The offseason for Miami football has been a roller coaster ride to say the least with Mark Richt retiring after a disappointing 7-6 season. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is the new man in charge for the Hurricanes after coaching one of the nation’s best defenses last season. The tumultuous offseason for the Hurricanes has heavily hurt the Hurricanes in recruiting as they missed on many local prospects and the 33rd best recruiting class in the country.
Richt’s abrupt departure from the Hurricanes did not help as coaching instability is one of the main reasons recruits will not attend the school. Diaz has been a successful defensive coordinator throughout his career, but this is his first head coaching job and has never had to control an entire coaching staff. He has also never been in charge of an entire recruiting class, which is something the Hurricanes desperately need to close out 2019.
The transfer portal has been great for Diaz and the Hurricanes this offseason with Tate Martell, Bubba Bolden, KJ Osborn, Asa Martin, Tommy Kennedy and Chigozie Nnoruka all committing to the Hurricanes. While Martin and Kennedy signed with the Hurricanes when Richt was in charge, Diaz has been able to upgrade the roster with four key high-profile transfers.
While Martell might have to sit out a year, Osborn, Bolden and Nnoruka are all immediately eligible who should bolster the Hurricanes’ roster. Osborn joins a receiving corps that struggled with consistency and the return of star receiver Jeff Thomas gives Diaz one of the ACC’s top receiver duos. Bolden should provide an instant impact in the secondary as Miami has to replace playmakers Jaquan Johnson and Sheldrick Redwine at the safety position.
Nnoruka will pair up with Nesta Silvera at the defensive tackle position as they look to fill the spot vacated by second team All-American Gerald Willis III. While Diaz has been successful in bringing in transfers to the program, he has not brought in a single recruit since he took over as head coach. Diaz missed out on Cardinal Gibbons defensive end Khris Bogle, who committed to Alabama during the Army All-American Bowl.
The 2019 recruiting class has only 15 current members, excluding the six transfers brought in by the coaching staff. Diaz hired Alabama quarterbacks coach Dan Enos to be the Hurricanes’ offensive coordinator and he is a tremendous recruiter. Miami has lost out on several prospects in the South Florida area and Diaz needs to convince the local talent to stay home for Miami to return to national prominence.
The Hurricanes are in good position to land a couple four-star recruits, which is something that their recruiting class desperately needs at this point. Diaz has been good at acquiring talent through the transfer portal, but he needs to acquire a couple of recruits before National Signing Day to help him accomplish his moniker of “The New Miami.”
