On hot seat, Manny Diaz opens up about what Miami job means to him. ‘This is a passion’

Manny Diaz managed to at least temporarily turn down the heat on questions about his job status Saturday by leading the Miami Hurricanes to a 31-30 upset of the then-No. 18 North Carolina State Wolfpack, but athletic director Blake James sent a clear message Friday when he conducted interviews with several local media outlets, including the Miami Herald: Diaz has to win more games.

Diaz has routinely brushed off questions about his job security — although he acknowledged the athletic director’s miniature media tour caught him off guard — and said Monday he’s not trying to win just to keep his job. He still envisions a large-scale turnaround for the Hurricanes and Diaz, a Miami native and lifelong fan, believes he can help get the Hurricanes back to their past glory.

“For me personally, this is not just a job. I’m not trying to win a game to keep my job. This is a passion for me,” the third-year coach said. “Every time I walked in on the Cane walk, I want to make eye contact with every 10-, 11-, 12-year-old that I see because I think about myself in the Orange Bowl watching the Canes and how important it is to me to get this thing back to that level.”

Diaz, however, is on pace for his second losing season in seasons years at Miami, although the Hurricanes’ win Saturday in Miami Gardens was one of the best in Diaz’s tenure and gives Miami (3-4, 1-2 Atlantic Coast) a much more reasonable path toward bowl eligibility in 2021.

Diaz, 47, is now 17-14 in more than 2 1/2 seasons as coach in Coral Gables, 12-8 in conference play and 12-12 against opponents from Power 5 conferences. He did have the Hurricanes on the brink of a trip to the 2021 Orange Bowl last season before they closed out the regular season with a blowout loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels at Hard Rock Stadium.

James didn’t spell out specifics about what it would take for Diaz to keep his job beyond this season, but Miami needs to win three of its final five games just to reach bowl eligibility and likely must win out to even have a chance of reaching the ACC Championship Game for only the second time in program history.

“Fully understanding how difficult it is to get there, how much work it takes, how much heavy lifting it takes and not just by one person,” Diaz said. “It’s the staff, it’s the program, it’s the entire university, it’s our network of governors. It takes a lot of heavy lifting to get back to the top. The biggest mistake is the assumption that it’s easy. It can never be easy to be at the top in any line of work. It should be hard. It’s meant to be hard. That’s what makes it so special when you’re there.”

Injured quarterbacks D’Eriq King (1) and Jake Garcia (13) on the filed as starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) warms up before the start of the game against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday, October 23, 2021.
Injured quarterbacks D’Eriq King (1) and Jake Garcia (13) on the filed as starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) warms up before the start of the game against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Saturday, October 23, 2021.

Garcia remains week-to-week

Jake Garcia remains “week-to-week,” offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said, and the Hurricanes still aren’t sure whether he’ll return this season.

The freshman hasn’t played since making his debut last month in Miami’s blowout win against the FCS Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. He injured his ankle during the game and required surgery. Diaz said he could return sometime in November before the end of the regular season.

Even if he does return, Garcia will likely rejoin the team as a backup to fellow quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who has now started four consecutive games and threw for 325 yard in the Hurricanes’ upset of North Carolina State on Saturday. The two quarterbacks split snaps in the Central Connecticut State game and Lashlee said they would have likely split snaps again against the Virginia Cavaliers five days later had Garcia been healthy.

Van Dyke, however, has done enough to solidify the starting job the rest of the way, as long as he remains healthy.

“We’d love to get Jake back. The more depth we can get, the better,” said Lashlee, who’s also the quarterbacks coach, “but right now Tyler’s our guy and we’re not looking back.”

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) hand off to Hurricanes running back Jaylan Knighton (4) during the fourth quarter of their ACC football game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, October 23, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke (9) hand off to Hurricanes running back Jaylan Knighton (4) during the fourth quarter of their ACC football game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, October 23, 2021 in Miami Gardens, Florida.

Van Dyke, Knighton take honors

For the second straight week, Miami has the ACC Rookie of the Week.

Van Dyke took home weekly honors from the conference Monday after he went 25 of 33 for 325 yards and four touchdowns, and ran for another 18 yards, in the Hurricanes’ win against the Wolfpack. The passing yards, completions and touchdowns were all career bests for the second-year player.

Running back Jaylan Knighton, meanwhile, followed up his ACC Rookie of the Week recognition by earning ACC Running Back of the Week honors Monday. The freshman ran for 83 yards on 21 carries, and caught another six passes for 83 yards and one crucial 53-yard touchdown on fourth down in the second quarter.