Miami football announced on Saturday that they have hired Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to the same position for Mark Richt's growing staff in Miami.
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Diaz has been all over the place recently as a coach and is well-respected in the college football community. Before becoming Mississippi State's defensive coordinator this season, Diaz had spent time at Middle Tennessee, Texas, and Louisiana Tech. Diaz was also Mississippi State's defensive coordinator for a year back in 2010 before being hired away by Texas.
Mississippi State's defense was unspectacular, but respectable in 2015 under Diaz. The Bulldogs finished in the Top 40 in scoring defense, but often allowed a lot of yardage. Where Mississippi State really excelled, though, was in the red zone, as they were ninth in the country in red zone defense. Contrast that with Miami, who finished 112th in red zone defense in 2015.
