CORAL GABLES – In a shocking twist to the end of the 2018 Miami Hurricanes football season, head coach Mark Richt announced yesterday (Dec. 30) he was stepping down from his position and officially retiring, according to sources.
The move comes just three days after the 35-3 drubbing the Hurricanes took to the hands of the Wisconsin Badgers in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
“The University of Miami has been a part of my life for more than three decades,” Richt said in a statement on Sunday. “It shaped me as a young man and provided me with the coaching opportunity of a lifetime. My love for the U is simply great.”
Following the surprise retirement of Richt, the Hurricanes hired former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its new head coach. The Miami native was set to take the same position at Temple before Miami called. The move, which will cost the Hurricanes $4 million on a buyout, is a move that will positively affect the local area in both high school and college football.
Diaz, who was hired in 2016 as the defensive coordinator, has been the leader of a defense that has been considered one of the best in the nation since he took over. In 2018, the defense allowed just 18.2 points per game and 268 yards per game to opposing offenses.
On a high school level, the move will undoubtedly improve the recruitment in both the short and long-term. Diaz and the defensive staff he brought have been some of the best recruiters on the staff and are widely responsible for the recruitments of South Florida talent like Te’Cory Couch (Chaminade-Madonna), Avery Huff (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Nesta Silvera (American Heritage-Plantation).
The hiring will also help the Hurricanes as they attempt to rebuild a class that currently ranks 33rd in the country and has had its fair share of decommitments.
Before signing day, the Hurricanes will continue to recruit local talent, including Benjamin’s Ka’iir Elam, who earned an offer form the Hurricanes later in the cycle. With Diaz retaining the coaching staff that has helped with the recruitment of not only Elam but other local talents, the continuity will likely help massively.
In the long-term, the move will certainly improve the forecast of local football. Being from Miami and of Cuban descent, Diaz is as knowledgeable as any with the local area and any improvements that can be done to make sure that South Florida football at any level is as good as possible.
Recruitment will likely continue to be a focus locally and camps for the student-athletes may become more widespread around not only Coral Gables, but as far north as Palm Beach County.
For Manny Diaz and the Miami Hurricanes, the focus should not only be on recruiting the local areas well but also improving the local areas. As long as the state of high school football in the area is improving, the Miami Hurricanes will also improve.
