Duke Football Hiring Manny Diaz as Head Coach, per Report

The veteran defensive coordinator will be on his second head coaching job.

Duke is expected to hire Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its next head coach, Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger reports.

Diaz is best known for his time as the Miami head coach, leading the Hurricanes from 2019 to ’21 after the school promoted him from defensive coordinator. He won at least six games each season with Miami, totaling a 21–15 record. The program fired him after the ’21 regular season.

Penn State quickly hired Diaz as its defensive coordinator once he became available, and the veteran coach has been with the Nittany Lions for the past two seasons. Diaz is a longtime college football defensive coordinator, holding the position previously for six different teams including Texas and Mississippi State.

Penn State DC Manny Diaz is expected to become the next head coach for Duke :: Dan Rainville/USA Today network

The Nittany Lions sported one of the best defenses in the country with Diaz, allowing just 223.2 yards per game, which was the best number in the nation, and 11.42 points per game in 2023, which was third best.

Duke is hiring Diaz to replace former head coach Mike Elko, who left to take the same position at Texas A&M. Under Elko, Duke won 16 games over the past two seasons, including its best records since 2014 with a 9–4 mark last year.