It was a wild ride over the last few days for Manny Diaz. The former Miami head coach was fired Monday and replaced by Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal. However, CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd would not be so quick to get Diaz out of Miami.
Dodd suggested Cristobal take a long look at Diaz and consider keeping him on as the defensive coordinator. However, Diaz’s buyout was quite large. It was reportedly north of $8 million.
“I wonder if he’ll get consideration to be the new defensive coordinator at Miami,” Dodd said on CBS Sports HQ. “Or maybe Oklahoma. I think his chops are obvious. Maybe not a head coach, but he’s certainly one of the best defensive coaches and he’s been to myriad places in the Power Five. And I’m serious. I mean, why wouldn’t you give him a shot? He’s recruited well, to this point. I think this recruiting class is damaged by what we just mentioned. But I’d have to interview him. If I’m Mario Cristobal, I’d give him a serious interview.”
Following Mark Richt’s retirement prior to the 2019 season, Diaz was hired to lead the Hurricanes. He experienced a tough first year on the job, but Miami put together a promising 2020 campaign under Diaz in which they went 8-3.
After blowing out Duke to end the year, Diaz was asked about his future with the Hurricanes. Diaz replied by saying that he was proud of how his team finished the season, and he said the program would try to build on that throughout the offseason.
