Report: Miami athletic director search is a ‘mess’ as power brokers debate Manny Diaz’s future

Miami’s search for a new athletic director isn’t going very well according to a report.

That’s per The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy, who reports the Hurricanes have been disorganized in their search for a successor for Blake James.

McMurphy cited intel that Miami has more than 50 board of trustees and big money donors who are failing to get on the same page. One of the factors is the future of coach Manny Diaz.

As of now, Diaz is expected to get a fourth season at Miami. He has a record of 21-15 during his three years at the helm, but started to show progress toward the end of the 2021 season.

However, most of that progress came on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, receiver Charleston Rambo and running back Jaylan Knighton all put up huge numbers over the final six games of the season. However, with offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee heading t

o SMU, it would make sense if Miami power brokers were skeptical about building on that success in 2022.

And even with that strong run of offensive play, Miami still went just 4-2 over its final 6 games and was not in serious contention for the ACC Coastal title.

If Miami is able to get an athletic director hire made in the coming days, it could end up making a change at head coach. However, the longer this process drags on, the more likely it is that Diaz will be back at Miami for another season in 2022.

Miami will learn its bowl game opponent this weekend.