Former Penn State DC Manny Diaz has led Duke to an ACC championship.
Duke, which made it to the title game despite finishing the regular season with a 7-5 record (6-2 in the ACC), took on ACC regular season champ Virginia as a slight underdog, and fought off a late Wahoo rally for a 27-20 overtime win.
A touchdown pass from Darian Mensah to tight end Jeremiah Hasley proved to be the winning score, and Luke Mergott’s interception on the ensuing possession ended the game. The question now is whether Duke should make it to the College Football Playoff.
With five losses, it’s hard to see the committee putting Duke in over James Madison, a Group of Five school who finished the regular season 11-1 and won the Sun Belt Championship Game.
But Playoff or no Playoff, it’s a big accomplishment for Diaz in just his second season in Durham.
Diaz had a successful first season, finishing 9-4, and has followed that up with a conference championship.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.After Penn State fired Diaz’s former boss, James Franklin, some lobbied for Diaz to take his place.
But Diaz was never among the top contender for the Penn State job, and the school ultimately decided to hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State.
It Is Over: Long, Winding Penn State Coaching Search Ends With Matt Campbell
Nonetheless, Diaz will always be remembered fondly in Happy Valley for what he did over the 2022 and ‘23 seasons.
In 2023, Diaz was in charge of the nation’s No. 1 total defense. Many were shocked when he wasn’t one of the five finalists for the Broyles Award, presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach. That award ended up going to Iowa DC Phil Parker.
