CORAL GABLES – We have a seismic shift at the head coach position right now with the Miami Hurricanes.
Earlier this morning (Dec. 6), Manny Diaz has been informed by his superiors that he will not be returning for the 2022 season.
“We are grateful to Coach Diaz for his many contributions to our campus community and to his native South Florida, and for the strong leadership and exemplary character he exhibited during his tenure at the University,” said Julio Frenk, who is the University of Miami’s college president. “We wish him and his family the very best as they move forward.”
Diaz has been the Miami head coach for three seasons, going 21-15 in the process.
Despite a 2-4 start to this season, Miami finished it relatively strong by going 5-1 in the past six games. Diaz guided the Hurricanes (7-5) to a winning record and a berth in the Tony The Tiger Sun Bowl against Washington (7-5), which will be on Friday, Dec. 31 (12 p.m. kickoff; CBS Network) in El Paso, Tx.
In addition to that, Diaz oversaw a key quarterback change from graduate senior D’Eriq King (season-ending shoulder injury and surgery) to freshman Tyler Van Dyke.
In just five starts, Van Dyke passed for 2,931 yards with 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. As a result, the freshman sensation was recently selected as the ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Player of the Year.
Regardless of how anyone feels about this move, it is true that Diaz has left Miami in good hands with a great quarterback situation at the very least.
Also, Diaz was able to get a firm verbal commitment this past Saturday (Dec. 4) from Miami Central senior four-star linebacker Wesley Bissainthe, who is ranked as the No. 23-ranked player in the state and No. 188 overall prospect in the nation (2022 class) by 247Sports.
While Miami’s recruiting class for the 2022 class may not be the best, Bissainthe could prove to be a catalyst for Miami’s success in the near future.
To sum it up, Diaz has probably left Miami in better shape than what many people are thinking right now.
NOTE: An official announcement in regards to new leadership for Miami’s football program will be coming soon. It is highly likely that Mario Cristobal will be the Hurricanes next head coach.
