Although Duke may have a challenging time repeating as ACC champions, all the pressure is off head coach Manny Diaz entering year three in Durham. He won nine games apiece in his first two seasons leading the Blue Devils, including unexpectedly winning his Power Four conference's championship last December. Sadly, this almost certainly cost his program its two best players in the transfer portal.
In Billy Tucker's top 100 newcomers rankings for ESPN.com, here is where two former Duke stars fell.
- No. 4: Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah
- No. 38: Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Cooper Barkate
Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate may have only spent one year together at Duke, but they built up tremendous chemistry almost instantaneously. Mensah came over from Tulane. Barkate arrived via Harvard. Now they have taken their talents to South Beach to be all about The U for Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes. All the pressure is on them to help the Hurricanes win their first ACC title to date.
Of course, Diaz is going to have to make chicken salad out of this chicken mess that has been left behind for him. In a best-case scenario, maybe Duke wins nine games, gets back to Charlotte, and somehow repeats as ACC champions? If it hits the fan, Duke may win only four games, and Diaz leaves Durham anyway. His alma mater's post of Florida State could become available if Mike Norvell falters.
This is why Duke fans should cherish every win Diaz collects for them this season, and in the future...
Manny Diaz must work transfer portal magic again amid Duke star exodus
Duke may have lost 15 players to the transfer portal, but Diaz did bring in 19 to help offset these departures. While none of the Duke newcomers carry anywhere near the gravitas of Mensah or Barkate, keep in mind what those two were coming in... Mensah was a fine Group of Five quarterback at Tulane. Barkate was unheralded coming out of the Ivy League ranks at Harvard. Now, they are stars.
From an outsider's perspective, Diaz seems to get more out of less than most of his college coaching contemporaries. He continues to fly under the radar, which is exactly what Duke fans are hoping for. The absolute last thing they want is for him to be off to Tallahassee at season's end to try and fix the mess Norvell unintentionally left for him. Diaz may be built for it, but he may want to establish roots.
Read more: Manny Diaz stays hot on the recruiting trail with 2 more priority targets committing
Overall, the best thing Duke has going for it is a head coach who loves to play the underdog role. He can deploy the 'Nobody believes in us!" card whenever he so chooses this fall. Unfortunately, the sport of college football is too smart to let him spend the prime of his coaching career in Durham. He will get poached. It is not a matter of if, but a matter of when. We can only hope that time comes later.
For now, Diaz must make the best of what he has by sending consistent messages to the entire team.
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