Miami Hurricanes name Manny Diaz new head coach

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – It took only a few hours for the University of Miami to find its new head coach as the school named former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to the position Sunday night.

Diaz, 44, will stay at Miami, just weeks after being named the head coach at Temple.

"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 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."

Miami moved quickly to replace Mark Richt after his shocking announcement to retire was made public Sunday morning. Hurricanes athletic director Blake James had said UM would conduct a national search for its next coach.

However, the national search didn't lead very far, as James found his candidate from the Miami family.

"Manny is one of the nation's elite coaches and the 'Canes family has already embraced him and his incredible work ethic over the past three years," James said. "He is absolutely the passionate and innovative leader that our program needs, and we will work together to build an incredible staff to move our program back into championship contention."

After being named the Temple head coach, Diaz remained at Miami as the team prepared for its eventual 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl. Reports are that Miami will pay Temple the $4 million buyout owed on Diaz's contract, despite him never having coached a game for the Owls.

"We are disappointed that he is leaving, but wish him the best as he returns home," Temple athletic director Dr. Patrick Kraft said.

A South Florida native, Diaz returned to Miami as the 'Canes defensive coordinator in 2016 and led the unit to massive success. In his first season at UM, he was named a finalist for the Broyles Award given to the top assistant coach in the country.

The Hurricanes were ranked No. 2 in total defense in 2018.