A lot has been made of Manny Diaz dominating the transfer portal since becoming head coach on December 30. Diaz has helped the Miami football program bring in transfers since he arrived in Miami as the defensive coordinator in 2016.
Six players have signed with the Miami football program through the transfer portal since Manny Diaz took over as head coach on December 30. Two other transfers were added to the Hurricanes roster during the December signing period while Mark Richt was still the head coach.
Several transfers have joined the Miami football program since Diaz became the defensive coordinator. The Hurricanes list of transfers prior to this offseason has included defensive backs, Adrian Colbert, Dee Delaney and Jhavonte Dean, defensive tackle Tito Odenigbo and offensive linemen George Brown and Venzell Boulware.
Colbert was the first transfer to join the Miami football program since Diaz returned to his home town. Colbert came to Coral Gables as a graduate transfer from Texas.
In his one season in 2016, Colbert had 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception and three pass breakups. Colbert previously played for Diaz when he was the defensive coordinator at Texas.
Colbert’s presence led to Delaney joining Miami from FCS The Citadel as a graduate transfer and Dean from Blinn Junior College for the 2017 season. Delaney was a key part of Miami’s Coastal Division title team. He finished with 39 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup and a fumble recovery.
Dean never lived up to expectations at Miami. He was primarily a backup at cornerback behind Delaney, Malek Young, Trajan Bandy and Michael Jackson. In two seasons Dean finished with 28 tackles, three interceptions, all in 2018 and two pass breakups.
Brown has never fit in on the offensive line. He played in only three games as a backup in 2017. Brown had to sit out in 2016 after transferring from LSU and in 2018 because of a knee injury. Boulware was a key part of Miami’s offensive line rotation in 2018 after joining the Hurricanes as a graduate transfer from Tennessee.
Boulware had two years of eligibility left but chose to leave for the NFL Draft. Boulware played in all 13 games and started six.
“Don’t be afraid to transfer [to the University of Miami], you might find out that you’re actually good at football.”
— GO ‘CANES! (@83_87_89_91_01) March 23, 2019
- Tito Odenigbo pic.twitter.com/IlUmuBnBo4
Odenigbo transferred to Miami to get a chance to play for a better football program than he did at Illinois. Like Boulware in his one season on the offensive line, Odenigbo became an important part of the Hurricanes rotation at defensive tackle. He finished the 2018 season with 25 tackles and a career-high 5.5 TFLs.
Miami needed an infusion of talent and experience when Diaz was hired as head coach. Diaz said that the Hurricanes dip into the transfer portal is not likely to be as deep in future seasons as it has been in 2018-19. The players that have joined Miami in Diaz’s three seasons as the defensive coordinator have mostly made an impact.