After Franklin was shown the door in not-so-Happy Valley speculation is running rampant as to who takes over the head coaching job in Penn State.

Eli Lederman, Max Olson and Adam Rittenberg of ESPN combined on a piece, speculating on just that decision, and one of the potential options is a man that Duke Blue Devil fans are quite familiar with.

Rittenberg wrote, “There are a range of opinions on how Diaz's tenure went at Miami and ultimately how things ended for him there. But he's positioning himself for a possible jump to a program on a similar tier to the U. Could it end up being Florida State, his alma mater, or another program in the ACC and Southeast, where he has primarily lived and coached? It's quite possible...”

For the most part, he’s done a solid job in his limited time at Duke. The 2024 season was his first in Durham, and he helped lead the Blue Devils to a 9-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance, while currently holding a 4-2 record after a rough 1-2 start to the season.

Rittenberg continued, “But he also spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as Penn State's defensive coordinator, boosting the Lions' defense to nationally elite levels before heading to Duke, where he is 13-6 in his second season. Diaz would bring a different energy to Penn State's program and an aggressive defensive philosophy that served the Lions well during his two seasons there. He can recruit throughout the East Coast and Mid-Atlantic, and he is 34-21 overall as an FBS coach.”

A lot of the possible contenders that Rittenberg mentioned have some sort of connection to the program.

Matt Rhule is a Penn State alum, Curt Cignetti actually has more of a connection to PSU rivals, Matt Campbell has long mentioned he’d be interested in coaching for Penn State, and Dan Mullen has a history of beating the Nittany Lions.

When Diaz was asked about Franklin’s firing, he suggested that these moves in college football are only going to be a sign of the times.

“This is going to happen more. I just, I don’t know that we’re fully aware of how our sport is changing, as rapidly as it's changing. You can’t build these massive conferences. Like, we’re just going to lose games more. It’s just what’s going to happen. And, we’re talking, in our conference, about having, you know, scheduling sort of tiered towards who finished at the top. It’s common sense. The more you put people at the top and they’re going to play each other, someone is going to lose the game.”

For now, Penn State is going to roll with interim coach Terry Smith, but once the season ends, keep an eye on Diaz’s status.