Report: Duke targeting Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons for RB coach opening

Manny Diaz is still putting together his staff after getting his next head coaching gig at Duke. Now, the Blue Devils’ leader has potentially found its next member in a successful head coach that he used to work with.

Per Matt Zenitz at 247, Duke is looking at Willie Simmons, the head coach at Florida A&M, to take their job as running back coach.

Reports and speculation had swirled over the past few days regarding a job for Simmons in the Atlantic Coast Conference next season. It has since turned out to be in Durham with Diaz, his former coworker after the two were on staff together back at MTSU from 2007 to 2009.

Simmons has proven to be very successful as a head coach with an overall record of 66-24.

Simmons took the job at Florida A&M back in 2017 after his first head coaching gig at Prairie View A&M. Since then, the Rattlers have gone 45-13 under his leadership, including three different seasons with nine wins and now this latest season where they went 12-1, won the SWAC, and came out victorious in the FCS Championship in the Celebration Bowl.

As a player at Clemson, Simmons played quarterback and appeared in 22 games in the early 2000s. In total, he went 197-375 (52.5%) for 2,410 yards, 14 touchdowns, and a dozen interceptions. He then took a role as a graduate assistant for the Tigers, one that kicked off his coaching career.

As far as the coaching carousel, this would be Simmons first opportunity at a Power Five level. Diaz would be giving him a quality shot with the Blue Devils to work under him and alongside OC Jonathan Brewer.

Report: Duke to hire Texas State’s Jonathan Patke as defensive coordinator

Duke is set to name Texas State DC Jonathan Patke as its next defensive coordinator, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.

Patke wrapped up his first season with the Bobcats on Tuesday night in the First Responder Bowl against Rice.

Patke has a close connection to new Manny Diaz, working with him at multiple previous stops. The two worked together at Miami from 2016-21 before the Hurricanes parted ways with Diaz. That’s when Patke became the defensive coordinator at Incarnate Word — where he began his career as a graduate assistant — for a season before latching on at Texas State.

In addition to their time at Miami, Patke and Diaz worked together at Mississippi State. Diaz was the defensive coordinator in 2015 while Patke served as a graduate assistant with the defense.

Diaz has now filled both coordinator spots after hiring SMU quarterbacks coach Jonathan Brewer to lead the offense.