a long time and his family,” Banda said in December 2018 via the Palm Beach Post. “So, it was obviously not an easy decision. A lot of people probably would be like ‘You’re crazy, why would you even think about (going to Temple)?’ Well, if you work for Manny Diaz you understand why you would think about it.”
The two separated before the 2021 season when Banda left to become the defensive coordinator at Utah State. But it seems like a good bet that Diaz, now the head coach at Duke, put in a good word for Banda to his old boss, James Franklin.
PENN STATE COULD HAVE COMPETITION
If Banda ends up being high on Penn State’s list, Penn State could have competition for him. Banda interviewed with the Indianapolis Colts for their defensive coordinator position last week. Penn State has scheduled Board of Trustees meetings for Friday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 20. So a hire could be coming soon.
