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With his now-former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz leaving Penn State to become head coach at Duke, James Franklin needs someone else to call plays in the Peach Bowl against Ole Miss.
On Friday, Franklin announced that co-defensive coordinator Anthony Poindexter and analyst Robb Smith will share the defensive coordinator duties for the game.
Poindexter has 20 years of coaching experience and has worked on offense, defense and special teams throughout his career. He’s in his third year with the Nittany Lions and also serves as the team’s safeties coach.
Smith has been a coach for 25 years and spent eight of the last 10 years as a college football defensive coordinator before joining Penn State as an analyst this season.
Anthony Poindexter and analyst Robb Smith will split defensive coordinator duties for the Peach Bowl per James Franklin.
— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) December 15, 2023
Penn State enjoyed one of their best defensive seasons ever under the leadership of Manny Diaz. They held five opponents to seven points or fewer and never allowed more than 24 points in a game.
However, they went just 1-2 in games where the defense wound up conceding more than 15 points. Suffice it to say, the offense needs some addressing in the offseason.
It remains to be seen if Poindexter or Smith will be promoted to full defensive coordinator after the Peach Bowl, but if they can stifle Lane Kiffin’s high-octane offense, they’ll both get a very good shot.