The situation surrounding the Miami Hurricanes football program is quite the mess at the moment, especially if reports from behind the scenes are to be believed.
The school is clearly not happy with the direction of the program three years into Manny Diaz‘s stint as head coach. While the Canes went 7-5 this season, that’s a step back from last year’s 8-3 finish, and the expectations of “The U” mean that people want to see this team compete for ACC titles and national titles. Whether that’s unrealistic or not, it’s what drove the school to fire athletic director Blake James a few weeks back and it’s what is driving a strong internal push to replace Diaz.
Multiple Miami AD candidates told @ActionNetworkHQ UM’s search is a “mess.” With more than 50 board of trustees & several donors involved “everyone is in charge, no one is in charge. They don’t know what they want to do w/Manny (Diaz). Half want him gone, half want him to stay"
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 2, 2021
Now comes word that, despite the fact that Miami doesn’t have an athletic director, and despite the fact that Manny Diaz is still employed as the school’s head football coach, they are moving forward in an attempt to get Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal to leave and become their new football coach. Alrighty.
Despite fact Miami doesn’t have a permanent AD, the Hurricanes will "make a run at (Oregon coach) Mario Cristobal in coming days,” @flasportsbuzz reports
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 3, 2021
… Respected columnist in Oregon also notes UM interest https://t.co/VgRcAsO2Wg
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) December 3, 2021
It’s not unheard of for a school to make a run at another coach while it still has one employed, especially in the wild world of college football. But that still doesn’t make it feel like a good thing. We’ve heard a lot this week about the “classless” way that Brian Kelly walked out on his players at Notre Dame, but the alternative is that a school can just as easily do to you what it’s doing to Diaz, and that’s not sitting well with a lot of people in the college football world.
The way UM is handling Manny Diaz is classless, unprofessional, and disgraceful. Its a prime example of why the program has been in shambles for the past 20 years.
— D-Mac (@imDMAC) December 3, 2021
1) Can't come to an agreement on an AD
2) Can't come to an agreement on Manny Diaz's fate
3) Trying to hire Mario Cristobal with 1 and 2 going on.Seems, I dunno, like a poorly run operation at this point.
— Joe Cook (@josephcook89) December 3, 2021
Someone should tell Manny Diaz https://t.co/JoNU47fj5o
— Andrew Hammond (@ahammALDC) December 3, 2021
The Miami program and those involved in the process are clowns. I’m not saying manny Diaz is a great coach but you atleast gotta treat the dude respectfully and either end it or announce he’s coming back
— andrew (@NebraskaNole) December 3, 2021
Cristobal and Miami feel like one of those pairings that have been destined to happen for years. But the way it’s all going down feels a bit icky. However, as we’ve been reminded this week, all’s fair in love, war, and college football coaching carousels.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.