Uncertainty swirling as Diaz, UM close out lost season
Coaches Manny Diaz and Rhett Lashlee could both be facing their final game in Miami, but the Hurricanes will try to finish the season strong vs. the Blue Devils.
In the rarely stable world of college football, there are different types of uncertainty, and the Miami Hurricanes seem to have encountered nearly every variety throughout this eventful season.
There was the worry something might change when Miami lost four of its first six games and Blake James was noncommittal about Manny Diaz’s status moving forward. There was tangible change when the Hurricanes lost to the Florida State Seminoles on Nov. 13 and fired James two days later.
Now Miami is at the end of the 2021 regular season and more change is inevitable. At some point in the next few weeks, the Hurricanes will hire a new athletic director to replace James, and he or she will have a decision to make about Diaz. There’s a real chance Saturday is the coach’s last game at Miami, and Diaz is doing everything he can to not think about it.
“It’s not letting it enter your mind,” Diaz said Monday. “The question is, do you allow it to stay there and take up residency? The way our mind works, thoughts are always going to come into our mind. We have the choice whether to allow them to become permanent residents or not. One thing I’ve been fortunate about is the ability to stay present. This job allows you, if you do it the right way, to stay present because there’s always something to do.”
Throughout the second half of the season, his team has followed his lead and Diaz has made the decision tougher for those responsible for making it.
He has started winning: When they close out the regular season Saturday at 12:30 p.m. against the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium, the Hurricanes (6-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast) will have a chance to finish the regular season with five wins in six games after their abysmal start, and they’re doing with a freshman starting quarterback, a freshman starting running back, one freshman starting wide receiver and four freshmen starters on defense.