Jon Scheyer expresses excitement over Duke football's hire of Manny Diaz
After former head coach Mike Elko accepted the head coaching position at Texas A&M, the Duke Blue Devils wasted little time in finding the football program’s next head coach. Duke decided on former Miami Hurricanes head coach and Penn State Nittany Lions defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as the next leader of the program.
There is plenty of buzz surrounding the hiring of Diaz on the Duke campus. And arguably, one of the more excited individuals who is eagerly anticipating the new Blue Devils football headman getting to work is men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer. Following Duke’s win over Charlotte, Scheyer took a moment to praise the university’s hire of Diaz and provide a glowing review of his new peer.
“It’s an exciting day for Duke, getting Coach Manny Diaz,” said Scheyer. “The fact he was here for our game. We were able to bring him back, him and his family, in the locker room and just getting to meet and to know him and what he’s all about. It’s exciting because I know he’s all about defense; he’s all about toughness. Our program has been able to build on that the last couple of years, but I know he’ll take it to new heights. So congratulations to him and Duke football and really Duke for this exciting day.”
Diaz will have a lot of challenges ahead of him, but arguably, the most important one will be to find a replacement for former star quarterback Riley Leonard. Like Elko, Leonard elected to find a new home, transferring to South Bend, IN, to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. And with Diaz’s familiarity with the ACC conference, the former Hurricanes head coach should have very little trouble hitting the recruiting trail and bringing in quality talent from around the ACC footprint.
Diaz pens goodbye letter to Penn State after accepting Duke job
Diaz penned a goodbye letter to the Nittany Lions. Diaz is back to being a leader of a program. The former Miami head coach impressed a lot of people nationwide with his ability to coach and recruit on the defensive side of the ball for Penn State.
For that, he’ll forever be grateful.
“Thank you Penn State – for everything,” Diaz wrote. “It has been a great couple of years in State College. Being part of the tradition, history and passion surrounding this incredible football program is an experience the entire Diaz family will forever cherish.
“I am a better coach for the time spent here and I could not be more appreciative to James (Franklin) for giving me this opportunity. The faith, trust and support from James, Pat Kraft, President Bendapudi and the entire leadership team at Penn State means the world to me.”
Diaz went 21-15 in three seasons as Miami’s head coach, although he was let go ahead of the team’s Sun Bowl appearance in 2021.
He led the Hurricanes to three postseason appearances, but did not win a bowl game during his time. Diaz will now attempt to keep the good fortunes rolling at Duke.
“This is an undeniably special place and I will miss the outstanding players, coaches and staff that show up every day ready to excel,” Diaz said. “The chemistry we experienced between the defensive coaches and players was infectious. This entire team is an incredible group of men that will propel the Nittany Lion program to great thin