Manny Diaz is the, the next head coach at Duke University. It could not be more excited to see him elevated to that position. He doesn't remember this, but we played golf 1000 years ago at some AC C event when he had, I guess, borrowed clubs because I don't know how your clubs got lost in transit. But uh you said they did on the first day, you weren't terrible. Uh And you put up with us. So I thank you very much for uh for that and for this, how you doing? I'm doing well. That is impressive detail. And uh and boy, those bar clubs probably had a rough outing. Uh you know, especially where my golf game was 20 years ago. Oh, man, I remember it was, it was Charlie Whitehurst, I think was the quarterback at Clemson hitting bombs. I think he was behind us and we, we, we were on a green and all of a sudden the ball came flying by. He drove, he drove a par four quarterbacks, man. They, they, they, they, they got something in their hips. All right, let's, let's get to this. Um, tell me what attracts you to the Duke job. Well, there's so many things and the timing was perfect. I mean, obviously, if you look at the um the momentum and the success here the last couple of years um that you really have an opportunity to capitalize on, on a movement of understanding that there's a, there's a locker room filled with, with really, really talented kids and, and the right type of kids, the kids that you wanna coach. And then also, you know, Adam and obviously having been in this conference for as long as I have, you know, you've always seen Duke from, from across the side line or from afar and um and admired um this program and, and then so now it just comes down to the people, you know, is a leadership, right? Uh in place uh the people on the staff and the more and more I learned about that, uh the more excited I became Manny Diaz is joining us here, Duke University head football coach. What's job one for you like here today? First day, first. Yeah. Yeah. What, what, what, what do you, well, it already really happened. We had a, we had a Zoom last night with the, with the players, you know, we had a zoom last night with the uh the commits zoom last night with the players' parents. Um you know, in this era of college. Well, the first thing you have to do is you, you've got to recruit your locker room. It's remarkable just how the world has changed just in the five years. Um, since I became the head coach at Miami, it's, it's just, it's completely, of course, we didn't have Zoom, um, but it's completely different, uh, with where we are in the calendar and what the month of December means to college football. It used to be, it used to be sort of quiet this time of year. It is anything. But, so you've got, you've got to jump right in the middle of it and, um, and make sure we keep the momentum that we have going. What was the reaction that you got from the Duke locker room and the commits? Well, you know, when you're, you know, it is on Zoom. Right. You got a bunch of bobbing heads, you know, so, uh, you know, hard, hard to really take a straw poll out of that. But, but, you know, by all accounts I think everybody's excited. Um, you know, certainly when you have a time of uncertainty, um, you know, there's always that, that wonder, you know, the question, who's it gonna be? And, and, um, by all accounts, you know, the, the, there's a lot of enthusiasm right now and, and we, we, we've got to, we've got to ride that wave and, and, and have ourselves a great off season. I know you are a, uh, a student of the game. I'm sure you've, uh, you have seen some of what Duke was able to do this year. I thought when I saw them against Clemson in the first game of the season on that Monday night, the what struck me was that they didn't look good for a Duke team. They looked good for any team and I, I was stunned at how they looked just like Clemson looked. So when you, I don't know if you saw that game or if you've seen film of that. Um But I don't know, even if there's a question here, other than, is that what Duke's potential is for you? Oh, yeah, I, I sat there and watched like most of America, you know, watch that game that night. Uh because, you know, it was a Monday night often. Um It's, and, and let me take it one step further. It's not just what was going on in the field, it was what was in the stadium as well. I mean, I mean, that was big time football and, and to your point, I agree it was, it was not an upset. Um And not a surprise to me because when, you know, um you know, it starts a lot of things as do they start in your weight room? And uh and David Seeley, who was our standard condition coach at Miami and, and when he came here, I, I, you could see the transformation um in these young men, the more and more that they got around Dave. Um And then, you know, obviously it was an outstanding coaching staff and, and, you know, you can put those things together and you've got it yourself as a quarterback, you got a chance and, and, uh, and, and I think that's what's been so appealing to me um to be able to have some of that continuity on our staff and, and, and, and to allow the players to know um that what they've built on doesn't get torn down. We can, we can build, build on top of that. Manny Diaz is joining us. So, so his job one is job one, Dave Feeley. That one's, yeah, that one's ever taken care of. Yeah, I mean, I mean, he's, he's, he's so excited um to be here loves to hear, you know, he was able to tell me so many fantastic things about this institution, the people here that, that, that care about Duke. And um and so that made the transition much easier for me, Manny Diaz is with us here. New Duke, head football coach. I think a lot of us were surprised going into even last year and it was a very good year one, but I think a lot of us were surprised that there wasn't a an exodus out of the portal last year. Now, we know that there have been players who have left including the quarterback Riley Leonard, but there have been other players, key defensive pieces uh that have entered the portal as well. Uh What does your, what is your job now with the portal? Uh What, you know, you're, you're obviously selling some opportunity here because there is going to be opportunity. How does this, how does this factor into everything you have to do now? It's everything, right? Um So you've got, you know, a very short amount of time to sell your vision, um which is not the way it used to be, you know, when you used to come in as a head coach, you kinda draw your whole off season and you were kind of the sheriff in town and, and, um, you know, now we're, we're in an era where there may be a sheriff but there's, there's, you know, every, everybody can run, run wild basically. So, um, but so you got to sell the vision and one thing, one thing that helps is because there's just what I'm coming to learn is there's something about Duke. Uh, there's something about this place that, um, that people want to stay. Uh, they want to be a part that doesn't just include the players that include staff as well. Um, they value what this experience is here, they value what this education is here and, and, and that's something that we can't forget, um, in this, you know, in the madness of what, where coach ball is now that, you know, these are, these are men still seeking an education and a degree. Um And so that's where that, you know, that, that Duke experience, uh it holds outstanding value. What did the experience, albeit not, probably, definitely, uh, too short at Miami. What does that give you for this job? Well, number one, you already understand what it is to be a head football coach because, you know, obviously when you're an assistant you're, you're always observing the head coach. I mean, it, it's like, it's like being when you're a child and you think, you know what it's like to be a parent because you watch your parents watch other people's parents and you really have no idea until you bring that baby home from the hospital. And you're like, what in the world do we do with this thing? Right? Um And it's very similar with, with it, with being head coach. Uh there's no, you know, I've been a defense corner for a long time and people use the term like, will you be the head coach of the defense and sort of, but it's not even in the same stratosphere. Um So understanding number one, what the job is, what it really encompasses. Um And, and what your main roles are. So, so to have that um experience, uh certainly second time around helps. Um And then, and then the way that we finished in Miami, you know, the way that, um you know, won seven games in the AC C in the second year 15 in the third year, won five out of six after a poor start to the season. So you, you get an idea of what it means to build a culture, coaches, I know, throw that word around all the time. But, but really to build relationships, I mean, that's the most important thing to get a football team that wants to play hard and wants to fight for each other. And that's what I, that's what I saw when I watched Duke play the last two years, you saw a football team that wanted to play hard and wanted to fight for each other. And that means that there's something going on, right, uh, on the inside and, and that's, I said that's what we've got to capitalize on. I'm, I'm trying to in my mind now, figure out what is the midnight feeding of being a head football coach? Once you make the baby analogy? Is there a, is there a midnight feeding somebody? You, you have to get up early in the morning and take care of something? Is there, is there like a correlation to that with, uh, being the head coach of a college football program? If, if, if, if that's part that wears you out? I mean, obviously, the hardest thing now is just try to keep your team together, you know, because everything is everything your, your whole thought, right? As a coach is as to how do we bring people together? How do we bring people to a common goal? How do we unite people? Um And the current, the current landscape is really designed to, how do we, how do we make it more individualized? And, and, and there's so many good things that have come into the game, this is not against any of that, but, but the fact that those things also occur while you're midway through a season is what makes things very difficult. So, you know, the push and pull on that is probably the, uh, you know, trying to get the baby to burp at 4 a.m. Yeah, a good anybody who's ever had to deal with that. Good luck. Uh I, I honed my singing voice also at two o'clock in the morning, uh, for, for about a year. Manny Diaz is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. Alright, so you, you came to Raleigh a long time ago with, uh, with Chuck Amato on, uh, you were part of his first staff at NC State. So my, my, have you reached out to coach, uh, what counsel has he given you? Because I know he means a lot to you. He does, uh, really probably owe as much to him in this profession as, as anybody else. Uh, not had a chance to, to, to get up with him in the, in this wacky 48 hours, uh, that we've been going through. Um, but he taught me so much. I mean, I was so blessed to, to, to enter this profession in the late nineties at Florida State to work under Bobby Bowden's staff and then specifically in the defensive room with Mickey Andrews and Truck, a moto and, and, um, and, you know, it was such a great staff to be on no one ever left. And that's why it's so fascinating and, and going forward, you know, coach Bowden's family tree and even Mickey Andrews family tree, his defense coordinator is so small, um because people never wanted to leave. Um And that type of atmosphere and that type of, you know, the, the, the, the continuity and winning, um that's how I was raised. That that's, that's what, you know, what I, what I believe was kind of the north star of when you try to build a program. That's, that's the way you want to build it and, and that's how you, you know, you got to treat people the right way and you got to make people that want, you know, that want to stay and want to be a part and, and, uh, and I think, I think if the staff feels that way in this era, I think the players pick up on that. I think that helps the players want to stay as well. Final thing for you, coach Diaz, appreciate your time as always. I know this has been a whirlwind. Uh You have been a defensive coordinator at Penn State, Texas um, Miami and I'm just, there are three coaches names that kinda pop in and I'm just curious, uh, what you, what you pull from them, what you learn from them, obviously, Matt Brown with, with your time at Texas, um, uh, Mark Richt, because you were the DC at Miami when he was the head coach and James Franklin right now at Penn State. So, what, uh, what do you take from those three guys or anybody else that I might have missed? We already talked about Chuck Moto, uh, that kinda helps you and maybe shapes the way you deal with being a head coach. Uh, you know, really so blessed to have the, the head coaching role models that I've had throughout my career starting, like you mentioned with coach Bowden coming here with Chuck, um, you know, his energy, um, that really, if you remember, I mean, you know, just made, made some of those nights in Carter family were, were remarkable. Uh, Rick Stock still, um, staff dynamics and how we treated coaches. Um, you know, obviously he just was one of the longest tenured coaches in coach ball and I don't think that's by accident. Um Dan Mullen, you know, who had just come from working with urban, um, the intensity that Dan coach with, you know, you, you picked up on that Mac, you know, Mac was elite in understanding, um, everything that goes into college ball, the external factors, you know, um dealing with, with boosters, uh, media, things like that. It was just a, it was a master class watching that every day. Um, you know, and then, and then Skip Holtz even, you got to work with Skip and Skip. Skip had, had some ties to coach Bowden, um, and learned a lot from him and again, a, a person who really treated the staff really well. And then you mentioned Mark and that's where it's kind of full circle to work with Mark. Um, you know, after, after starting with coach Bowden and, and Mark with that same, um, humble spirit, you know, put others before him, which any, any good leader should do. Um, then you become a head coach and then you finally go to work with, with someone like James, you know, I think James superpowers his attention to detail. Um, and the way that he is relentless on the things that matter to him and everybody understands it. And, um, and when you see a program, you know, you're trying to get a program out of what I call low level orbit, right? You're trying to get a program above and, and when you see, you know, James, who I think now is going on 10 or 11 years at Penn State, you see how, what it means when you, when, when you've been able to establish a program and when people come in, they know what they're getting into. Um, you know, and what a benefit that that is uh you are gentlemen, I appreciate your time. Iii I couldn't name all the head coaches. Uh but you have been, you have been very good at what you have done at every stop and I can't wait to see what you do at Duke. I thank you very much for your time. Uh Good luck in meeting everybody and keeping all the people you can keep and getting more, getting more in here. Uh Manny Diaz head coach at Duke. It sounds good to me and I will talk to you soon. Ok, Adam, thanks for having me on.