Miami Names Manny Diaz Head Coach After Mark Richt Steps Down

Diaz was named the head coach for Temple on Dec. 13, meaning he was with the univeristy for just 17 days before going back to Miami.

Manny Diaz will be the new head coach at Miami, the school announced Sunday night. 

The news was first reported byThe Athletic's Bruce Feldman. 

"Miami is home. The University of Miami is home. The U has truly been 'the job' for me since I first got into coaching," Diaz said in a statement. "Having worked here over the past three years, I came to understand what it means to be part of 'The U' and came to appreciate the passion and commitment to excellence of all who proudly call themselves Canes. We will restore the football program to its place among the nation's elite and we will do it with hard work, dedicated coaches, and outstanding student-athletes. I'm excited about working with Blake and his team to make that happen."

Diaz will replace former coach Mark Richt who stepped down Sunday and retired after three seasons with the program. The Hurricanes went 7–6 this season, ending the year with a 35–3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl.

The 44-year-old Diaz was named the head coach for Temple on Dec. 13, meaning he was with the university for just 17 days before going back to Miami.  

Join us in welcoming our new Head Coach, @Coach_MannyDiaz!

👉 https://t.co/Yn1NhnY25t#TempleTUFF pic.twitter.com/P2snfuiVtP

— Temple Football (@Temple_FB) December 13, 2018

In the same statement, Diaz said that "as excited as I am about staying home, I hate the way this unfolded with respect to Temple. I was given a tremendous opportunity to lead the Temple program and I was actively engaged in doing just that when I woke up this morning. I never saw this coming, no one did. I do hope that the Temple players, administration and fans appreciate the uniqueness of this situation and the overwhelming pull to stay home. Pat Kraft is a phenomenal leader and I know he will hire a great coach to move them forward."

Temple released a statement Sunday night in response. 

A statement from our Director of Athletics, Dr. Patrick Kraft. pic.twitter.com/HcBUQJLNk0

— Temple Owls (@TempleOwls) December 31, 2018

Stadium Network's Brett McMurphy reported Temple will receive $6.5 million from losing two coaches — $4 million from Miami and $2.5 million from Georgia Tech for Geoff Collins.

Diaz was the defensive coordinator for Miami before he left for Temple. He has served as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State University, Louisiana Tech University, Texas and Middle Tennessee State in addition to Miami.