Following an 8-3 season, Miami Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz vaulted 26 spots in the Power Five coaching rankings by CBS Sports. Entering his third season, Diaz moved up to the 32nd ranked head coach among Power 5 schools after being ranked 58th out of 65 programs in 2020.
The 26 spots Diaz moved up tied for the biggest move in the rankings from 2020. CBS released their coaches ranked 26-65. The coach Diaz tied with was not mentioned in the rankings released on Tuesday. Coaches ranked 1-26 will be released on Wednesday. Diaz sits exactly in the middle of the Power Five coaching rankings.
The Power Five coaching rankings are conducted from a panel of college football writers from CBS Sports and their partner site 247 Sports. Those ballots are compiled and the rankings are released. The voters on the panel are not given a uniform criteria for how they determine the coaches should be ranked.
Miami finished 22nd in both polls after losing in the Cheez-it Bowl to end last season. The Hurricanes signed the 11th best recruiting class. Those are likely the two main factors for Diaz finishing 32nd. With 19 starters returning in 2021, Diaz will have a chance to move further up the rankings in 2022.
"32 Miami (Fla.)Manny Diaz: I cannot say I saw Diaz being tied for the biggest climb in the rankings (the person he’s tied with, yes). Don’t get me wrong, I think Miami’s 8-3 season was a rousing success and a great second season for Diaz. There are also reasons for optimism heading into 2021.Still, a 26-spot jump seems extreme! Did we add, like, four Miami grads to our voting panel? 2020 rank: 58 (+26)"
THE HYPE FOR WEEK 1 IS REAL 🔥@AlabamaFTBL ✖️ @CanesFootball @GeorgiaFootball ✖️ @ClemsonFB @NDFootball ✖️ @FSUFootball
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 18, 2021
@UofLFootball ✖️ @OleMissFB pic.twitter.com/yFGCQVLiUP
The 8-3, 2020 Miami football season boosted the two-year record under Diaz to 14-10. Miami will be expected to improve its record in 2021. Beginning the season against Alabama could hinder the progress Diaz had led Miami to on and off the field. The Hurricanes game against the Crimson Tide will likely be its most difficult in 2021.
The most important game for Miami in 2021 is at North Carolina on October 16. Miami is likely still hurting from their blowout loss to North Carolina in 2020. The Hurricanes will likely have to win in Chapel Hill to have any chance of winning its first ACC Coastal Division title since 2017. Manny Diaz has Miami improving.