Could Hurricanes lose Diaz to Temple?
Defensive coordinator reportedly is among targets as head coach
CORAL GABLES — In his three years at Miami, defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has turned the Hurricanes’ defense into a force, one of the bright spots during an up-and-down regular season this fall.
Now, it seems at least one major program is trying to lure Diaz from Miami.
Multiple reports late Monday and early Tuesday indicated that Diaz, 44, interviewed with Temple on Monday about its head coaching job, a job that became vacant when former Owls coach Geoff Collins opted to take over as coach at Georgia Tech.
School officials at Miami did not comment on the reports, with Hurricanes athletic director Blake James telling the Sun Sentinel via text message that Diaz’s future is something for the defensive coordinator to discuss.
Attempts to reach Diaz on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
FootballScoop.com was the first to report on Temple’s interest in the South Florida native, saying he and Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko have emerged as targets, with Temple looking to hire a defensive-minded coach. Late Monday night, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported Temple was hoping to wrap up interviews by Wednesday and that between eight and 10 candidates would meet with the school, with “no favorite” identified yet.
The Inquirer reported that four Temple assistant coaches, as well as Baylor assistant head coach Francis Brown interviewed on Monday, and that interim coach Ed Foley would receive an interview as well. The paper reported it was unclear whether Diaz had interviewed on Monday, however the Miami Herald reported that Diaz did interview.
Losing Diaz would be a significant blow to the Hurricanes, who this season endured a four-game losing streak, fell out of the AP Top 25, never made the College Football Playoff rankings and were unable to defend their 2017 ACC Coastal Division title.
Diaz’s group, however, wasn’t the cause of Miami’s woes.
The Hurricanes finished the regular season ranked as the nation’s No. 2 defense, with opponents managing an average of just 268.3 yards per game and 4.16 yards per play.
Miami had the nation’s toprated passing defense, holding opponents to a meager 140.8 yards per game and led the nation in opponent third-down conversion percentage, allowing just 41 conversions on 173 attempts.
Under Diaz’s guidance, Hurricanes defensive tackle Gerald Willis III earned a trio of AllAmerican honors while several other defensive standouts, including linebacker Shaq Quarterman, earned All-ACC honors.
He also brought an element of fun to the Miami defense, helping create the Hurricanes’ famed Turnover Chain. It became a viral sensation last year and has become a favorite with not only Miami fans and current players, but recruits who hope to one day wear the gaudy chain and celebrate a turnover in front of their teammates and the cameras.
The coach, more than once this season, indicated how much he enjoyed coaching in his hometown, saying back in October how the athleticism, talent and passion of several Miami players, made his job enjoyable.
“As a coaching staff, we love coaching these guys. I drive to work every day and say, ‘I’m so happy I get to coach the Miami Hurricanes defense,’” Diaz said ahead of Miami’s loss to Duke. “Because I get to coach Jaquan Johnson. I want to come to the game and Saturday and I want to watch Gerald Willis play. That’s worth me getting in my car. I want to watch Jaquan Johnson play. I want to watch Shaq Quarterman and Mike Pinckney play. We have a bunch of guys that, to me, I want to get out there and watch those guys play. Because they’re fun to coach, they’re fun to be with as teammates, and they’re fun to be around.”
As enjoyable as working with Miami’s players has been, though, the opportunity to be a head coach — something Diaz has not done yet — may prove enticing, especially considering how past Temple coaches have been able to move on to more high-profile jobs after relatively short stints with the Owls.
Former Hurricanes coach Al Golden was at Temple for five seasons before taking over at Miami in 2011. Current Boston College coach Steve Addazio followed Golden at Temple and coached the Owls for two seasons before jumping to BC. Collins moved from Temple to Georgia Tech after two seasons and in 2016, Matt Rhule left Temple for Baylor after three seasons with the Owls.
Before joining Mark Richt’s staff at Miami, Diaz — who also serves as the Hurricanes’ linebackers coach as well as their defensive coordinator — had two stints as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State. He has also worked as a DC at Texas, Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee State.
Diaz has also been an assistant coach at North Carolina State and started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Florida State.
For Temple, there will be a sense of urgency to move quickly in its coaching search. The school would like to have a coach in place ahead of the Early Signing Period, which begins Dec. 19.
Diaz’s potential departure from Coral Gables could impact an already-sagging recruiting class that is, to this point, filled with highly regarded defensive prospects. It could also impact the NFL decisions of several UM underclassmen including Quarterman, fellow linebacker Mike Pinckney and defensive end Joe Jackson, most of whom have praised Diaz’s style and philosophy during his time in Coral Gables.
“Coach Diaz, guaranteed, is the best D-coordinator I’ve ever had,” senior cornerback Michael Jackson said last month. “He knows how players think and he knows what they’re good at.”