Manny Diaz’s career has been nothing short of a phoenix rising from the ashes. His tenure at Miami ended in a publicised and awkward dismissal as the school publicly courted Mario Cristobal with Diaz still in the HC chair. He knew then that he was in for some trouble in life. “Head coaching jobs were really, really hard to find. And when you’ve already had one, you know that they’re going to be harder to find,” he said. But he didn’t let the downfall define him and showed his critics that Manny Diaz still has that coaching fire in him. Under James Franklin, he built one of the program’s most lethal defenses. Now in Duke with an HC hat, he’s gearing up to build on a great season in 2025.

Diaz led the Blue Devils to a 9-4 last year, which is a respectable finish for a new HC taking on the reins in his first year. The Duke’s staff saw a complete overhaul with the trifecta of the HC-OC-DC replaced for the 2024 season. While the number might not seem impressive, it is one of the best in the program’s history. And Diaz may have a skill in recruiting as well. As Maalik Murphy departed from Duke after one brilliant season, Diaz replaced the loss with former Tulane QB, Darian Mensah. And he comes with an NIL valuation of $2.8 million, which is going to hit at least $8 million by the time the draft is declared.

This is the second time Diaz is tasked with developing a new QB. He said in a May 20 episode of ESPN College Football, “Darian was as accomplished with the quarterback as there was, and certainly, we felt was the best in the portal at that time. The question [was], would he be interested in us?” The HC then noted that the academics were just one factor of Mensah’s inclination towards Duke. And like Notre Dame, Duke is known to make sure its athletes also fulfil their academic requirements with success, while they’re building their careers.

Much to Diaz’s surprise, Mensah was genuinely drawn towards Duke, which was still under construction in the HC’s tenure. “He also saw our style of play on offense in year one where we were still not, you know, sort of the fully operational Death Star. But just enough of it identity-wise, to say, ‘That’s something I want to be in,” Diaz added about Mensah’s recruitment. The new QB is bringing with him almost 2,723 yards, 22 TDs, and a remarkable 6 interceptions.

“As soon as I came on my visit, I knew this was home. Just being in there, it’s electric,” Darian Mensah said after his spring game appearance. With his QB1 replaced, and the full-steam-ahead mentality in the program, here’s how Manny Diaz hopes to fare in the 2025 season.

Manny Diaz explains tough journey in initial half of schedule

It isn’t going to be an easy road ahead for the Blue Devils and Diaz this season. Right in the beginning of the season, Duke will face some tough competitors. That stage is crucial for Diaz to publish a formidable record this season, if not brilliant. And, all of these teams come with double-digit wins from 2024, a feat which Manny Diaz missed by just one game.

Duke will meet Illinois for the second game of their season. More importantly, the Fighting Illini are coming off a 10-3 score from last year. And then, the Blue Devils will meet up with Tulane. “That’s going to be a spicy game. That’s a 10- win team.” The Green Wave finished 2 in the AAC, and was also led by Mensah in 2024. “Then, we get a local rival. We get NC State here to start off ACC play. So, a real big deal. Then we got to go to Syracuse, another 10-win team from last year.”

The opening schedule is going to be very important for Diaz. Last year, Manny Diaz achieved a 5-win streak during the initial phase of the season. Among these five names, NC State is the only program Diaz has played against in last year. Duke will end their challenging initial schedule with a game against California Bears. The NC State match up went to Diaz’s favor, 29-19.

Manny Diaz looks pumped up to lead the Blue Devils to another impressive year as HC. He has a new and dependable quarterback in Darian Mensah, who stands a chance of being just as brilliant as Murphy. However, the season should also be a key point of the strategy. Can he win those 5 games to keep our hopes out at home, at least?