Diaz addresses fanbase concerns, recruiting losses

Stefan Adams
4 min read
After Tuesday’s practice, Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz addressed the fanbase anger at the three game losing streak and the state of the program.

“I mean, everyone should be angry,” Diaz said. “What happened last Saturday is wrong, and we have to fix it. To me we have to get better, playing better. … If you’re wearing a U on the side of your helmet, there’s a lot that comes with that. A U on your coaching shirt? There’s a lot that comes with that. And there’s a standard you have to play to.

“Sometimes when things start going bad (we) look at other things we want to blame that are not us. Ultimately everyone has to feel that personal accountability that we all individually have to get better. You want us to play better? Play better. You want us to win? Play better. You want us to win? Coach better. We all have to do better, and that’s how the team gets better.”

On facing the triple-option, Diaz loves scheming up against that type of offense and says he’s confident his unit will continue to respond when put in bad situations.

“Our guys are kind of weird, we like playing against this, it’s a great offense to scheme against,” Diaz said. “Our guys like playing against these guys, we’ve had some good games against them the last couple of years, tight games. But I will say this: Our guys, and we are 10 weeks in, if you even look at the Duke game - you look at what our guys do in adverse situations, our record being this in November, how will they respond? Well I don’t know, how did they respond six times when they got put out on a short field against Duke? They held them to six points. How do they respond in the second half of this game?

“As a coach, almost as a parent, `Will they do it again?’ And then they do it again. You’re just so proud of them because they’ve shown this amazing mental resilience. That comes from our leadership, our age, our experience, from Jaquan Johnson and Gerald Willis, Shaq Quarterman, Joe Jackson and Mike Jackson. The list goes on and on and on. They’re all afraid to be the one that lets the pack down, and that’s the most amazing thing. That’s the thing we’re talking about that we have to protect as we go through these last (games), protect the pack and play for each other. And they’ve done that all year.”

The Canes have lost two commitments in the past few days, but Diaz is not concerned about the state of recruiting.

“We know that decommitments are the new normal, right?” Diaz said. “Whether you’re winning all your games or not. We had decommitments last year when we were No. 2 in the country. Part of that is just the way kids are right now."

What still makes Miami an attractive option to those that are considering UM?

“I think they see you can play for an elite defense here. Everyone knows how young we are on offense and we’ve got some recruits we really think can make some immediate headway on that side of the ball. And we all know success is not lingering… The relationships we form with the guys we are recruiting will tell at the end.”

In terms of having a down season, Diaz is a believer that kids in the local community are more affected by the negative talk than others outside of South Florida might be.

“If you think about how many people in America are disappointed with how their season is going, it’s kind of remarkable,” Diaz said. “There’s not that many people that have met their expectations. Do the kids hear the negativity more where they live? There’s no question. There’s a lot of schools we’re recruiting against that are all disappointed in the way they’re playing, but we’re not in their echo chamber…I think the kids are buying into the future of the program, where they fit in the program."
 

Comments (31)

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He says a lot but is not real definitive. I guess he is out on a limb from the offensive play calling, and Ol development with his defensive on the field a lot .
 
The biggest challenge for Manny next year will be replacing Willis in the middle. He has exceeded all expectations.
 
Diaz has done a great job here. We could definitely step up recruiting at d tackle and corner, but where we've come in 3 years has been remarkable. We need this type of turnaround now on offense with a new OC.
 
We do need to keep him. I think he is HC in waiting. I hope so, at least.
 
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Why would kids not want to play for this guy? He talks like a head coach imo
 
Just a hunch, but if Manny was HC I think he brings in a forward-thinking OC. Begs the question, though: can he maintain his grip on the defense while being HC or will he need to hire a DC? Same issue Jimmy just addressed with Richt.
 
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Pairing Mannys aggressive style on defense with an aggressive style OC, would be unfair. Go get the OC from WV, Texas Tech, Houston, UCF, etc. I hope CMR goes into a Board/Admin role and gives Manny the keys. A man can dream!
 
The biggest challenge for Manny next year will be replacing Willis in the middle. He has exceeded all expectations.

And JJ4, probably to lesser extent but he cleans up anything getting thru and prevents explosive plays.
 
Pairing Mannys aggressive style on defense with an aggressive style OC, would be unfair. Go get the OC from WV, Texas Tech, Houston, UCF, etc. I hope CMR goes into a Board/Admin role and gives Manny the keys. A man can dream!

Something in common for teams with the run and **** type offense.

They've
Never
Won
A
Thing

E-V-E-R
 
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if we get a new staff there not keeping Diaz they will start from scratch
 
I like manny because he holds people accountable and will get in your **** if you mess up. He can have players and coaches walking on pins and needles. Richt continues to make excuses for his qb play because they’re coached by his ****** son. It’s the wide receiver a qb throws a pick then it’s the ol fault we can’t run even though they stack the got **** box with Malik in
 
I love it when he throws Rich's offense under the bus!!! Sav

"I will say this: Our guys, and we are 10 weeks in, if you even look at the Duke game - you look at what our guys do in adverse situations, our record being this in November, how will they respond? Well I don’t know, how did they respond six times when they got put out on a short field against Duke? They held them to six points."
 
listen, EVERY coach has warts, I don't care how good they are.

but Diaz is a really good coordinator and most importantly, really "gets it" when it comes to Miami football and the culture. He's an asset to the program
 
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