Report: Diaz heads to Temple
UM coordinator set to be introduced as new head coach.
CORAL GABLES Manny Diaz has, in his three years in Coral Gables, helped transform the Miami Hurricanes defense.
Now it appears Miami’s defensive coordinator will try to do the same — on a bigger scale — at Temple. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Wednesday night that Diaz had agreed to take over the Owls program. Multiple media reports say that Diaz will be officially introduced as Temple’s coach in a 3 p.m. news conference on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, a source told South Florida Sun Sentinel that Diaz was expected to take the job if it was offered.
He would replace former Temple coach Geoff Smith, who left for the head coaching job at Georgia Tech last week.
Attempts to reach Diaz both Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful, and UM officials had no comment on the reports. But on Tuesday, Miami athletic director Blake James said via text message that questions about Diaz’s future were for Diaz to discuss.
It would be Diaz’s first head coaching job after a series of stops at Miami, Mississippi State, Texas, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, NC State and Florida State.
It would also leaves the Hurricanes without their top assistant coach just days before the start of the Early Signing Period and two weeks before Miami is set to face Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Diaz, who has made the Hurricanes’ defense one of the top units in the nation since joining coach Mark Richt’s staff in 2015, was on the recruiting trail for Miami late Tuesday. But he reportedly interviewed for Temple’s job on Monday and emerged as one of the favorites to land the job after Texas A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko