Yes, he was a two-time All-Big Ten linebacker at Iowa during the early 1990s. But now, as Nebraska's first-year defensive coordinator, he says he's thinking about only the Husker players, specifically his defenders. He's thinking about how to best prepare them to play the Hawkeyes at 3 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium.
"I have no other energy really left for any other feeling or emotion or …" Diaco said before being cut off by a reporter.
Contrast this version of Diaco, somewhat quiet and subdued, to the Diaco who pumped seemingly boundless energy into Nebraska's defense during the spring and into August.