Last Thursday, Duke announced that they have hired Manny Diaz as the new head football coach. Diaz previously worked at Penn State as a defensive coordinator and has also held the title of head coach at the University of Miami. He was brought in after the previous head coach, Mike Elko, left and went to Texas A&M at the end of November. Diaz was officially introduced as the university’s 23rd head coach last Saturday during the press conference.
Duke University President Vincent Price did not hold back on his praises. “He’s made his mark as a defensive coach and played a key hand in building nationally-ranked defensive teams… producing highly-ranked defensive teams before being named head coach for three seasons,” stated Price.
Diaz was also introduced by Athletic Director Nina King who commented on his character as a whole. “Not only is he a thoughtful communicator, but he also leads with a collaborative mindset to build meaningful relationships and those relationships and connections are critically important to him… all qualities that Duke values and Duke student-athletes deserve,” King expressed.
The entirety of Duke is looking forward to what Manny Diaz will bring to the table as the new head coach.
Diaz ended the press conference by stating the following, “When we’re on campus, we’re surrounded by the best people in the world, and when we come back into our locker room we think we have the best locker room in the world.”
