Report: Potential candidates if Miami moves on from Manny Diaz

In a report released today, several Miami Hurricanes affiliates spoke anonymously about the future of head coach Manny Diaz and candidates to replace him. The Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson reported that there are growing calls to replace Diaz as the program’s coach.

Candidates to replace Manny Diaz

In the report, Jackson uses multiple sources close to the program. Included in his list are a current UM official, a former assistant coach with no ties to the current staff, a former player, an NFL scout and two Board of Trustees members. All spoke under the condition of anonymity.

The report details that there is a swelling movement to replace Diaz as head coach for the program, but that it is not big enough to warrant a change right now. However, if Miami suffers any more major losses this season the situation could change.

The report further details that athletic director Blake James has support behind him, but further losses could shake that support in the program. Jackson explained that Diaz would be the most likely firing, but that James would not be far behind.

While there are members of the Board of Trustees that are upset with the current program, the report details that there are a few issues preventing any changes from being acted upon.

For one, the president of UM is not upset with the program and is unlikely to make any changes. Another is the concern that Miami would not be able to recruit a coach worth making a change for.

Potential candidates mentioned by the sources included former Alabama and Clemson assistant Billy Napier (now head coach of Louisana), Luke Fickell of Cincinnati and Notre Dame defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman.

Both trustees interviewed said Oregon coach and former UM player Mario Cristobal would be the obvious target but doubt UM could afford him. Cristobal reportedly makes an average of $4.5 million per season. If UM offered him $7 million annually to try to entice him to leave Oregon in a five-year deal, that’s $35 million, stated Jackson in the report.

It also would cost $9 million to buy out Cristobal’s contract before January of 2022, or $6.5 million afterward. That and buying out the final two years and $8 million of Diaz’s contract in December would cost more than $50 million.

“We don’t have that kind of money,” one trustee said.

Manny Diaz after Alabama loss

Diaz had a lot to discuss after Miami’s loss to Alabama, a game in which the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide blew out the No. 14 Hurricanes to the tune of a 44-13 final score.

“Quite simply, just congratulations to Alabama,” Diaz said in his postgame press conference. “I thought they played an outstanding game. I thought the difference in the game was third-down offense; I thought their quarterback made some plays, keeping plays alive outside of the pocket that extended drives.”

Despite the blowout margin, and despite Miami having no answer for Alabama’s potent offense, Diaz said he wasn’t concerned about his Hurricanes having to mentally recover from the loss.

“I don’t think so. This is not a — college football is famous for overreactions after Week 1,” Diaz said. “That’s not what this team is all about. You just don’t get your story written after one game into the season. We’re just not there yet. The guys in the locker room, if anything, what happened today will bring them even closer together.”

On3’s Simon Gibbs contributed to this article.