Duke goes on defensive, hires PSU’s Diaz as HC

• Pete Thamel, ESPNDec 7, 2023, 01:48 PM ET

Penn State defensive planner Manny Diaz has been hired as Duke’s next head football coach, it was announced Thursday night.

“We are grateful and humbled for this chance and could not be more thrilled to be the head football coach at Duke University,” Diaz stated in a statement. “… Duke University is an elite organization in every facet, and we are delighted to be a part of it. I’m beyond delighted to get to work.”

Duke, which carried out finalist interviews in Las Vegas this week, has actually arranged an initial news conference for Saturday.Diaz is coming off a season in which he led the country’s leading statistical defense, as the Nittany Lions held opponents to 223.2 yards per game– the very best single-season protective efficiency in the sport given that Alabama in 2011. Welcome to Duke, @Coach_MannyDiaz!

pic.twitter.com/mQhNhm0Pb0!.?.!— Duke Football(@DukeFOOTBALL)December 8, 2023 He likewise brings head-coaching experience in the ACC, as he

led Miami to three bowl-eligible seasons during his time there from 2019 to 2021. Diaz, whose 2020 Miami teami was ranked as high as No. 7 in the nation, was fired

after 3 seasons with a 21-15 record. Miami is 12-12 considering that his departure.Editor’s Picks 2 Related He will take control of a Duke program that got an energy jolt throughout Mike Elko’s two seasons as

coach. Elko went

9-4 in 2022

and led the Blue Devils to the school’s highest national ranking, No. 16, this year. He left last month for the head-coaching job at Texas A&M.”As our procedure unfolded, it ended up being generously clear that Manny Diaz is the right fit for Duke University,”athletic director Nina King said in a declaration.”Manny’s previous experiences have prepared him for this opportunity, and he is, quite merely, an impressive football coach who will take advantage of the favorable momentum of this program.”An elite communicator and collaborator, Manny has the vibrant capability to cultivate impactful relationships with internal and external constituents surrounding a successful football program. As Duke’s head football coach, I am positive that Manny will lead the boys in our program to reach and exceed their goals of accomplishment both on and off the field.”Diaz will require to work rapidly to retool Duke’s roster, which was laden with veterans– the group is expected to lose well over half of its beginners to graduation. Star quarterback Riley Leonard is in the NCAA transfer website and took a see to Notre Dame this week.Diaz brings extensive experience in the ACC. In addition to his time at Miami as head coach and protective coordinator, he has likewise had stops at Florida State as a graduate assistant and at NC State

in different functions for 6 seasons early in his career.After his departure from Miami, Diaz made fast work of building Penn State into a protective power. The Nittany Lions have actually held challengers to 24 or less points in 17 straight games– the country’s longest active streak.Diaz was a semifinalist for the Broyles Award, offered to the country’s leading assistant, in his first season at Penn State. He’ll bring extensive recruiting connections from his numerous other stops– Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Texas

, Louisiana Tech– and a high-energy technique to recruiting.Duke plays Troy in the Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 23.