When you win an outright ACC Championship in football at Duke, you're bound to garner the attention of other programs.
Manny Diaz was once a high-profile defensive coordinator at places like Texas and Miami, among others, before he got the Hurricanes' head coaching job in 2019. After a 21-15 record through three seasons in Coral Gables, Diaz was surprisingly let go so the Hurricanes could bring in Oregon's Mario Cristobal, who has gone on to major success at his alma mater.
Diaz bounced back as the defensive coordinator at Penn State and then landed the Duke job after Mike Elko left for Texas A&M.
In two seasons in Durham, Diaz has led Duke to an 18-9 record and last season's ACC crown. Similar to Elko, Diaz could be a hot commodity on the market for other jobs in coming cycles if he can continue having success at a program that has historically struggled.
ESPN's Adam Rittenberg raised that reality on Monday, listing Diaz as a Power Four coach who could be on the move in an upcoming carousel.
"Duke has increased its commitment to football, and Diaz, 52, is a great fit there," Rittenberg writes. "But he also should have higher-profile opportunities, especially with a diverse background as an assistant. "The rise of Manny Diaz," an industry source said. "Fired by Miami and now he's a hot name at Duke. Look, you can win at Duke, you can win at a lot of places."
Duke may have to prepare for life without Manny Diaz sooner rather than later
It's the price of success. Elko's success at Duke landed him the Texas A&M job, and the Blue Devils couldn't compete with the war chest of resources in College Station. That could be a similar reality in the near future for Diaz.
But Duke AD Nina King has shown a commitment to football, rewarding Diaz with a new contract after last season and continuing to increase the NIL funds at his disposal to build his rosters. Darian Mensah's transfer to Miami grabbed the headlines this offseason, but the fact that the Blue Devils were able to land Mensah in the portal in the previous cycle speaks volumes to a newfound commitment to football in Durham.
Perhaps Diaz is happy enough at Duke and won't seek other opportunities in the future. He's still young for the profession at just 52, and has another big-time program left in him if he wants it. But he's already done that song-and-dance at Miami, and it led to him being out of a job after just three seasons.
You can't put a price on stability. Duke has given Diaz that stability. He's proven to be a great fit in Durham. Hopefully he sticks around for the long haul and doesn't seek out bigger opportunities down the road.
But if he does, it'll speak to the success he's had with the Blue Devils and would ultimately prove to be worth it.
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