UPDATE: Manny Diaz still of interest for Duke for head coach job

Penn State football defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is still in the running for the head coaching vacancy at Duke, new reports suggest. Diaz has been mentioned as a potential candidate for several open coaching positions in recent weeks, but the Nittany Lions defensive coordinator was first linked to the ACC job last Wednesday. The Blue Devils are looking to replace Mike Elko, who was named the head coach at Texas A&M on November 27.

Manny Diaz has frequented head coaching candidate lists this cycle

Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has made frequent appearances on head coaching candidate lists in the last month, and for good reason. The Nittany Lions had a championship-caliber defense in 2023, ranked near the top in the nation in most major statistical categories.

Diaz’s name first popped up in regards to the Mississippi State vacancy in mid-November. Last Friday, Diaz was listed, along with Penn State football safeties coach Anthony Poindexter, to be among the candidates of interest for the James Madison job. Speculation around the open Sun Belt position has died down over the weekend, however.

Penn State defensive coordinator still in the mix for Duke head coach vacancy

But the one vacancy where Manny Diaz has persistently been mentioned is Duke. Former head coach Mike Elko left the ACC program to move to the SEC when he took the Texas A&M job late last month.

Last Wednesday, it was reported that Diaz met with Duke for the head coaching position. Other candidates interviewed reportedly included Ohio State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and NC State defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. Although at the time the hiring process was in its early stages, Diaz was believed to be firmly “in the mix.”

And now almost a week later, that appears to still be the case. “Sources tell Chris Vannini and me that Manny Diaz, Jason Candle, Jim Knowles, and Jon Sumrall are still in the mix at Duke,” Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic posted on social media Tuesday night. The Athletic was the first outlet to break the news about Diaz’s interview with the Blue Devils last week.

Sources tell @ChrisVannini and me that Manny Diaz, Jason Candle, Jim Knowles and Jon Sumrall are still in the mix at Duke: https://t.co/c6a8bcyqbF

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) December 6, 2023

According to Auerbach, there are some new candidates in the mix as well: Toledo head coach Jason Candle and Troy head coach Jon Sumrall. Ohio State’s Jim Knowles, who reportedly also interviewed last week, appears to still be in the running as well.

Obviously, Manny Diaz would be a strong candidate for Duke, given his ACC experience while at Miami. There does not appear to be an updated timeline for when Duke is expecting to make a hire at this time. So, for now, all Penn State football fans can do is watch and wait.

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