What has been speculated for the past week is officially confirmed.
Manny Diaz has been fired as the head football coach at Miami, as announced by the school Monday morning. The firing comes shortly after reports that Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal is expected to be replace Diaz.
Diaz, 47, has been UM’s head coach since 2019 and will finish his tenure with a 21-25 record. In 2019, he went 6-7 and in 2020, he finished 8-3. This season he coached the Hurricanes to a 7-5 record after struggling tremendously early in the season. Miami started this season ranked 14th but suffered losses to Michigan State, Virginia and North Carolina to end the regular season with a 7-5 record.
Despite his future up in the air this past week, Diaz and his staff continued to recruit, and even landed a four-star linebacker last week. The Hurricanes are currently preparing to face Washington State in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas on Dec. 31. It is not known who will coach the Hurricanes in their bowl game.
“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 President Julio Frenk in a statement released by UM Athletics Monday morning. “We wish him and his family the very best as they move forward.”
Before taking over as head coach, Diaz was Miami’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for three seasons before taking over for Mark Richt in 2019.
In addition to hiring a new head coach, the school is in pursuit of a new athletic director after firing Blake James three weeks ago. Most sources report that Miami is attempting to land current Clemson AD Dan Radakovich.
This story will continue to be updated.