UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Inside the walls of the meeting room, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Manny Diaz portrays 'The Shot,' the infamous clip of Michael Jordan hitting a last-second shot against the Utah Jazz in Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
Despite immortality and a sixth championship staring him down, Jordan drilled a 20-foot jumper, a shot he practiced time and time again. Using Jordan's shot as a teaching tool, Diaz is able to describe a crucial lesson to his talented defensive unit about keeping it simple despite the pressure and expectations.
These messages and mantras pertain to all of his players but hold a special meaning for the sophomore duo of defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton and linebacker Abdul Carter who are learning key fundamentals of confidence and poise.
"It's not about putting the cape on and doing insane things," said Diaz. "You know, when you're extremely talented and you play simple, you make simple things look extraordinary and that to me has been what we're trying to get Abdul to understand as he goes into year two. People all of a sudden realize 'oh my gosh, I've got to hit a grand slam with nobody on base' and that's not necessarily the case."
Playing free and easy are messages that also relate to the secondary which features a skillful core of corners such as junior Kalen King and senior Johnny Dixon who play alongside a steady group of safeties like junior Jaylen Reed, senior Keaton Ellis and sophomore Kevin Winston Jr.
With an experienced secondary at his disposal, Diaz returns for his second season in Happy Valley sharing a consistent message of playing with an edge and a unique level of tenacity that makes his secondary unique.
"The first thing, when you're talking about anything with defensive back play, you're talking about a sense of urgency and playing with that chip on your shoulder, which I really thought he [King] did a great job of a year ago, when he was really the unknown because everyone was talking about Joey [Porter Jr]," said Diaz. "Everyone knows who number four is right now but you cannot lose that edge that you had about you, that really made you great the year before."
With strong technique and unmatched speed to keep up with the fastest of wideouts, King highlights the group of corners and defensive backs that fly around with game-changing speed and an ability to completely change the course of a game.
While King and his counterparts are learning how to play with that simplicity, they are being instilled with the skills to play at a caliber of making big plays at any point in the game.
"Coach Manny preaches it every day before practice," said King. "We have meetings where we meet with the unit, we just go over plays, what he expects from us, calls for the day, just things of that nature. So every time we take the field, anytime Manny is out there with us, we have a purpose to do it for. Manny's one of those coaches who makes you want to play for him. He motivates you to play for him."
An All-Big Ten Honorable Mention selection in 2022, junior linebacker Curtis Jacobs returns as a veteran leader of Diaz's defense with 32 total games under his belt. In 2023, Jacobs has developed a new dimension of his game to make his teammates better.
A highly-intelligent player, who ensures that Diaz's messages are relayed and heard to his teammates, Jacobs shared how simplicity comes along with being a part of a unique "standard."
"We hold ourselves to the standard of being the best in the country," said Jacobs. "And we come out to practice, we attack that every day and we just don't put up for anything. We just keep going every day."
