Miami football could stay in-house for new Defensive Coordinator

With Miami Football Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz leaving for Temple there are several candidates on the Hurricanes current staff who could get promoted to Defensive Coordinator.

Mark Richt and the Miami Football program could look in-house or to another school with a Defensive Coordinator or position coach looking to step up. There are many routes the Hurricanes could take.

Diaz has done an outstanding job rebuilding a Miami Defense that improved from 69th nationally in total defense the year before Diaz was hired to 20th in 2016 in his first season and second this year. There are several candidates who could step into Diaz’s shoes and continue to lead a defense that’s been one of the nation’s best.

Richt has to identify the direction they want to take. There are several directions Miami could go in for their new Defensive Coordinator. That would depend on what criteria are important to Richt for hiring Diaz’s replacement.

There are four assistants on the Miami Hurricanes coaching staff who could be ready to step up as the Defensive Coordinator. Three are current defensive assistants and one is thinking a bit outside the box.

Miami Defensive Line Coach Jess Simpson and Defensive Backs Coaches Ephraim Banda and Mike Rumph would be the most obvious choices to succeed Diaz if Miami stays in-house. The outside the box choice could be Special Teams Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach Todd Hartley.

Hartley already had experience as a Coordinator. He has been Miami’s Special Teams Coordinator for all three of Richt’s seasons with the Hurricanes. Hartley does have past experience as a defensive assistant. He was the interim Defensive Backs Coach at Georgia in 2009 and was the Safeties Coach for two seasons at Marshall.