From the moment that Florida State fired Mike Norvell, Duke's Manny Diaz has been seen as one of the top candidates for the job.
And while Diaz has publicly rebuffed any overtures and reiterated how happy he is in Durham, coach-speak can only go so far in making fans comfortable. The truth is, Duke fans won't feel confident that Diaz is going to be the Blue Devils' head coach next season until FSU fills its vacancy.
At the top of the Florida State priority list, however, ahead of hiring a head coach, was to hire an Athletic Director. They did that on Monday, hiring veteran administrator Jeff Purinton, who had previously been the AD at Arkansas State and worked at Alabama and Florida State in the past under legendary head coaches Nick Saban and Bobby Bowden.
It was his time at Florida State that forged a connection between him and Diaz. Duke's head coach is an FSU graduate and got his start in coaching on Bowden's staff in the late 90s. Purinton also happened to be in Tallahassee at that time:
New FSU AD Jeff Purinton and Duke’s Manny Diaz, a strong candidate for the Noles head coaching vacancy, overlapped in Tallahassee when the Duke head man began his coaching career under legendary coach Bobby Bowden while Purinton worked at Florida State. https://t.co/p0xLCTgpg5
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 9, 2026
Manny Diaz's connection with new FSU AD Jeff Purinton could be bad news for Duke
Diaz's words about being happy at Duke are undoubtedly true. The Blue Devils have shown their support for him at every turn and have even invested in the program more than ever before. Success has followed.
Diaz won nine games in each of his first two seasons in Durham, culminating in last season's ACC Championship, the first outright league title for the program since 1962. This year, Duke sits at 7-2 and has outperformed any expectations for this team post-Darian Mensah.
Diaz has consistently done more with less at Duke. The chance to give him a real Power Four budget has to be intriuging for Florida State, and would undoubtedly be of interest for Diaz, too. It would be hard to blame him, as disappointing as it would be to lose him, if he chose to take the Seminoles' job if offered.
As healthy as Duke's football program currently is, they are never going to invest in it the way Florida State is going to be willing to climb back toward the top of the sport.
As things stand, Diaz is solely focused on finishing out this season on a high note. Duke has its biggest regular-season game of the year this weekend in Coral Gables, with a chance at some sweet revenge on Mensah with the possibility to deal a devastating blow to Miami's College Football Playoff hopes.
Once the regular season concludes, Diaz's candidacy for the Florida State opening could heat up. He won't be the only name involved, but his previous history with Purinton just increases the likelihood that he's a serious candidate for the job.
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