Less than 24 hours after Florida State fired head coach Mike Norvell, Duke's Manny Diaz was forced to address the immediate rumors connecting him to the vacancy in Tallahassee.
Diaz was listed as one of the leading candidates according to multiple "hot boards," and for obvious reasons. Diaz is an FSU graduate and got his start as a coach as a graduate assistant on Bobby Bowden's staff in 1998.
Diaz's work in Durham has attracted attention for how well he has done despite the budgetary limitations he's had to work with. Duke is near the bottom of the Power Four in football spending, and yet he has produced back-to-back nine-win seasons, the program's first outright ACC title since 1962, and has the Blue Devils off to a 6-2 start to the 2026 campaign.
His ability to do more with less has some wondering what he might be able to do in this era with real resources.
During his media availability on Monday, Diaz did his best to shut down the rumors connecting him to his alma mater, stating that he made it clear to his team that he was happy right where he is in Durham.
“Last year, my bags were packed for Penn State,” Diaz told reporters on Monday, via FOX Sports’ Ben Portnoy. “I addressed the team last night. I made it pretty clear I’m really, really happy here. I love being here. Love going to work here every day.
“Anything we focus on other than finding a way to beat NC State is a distraction. So, internet rumors are going to be internet rumors. I told the coaches and players the same. … That’s just the cost of success, which I’d rather have than the alternative.”
Manny Diaz says he's happy at Duke amid Florida State rumors
All of that sounds really nice, and the optimistic among us would like to believe that's that in terms of Diaz and the coaching carousel. But those who have been around long enough know that this is far from over, and if Florida State makes Diaz the focus of their search, it won't be easy for Duke to hang onto him.
There were some rumors last year connecting Diaz to Penn State after the Nittany Lions fired James Franklin. Diaz did excellent work as the Penn State defensive coordinator, helping to rehabilitate his image after being fired as Miami's head coach. That led to the opening in Durham, where he's done a tremendous job keeping Duke among the upper echelon of the ACC.
As of right now, Diaz is solely focused on NC State and finishing this Duke season as strong as he can. It's too early in the process for Florida State right now to know who the realistic candidates are going to be. FSU can be patient for now, and this process might extend for weeks before there is a firm answer.
For now, Diaz will continue on as Duke's head coach. But nothing he said on Monday should be considered binding. It was just standard coach speak.
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