But, but, but...Manny Diaz is a FIRST TIME HEAD COACH...
Actually, I would like to know the Gaytor Relevanze of this oft-quoted meme. What do they think is going to happen? Manny will call 4 timeouts in a half? Manny will forget that he is not up in the booth, and therefore he will wet his pants during the game? Manny will neglect to send out the captains for the coin toss?
Sure, Manny's a first-time head coach. But he was elevated within a program where he has been DC for several years, he doesn't need to do anything special to "earn the respect" of players he just met and never recruited. As Richt himself said, Manny is a guy who showed head coaching aptitude. And he led one of the top defenses in the country (though the Gaytors will try to overexaggerate the impact of the Wisconsin bowl game, when everyone thought Manny was leaving).
More importantly, this is a brand new head coach who (a) hasn't had any players charged with crimes in the off-season, (b) hasn't had any recruits fail to qualify academically, and (c) hasn't ignored any players who have requested dorm room changes. Manny used the spring game as a dress rehearsal for the first game of his tenure. And Manny hasn't shot off his mouth in ridiculous losing flame wars with better football teams.
By the way, how did freakin' Larry Coker do in his first game, and first season, as a brand new head coach with talented South Florida players?
Bottom line is simple. Mullet may have more years of experience as a HC, but that doesn't protect him from making one clown move after another. If you took away the names "Diaz" and "Mullet", and just blindly summarized the highlights of each person's tenure since January, you would easily conclude that Mullet is the less qualified and less talented of the two coaches. Mullet is an immature, insecure little *****, and while he may have gotten a few lucky wins in 2018 (and maybe a few more in 2019), his ego is writing checks that his body can't cash. Eventually, McSharkFvcker's players are going to leave UF (notice I didn't say "graduate"), and Mullet is going to have to rise or fall on his own.
First time head coach. I've never seen that stat in a box score. F the Gaytors.