DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Duke is in a different place than the last time the Blue Devils had to hire a football coach. The same goes for Manny Diaz as he begins his second stint as head coach.
The Blue Devils are making a meteoric rise from Mike Elko’s two-year coaching tenure, going from a program in steep decline to one poised for a second straight playoff appearance. Now Diaz – who spent three years leading Miami – has to add to that changing start for the program.
“We are not here to demolish what has been accomplished, but at the same time we are not here to preserve what has been accomplished,” Diaz said Saturday in his opening press conference. “The growth that happened last year, we’ve got to continue to grow on that,” he added.
Duke announced Diaz’s hiring Thursday evening, capping a 10-day search after Elko boarded an overnight flight to take over at Texas A&M University. The Blue Devils won 16 games under Elko, who inherited a program that saw David Cutcliffe’s long successful career fail in a fog of massive losses.
Diaz’s news conference Saturday at Duke’s indoor practice facility came close to taking place exactly two years after Elko’s arrival. This hiring required Duke to improve investments in football such as increasing the salary pool to recruit and retain assistant coaches.
“The infrastructure is in a good place. When Coach Elko came in, we had a lot of conversations about investing more, and we did. I know we didn’t have a lot of work to do,” Director of Athletics Nina King said. “We did that when we brought Coach Diaz in. We’re in a good place.”
Diaz, 49, spent the previous two seasons as defensive coordinator at Penn State where he oversaw some of the top units in the country. Before that came his stint as head coach of the Hurricanes, which featured a string of solid success in Atlantic Coast Conference play before an embarrassing firing.
He went 21-15 from 2019-21 and the Hurricanes went 16-9 in ACC games during Diaz’s tenure, with only Clemson (22) winning more league games.
“Your first year as a head coach, I think you’re going to get your feet under you a little bit more,” Diaz said. “And I felt like our second and third year in Miami, I thought we were going to build a really strong culture.”
But the school fired him on the same day it hired current coach Mario Cristobal in a bid to accelerate a return to the national elite, with Diaz saying at the time he was disappointed with “the way it went” in the weeks leading up to it. To overthrow him.
But it didn’t take him long to regroup either, noting that his wife Stephanie pushed him to “get back in the saddle.” That opportunity came immediately from the Nittany Lions.
“I think (PSU coach) James Franklin called me — he probably called me an hour after he got fired from Miami,” Diaz said Saturday. “I mean the body wasn’t even cold at the funeral.”
Diaz, who also coached linebackers at Penn State, led a defense that ranked in the top 20 in the FBS rankings overall and scoring defense in 2022. He ranks first in total defense (223.3 yards) and third in scoring defense. defense (11.4) this season as Penn State (10-2) prepares to face Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
Diaz also previously worked under head coach Chuck Amato at NC State in the early 2000s.
He takes over a team that won nine games in Elko’s debut and won seven more in the Birmingham Bowl against Troy on Dec. 23. The team opened the year by defeating preseason ACC favorite Clemson, cracked the AP Top 25 amid a 4-0 start and hosted “College GameDay” on ESPN for the first time in football — after several visits by the popular men’s basketball program — before a seeding game For classification against Notre Dame.
“Listen, it’s different now,” King said. “And credit to Mike Elko, where he’s taken us, where he’s put us – I think Manny will be able to come in and maintain the upward trajectory. He’s been set up well.”
The Duke University is quite thrilled and excited to announce the press conference for its prominent new basketball recruit, Diaz. The press conference is set to give Diaz the opportunity to interact with the media and share his thoughts and vision for the basketball program at Duke. This event will also provide an insight into the leadership and skillset of Diaz, highlighting the potential impact he can bring to the team. With Duke’s history of recruiting top talents, this press conference is set to generate anticipation and excitement for the upcoming basketball season.