5 thoughts about Manny Diaz’s contract at Penn State
The annual database of coaching salaries was released by USA TODAY Sports this week, which is always fun to dig into.
Naturally, James Franklin continues to be ranked among the highest-paid head coaches in college football. Some may argue Penn State is getting a good deal on Franklin’s contract (and, yes, others may vehemently disagree with that idea).
This got me wondering where Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz fits in the economic stratosphere of college football assistants. I had to imagine it was a pretty comfortable spot to be in with his contract buyout still ongoing from Miami and whatever he is earning from Penn State.
And let me perfectly clear. Whatever Diaz is getting paid from Penn State, it has been worth every penny this season. Penn State’s defense is among the best in the nation in a variety of statistical categories, including points allowed per game and rushing defense. Penn State has traditionally been pretty strong on defense, but this year’s Nittany Lions lead the nation in turnovers gained, which is a credit to the focus and direction of Diaz.
But Penn State does not provide assistant coaching salary information to USA TODAY Sports, so we have to do some guessing on where exactly Diaz sits. So let’s dig into this a little bit to see what Diaz may be getting, where things go beyond this season, and just whether or not Penn State is getting a steal on the assistant coaching market.
Penn State assistant salaries are not reported
While we have access to the contract value and terms of head coach James Franklin, the same is not true for Penn State’s assistant coaching staff. Because Penn State is not obligated to provide that information, the USA TODAY Sports coaching salary database for 2023 is incomplete without any contract information for Penn State assistants, including Diaz and offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich.
James Franklin looking out for his assistants
We may not know exactly what Penn State’s assistant coaches are making this season, but we can probably make some educated guesses that land in the ballpark. That is because James Franklin has made his assistant coaching salary pool a part of his own contract negotiations.
It has been reported Franklin worked to ensure his coordinators would be among the top three highest paid in the Big Ten and top eight in the nation, according to Mike Poorman of StateCollege.com.
What are the top 3 Big Ten defensive coordinator contracts?
So if we have qualifiers, we can look at the three top defensive coordinators in the Big Ten and define the range of the known top three. Ohio State’s Jim Knowles is the highest-paid defensive coordinator on the USA TODAY Sports salary database, so we can set the bar pretty high right at the top. That’s good news for Diaz.
Knowles is paid $1.9 million according to the USA TODAY Sports coaching salary database. The next highest-paid defensive coordinators in the Big Ten according to the database is Iowa’s Phil Parker ($1.35 million).
Given the resources Penn State has at its disposal, Diaz should land somewhere between those two figures. But he is still getting paid part of his buyout from Miami from his stint that program’s offensive coordinator. That may mean Penn State is paying a significantly discounted rate, so he could be third in the mix.
And the top 8 natioanlly?
As it turns out, we can use the same range between Jim Knowles and Phil Parker to estimate where Diaz falls within the top eight defensive coordinator contracts. Knowles is first on the list and Parker is eighth among reported contract values.
Overlapping these two ranges shows Diaz would likely be no less than second in the Big Ten.
What happens in 2024?
It will not be long before Diaz begins having his name mentioned for potential head coaching opportunities. With the way Penn State’s defense continues to thrive, and with more and more coaching vacancies on the horizon, do not be surprised to see that be the case with Diaz.
It is also important to keep in mind Diaz’s buyout from Miami will expire at the end of the year as well, which means Penn State will either have to work hard to lock him in for 2024 and beyond or be prepared to see Diaz entertain other potential coaching opportunities should they come his way.
View the full database of assistant coaching salary information via USA TODAY Sports.
