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Where will the Replacement for Manny Diaz come from?

By Justin Strawn

Dec 30, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive coordinator Manny Diaz huddles up with the defense during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 2015 Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolfpack 51-28. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs defensive coordinator Manny Diaz huddles up with the defense during a timeout in the fourth quarter against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the 2015 Belk Bowl at Bank of America Stadium. The Bulldogs defeated the Wolfpack 51-28. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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Manny Diaz needs to be replaced since he left for Miami, but where will Dan Mullen look to fill his vacancy?

Related Story: Manny Diaz Must Pay a Buyout to Leave Mississippi State

Now that it has been a day, and we have all recovered from the news that Manny Diaz has left the school to join Mark Richt, we all want to know who is going to replace him. I’ve looked at some potential names and tried to come up with some idea of who Mullen will look to. So let’s break it down.

It likely won’t be a Defensive Coordinator from a Power 5 school.

Almost everyone who has asked me who the replacement will come from has the same opinion when I tell them it won’t be a defensive coordinator from a current Power 5 school, they’re not happy. Unless Mullen takes a position coach with no coordinating experience for the job, the Bulldogs would likely not be able to hire someone currently from a Power 5 school simply because whoever took it would have to take a pay cut. Mississippi State still lags behind most of the SEC when it comes to assistant coach salaries. So get that out of your head right now.

Points allowed is far more important than yards allowed.

One of the things that has become clear in the Dan Mullen era is Mullen doesn’t mind a defense that gives up a lot of yards, so long as they don’t give up a lot of points. So I took a look at some of the best scoring defenses in the country from Group of 5 schools and here are some of the better ones. All of the rankings and stats came from NCAA.com.

  • San Diego State – 7th in NCAA and 16.4 points per game
  • Marshall – 10th in NCAA and 17.8 points per game
  • Appalachian State – 14th in NCAA and 19.1 points per game
  • UConn – 15th in NCAA and 19.5 points per game
  • Temple – 18th in NCAA and 20.1 points per game
  • Boise State – 19th in NCAA and 20.2 points per game
  • Houston – 21st in NCAA and 20.7 points per game
  • Toledo – 22nd in NCAA and 20.8 points per game
  • Akron – 24th in NCAA and 21.5 points per game
  • Navy – 26th in NCAA and 21.8 points per game
  • Central Michigan – 28th in NCAA and 22.0 points per game

Turnovers are a must.

Another key ingredient Dan Mullen wants from his defense is turnovers. One of the reasons I believe Mullen was willing to bring Diaz back in the first place was because Diaz demonstrated in his first go round with the Bulldogs his defenses could create turnovers.

That is the one aspect we didn’t get from Diaz this season. And it is one of the reasons I believe Mullen didn’t do much to stand in the way of Diaz leaving to Miami. Here are the Group of 5 defense that created the most turnovers.

  • Houston – 1st in NCAA, created 35 turnovers
  • Arkansas State – tied for 2nd in NCAA, created 34 turnovers
  • San Diego State – tied for 2nd in NCAA, created 34 turnovers
  • Western Kentucky – tied for 5th in NCAA, created 31 turnovers
  • Boise State – tied for 5th in NCAA, created 31 turnovers
  • Northern Illinois – 8th in NCAA, created 29 turnovers
  • Marshall – tied for 9th in NCAA, created 28 turnovers
  • Akron – tied for 9th in NCAA, created 28 turnovers
  • Navy – tied for 13th in NCAA, created 27 turnovers
  • Georgia Southern – tied for 13th in NCAA, created 27 turnovers
  • Bowling Green – tied for 13th in NCAA, created 27 turnovers
  • South Florida – tied for 24th in NCAA, created 25 turnovers
  • UConn – tied for 24th in NCAA, created 25 turnovers
  • New Mexico – tied for 24th in NCAA, created 25 turnovers
  • Middle Tennessee – tied for 24th in NCAA, created 25 tunrovers

So the obvious thing to do is simple. Take the two lists and see where there is cross over. Here are the teams from the Group of 5 that are in the Top 30 of both categories.

  • San Diego State – 7th in Scoring Defense, 2nd in creating turnovers
  • Marshall – 10th in Scoring Defense, 9th in creating turnovers
  • Houston – 21st in Scoring Defense, 1st in creating turnovers
  • Boise State – 19th in Scoring Defense, 5th in creating turnovers
  • Akron – 24th in Scoring Defense, 9th in creating turnovers
  • Navy – 26th in Scoring Defense, 13th in creating turnovers
  • UConn – 15th in Scoring Defense, 24th in creating turnovers

If I were Mullen, my top two candidates to fill the vacancy would be Todd Orlando of Houston and Marcel Yates of Boise State. The defense at San Diego State is headed up by their current head coach Rocky Long, so he wouldn’t be willing to take a demotion to come to State, and Chuck Heater at Marshall is close to retirement age.

Todd Orlando of Houston helped lead the Cougars to a New year’s Six Bowl, and the Cougars beat the Florida State Seminoles convincingly in the Peach Bowl this year. He’s in his mid 40’s, but if Mullen is considering Orlando, he needs to act quickly. Orlando is an alum of Wisconsin, and with the recent departure of the Wisconsin Defensive Coordinator to LSU, Orlando probably began the process of getting his name considered for that vacancy.

Marcel Yates is a graduate of Boise State, so tearing him away from his alma mater would be difficult. But the pay and chances for a head coaching position as the Defensive Coordinator there will not be as numerous as they would from a school like Mississippi State.

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Those are just the directions I would look if I were in Mullen’s shoes. It doesn’t mean those are the leading candidates or who Mullen is actually considering, but I think these are two really good places to start.

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