Why was Duke head coach Manny Diaz fired from the Miami Hurricanes?

Duke football head coach Manny Diaz told reporters Wednesday he’s finally “at peace” with his unceremonious exit from the Miami Hurricanes in December 2021.

It was a statement of grace from a Miami native whose exit from the UM program was ugly in many ways.

In fall 2021, Miami administration and football boosters openly recruited Mario Cristobal, who was then head coach at the University of Oregon, while Diaz was still under contract as head coach. Miami ultimately signed Cristobal to a 10-year, $80 million contract on Dec. 6, 2021.

Amid the noise, Miami finished the season with five wins in its final six games. Diaz closed his three-year tenure leading the Hurricanes with a 21-15 overall record. However, there was little doubt at the end that Diaz had lived up to the lofty promises to return UM to its glory years.

“I am disappointed in the University’s decision and the manner in which they played out over the last few weeks,” he wrote on social media in a departure letter in 2021. “The uncertainty impacted our team, our staff and their families – these are real people that gave everything to this program. For that, for them, I hurt.”

The Miami Hurricanes (8-0) host the Duke Blue Devils (6-2) on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium in Diaz’s first time back in Miami-Dade County as the head coach of another football team.

Manny Diaz, Mario Cristobal successful after Miami drama

The path to Saturday’s reunion at Hard Rock Stadium has seen setbacks and recovery for both coaches.

Diaz spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as defensive coordinator at Penn State, leading the Nittany Lions’ defensive unit to become one of the nation’s statistical leaders. He accepted the head coach position at Duke University on Dec. 7, 2023.

At 6-2, Duke has withstood the departure of head coach Mike Elko (Texas A&M) and quarterback Riley Leonard (Notre Dame) under Diaz’s leadership. The Blue Devils defeated Florida State, Diaz’s alma mater, for the first time in school history on Oct. 18.

“There’s a great saying that ‘no man crosses the same river twice before he’s not the same man and it’s not the same river’ and that’s really the way I look at it,” he said. “I’ve grown. I’m different as a coach, as a head coach and as a man than when I was at Miami. Certainly, the program is in a different place, by every metric, from when I was there. So I’m at peace, I’ve moved on. We still go down there a lot.”

Cristobal’s first two seasons were underwhelming, 12-13 overall, with extreme lowlights such as a blowout home loss to Middle Tennessee State in 2022 and a catastrophic coaching error against Georgia Tech that led to Miami’s first loss of the 2023 season.

Oct 19, 2024; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal talks with offensive lineman Anez Cooper (73) during the first half against the Louisville Cardinals at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images

The specter of Diaz lingered over the start of the Cristobal era as the Hurricanes coach blamed the culture of the old regime for the program’s early struggles.

Fortunes have changed in 2024, however, with the addition of Washington State transfer Cam Ward at quarterback. The Hurricanes have routed state competition Florida, Florida State, South Florida and Florida A&M while pulling out dramatic victories over ACC foes.

“To go out there and beat this program and to be undefeated in the state of Florida, I think it sends a strong message,” Cristobal said after defeating Florida State. “I think, all recruits in-state, out of state, can now clearly see the trajectory of this program versus the trajectory of the other programs,”