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Football Manny Diaz, Ja'Juan Seider listed as potential options for FAU HC job....

Richie O

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Per TheAthletic -- Chris Kiffin, Manny Diaz, Charlie Weis Jr., Ja'Juan Seider and George Helow are among those with expect will get consideration for the FAU coaching vacancy.


With Willie Taggart getting fired by Florida Atlantic on Saturday, one of the more attractive Group of 5 coaching jobs has come open. Taggart never won more than five games in any of his three seasons with the Owls, but the coach he followed, Lane Kiffin, won 26 games in three years, including two seasons with double-digit wins. There is a ton of local talent in the area, and it’s a place a lot of coaches would like to live.

There are several former FAU staffers and coaches with South Florida ties we think will go after this job.

Chris Kiffin, Browns defensive line coach​

Let’s start with the former Owls coaches. Lane’s younger brother should get a lot of consideration for this one. The 40-year-old son of Monte Kiffin earned Broyles Award consideration for how much he improved the FAU defense in 2017 as co-DC and linebackers coach, taking the Owls from No. 124 to No. 37 in yards per play during his one season there. His personality is much more understated than his brother’s, but he has always had an ability to connect with players.

Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss offensive coordinator​

Weis was Lane Kiffin’s offensive coordinator in Boca Raton and is also well-regarded among his former colleagues. The son of former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who lives a half-hour from Boca, is still very young — he won’t turn 30 until April — but he’s always been mature beyond his years.

Kendal Briles, Arkansas offensive coordinator​

Briles spent one season at FAU with Kiffin in 2017 and another year in the state on Florida State’s 2019 staff. He has done a nice job helping Sam Pittman get Arkansas football back on its feet. Briles is making a lot of money with the Hogs, but he might be tempted by the chance to run his own program.

Manny Diaz, Penn State defensive coordinator​

Now on to the guys with strong ties around the state. Diaz went 21-15 in three seasons as Miami’s head coach, leading the Hurricanes to a No. 22 finish in 2020. The 48-year-old Miami native has done a very good job as Penn State’s DC and is one of the brighter people in football. He got shoved out the door at Miami for Mario Cristobal, but FAU might be a better fit.

Willie Simmons, Florida A&M head coach​

Simmons, 42, has done an outstanding job as a head coach at the FCS level, with a 51-23 record over seven years at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. He is 18-5 the past two years; the Rattlers had endured six consecutive losing seasons before Simmons took over. He’s also in play for the USF vacancy.

Ja’Juan Seider, Penn State co-offensive coordinator​

The 45-year-old Belle Glade, Fla., product was a star quarterback at Florida A&M and has deep recruiting ties around South Florida. Players really respond to him. He has also been a key assistant in Happy Valley, at Marshall and at West Virginia.

Alex Atkins, Florida State offensive coordinator​

Atkins is another hot name this year and has gotten some consideration for a few vacancies. The 38-year-old has been a vital piece in Florida State’s rise from three wins to five wins and then to nine wins this season, an encouraging build after the program fell apart late in the Jimbo Fisher era. Atkins was integral in rebuilding what was a dreadful O-line when he arrived.

George Helow, Michigan linebackers coach​

Helow, 35, has been a key cog in the Wolverines’ defensive resurgence the past two years, during which time Michigan has gone 24-2. Helow was the right-hand man to former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and stayed in Ann Arbor to help new DC Jesse Minter help Michigan keep building. Helow, a former Ole Miss defensive back, worked and learned under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart before his time with Jim Harbaugh. He’s a Jacksonville native and another rising star we expect to be in the mix for some defensive coordinator jobs in addition to vying for this vacancy.
 
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On that list, hate to say it, but Diaz has the highest documented level of success.

Seems like a list of nepotism beneficiaries.

Where is Joe Schembechler........ Bob Bryant.......and Larry Sweeney???
 
I don’t think Diaz goes for that gig. Cincinnati? Wisconsin? Stanford? They’ll be better positions open
 
If he leaves, it’ll be for a bigger job than FAU. I still think he stays one more year and then takes a HC position at a bigger school.
 
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How much of the "think" part is actually 'hope'? I, for one, merely hope that he waits for a bigger job to come open.
 
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If he leaves, it’ll be for a bigger job than FAU. I still think he stays one more year and then takes a HC position at a bigger school.
Given the talent we have returning on Defense, I think the smart move is to return to PSU for one more season. If the PSU Defense is strong next year (which I expect it will be), bigger programs will be knocking on his door. I have no idea what FAU has returning but, given the fact that they are looking for a new head coach, FAU is likely a rebuilding project. It may take Manny 3 years of successfuly rebuilding FAU (by no means a given) to recieve the same offers that he could receive next year by merely holding par with PSU's defense.
 
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How much of the "think" part is actually 'hope'? I, for one, merely hope that he waits for a bigger job to come open.
I both think and hope he waits it out another year or two. There are big name programs out there underperforming such as Florida, both Texas schools, OK, VTech, WVU, etc that could be looking for a change over the next couple of years. Texas and Oklahoma in particular better get it together before they head to the SEC.
 
The path for Diaz is to be head coach at an up and coming school win there for 2-3 years then to a Florida, South Carolina something like that. Can’t see him getting a big power 5 from DC role.
 
Better to be defensive coordinator at Penn State than head coach at FAU.
Generally I agree but the question for Diaz is does he have to prove it as a HC somewhere else to get a high profile job or will another major program give him a shot based on his success at Penn State
It will be interesting. I believe he'll stay in 2023 unless a major job comes calling but if he doesn't get any major profiles HC offers in 2024 he'll consider G5 openings like this.
Also, a lot of it depends on how happy he is in PA, with the staff, etc. Lots of factors other than Penn State >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FAU even DC vs. HC.
 
Generally I agree but the question for Diaz is does he have to prove it as a HC somewhere else to get a high profile job or will another major program give him a shot based on his success at Penn State
It will be interesting. I believe he'll stay in 2023 unless a major job comes calling but if he doesn't get any major profiles HC offers in 2024 he'll consider G5 openings like this.
Also, a lot of it depends on how happy he is in PA, with the staff, etc. Lots of factors other than Penn State >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> FAU even DC vs. HC.
Haven't read the full stream, so may have been mentioned, bet Miami wishes they could have a "do over".
 
Haven't read the full stream, so may have been mentioned, bet Miami wishes they could have a "do over".
The huge booster at Miami could pay off Mario and make Manny the highest paid coach. Which leads to to another thought, seems the teams with the highest NIL - payoffs underperformed, Texas A&M, Alabama, Miami. Don't know about NIL payments to BIG players and how they compare.
 
I'm sure he committed to a 2 year minimum with an out clause for a P5 HC job. FAU is a step down from PSU DC.
 
Per TheAthletic -- Chris Kiffin, Manny Diaz, Charlie Weis Jr., Ja'Juan Seider and George Helow are among those with expect will get consideration for the FAU coaching vacancy.


With Willie Taggart getting fired by Florida Atlantic on Saturday, one of the more attractive Group of 5 coaching jobs has come open. Taggart never won more than five games in any of his three seasons with the Owls, but the coach he followed, Lane Kiffin, won 26 games in three years, including two seasons with double-digit wins. There is a ton of local talent in the area, and it’s a place a lot of coaches would like to live.

There are several former FAU staffers and coaches with South Florida ties we think will go after this job.

Chris Kiffin, Browns defensive line coach​

Let’s start with the former Owls coaches. Lane’s younger brother should get a lot of consideration for this one. The 40-year-old son of Monte Kiffin earned Broyles Award consideration for how much he improved the FAU defense in 2017 as co-DC and linebackers coach, taking the Owls from No. 124 to No. 37 in yards per play during his one season there. His personality is much more understated than his brother’s, but he has always had an ability to connect with players.

Charlie Weis Jr., Ole Miss offensive coordinator​

Weis was Lane Kiffin’s offensive coordinator in Boca Raton and is also well-regarded among his former colleagues. The son of former Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, who lives a half-hour from Boca, is still very young — he won’t turn 30 until April — but he’s always been mature beyond his years.

Kendal Briles, Arkansas offensive coordinator​

Briles spent one season at FAU with Kiffin in 2017 and another year in the state on Florida State’s 2019 staff. He has done a nice job helping Sam Pittman get Arkansas football back on its feet. Briles is making a lot of money with the Hogs, but he might be tempted by the chance to run his own program.

Manny Diaz, Penn State defensive coordinator​

Now on to the guys with strong ties around the state. Diaz went 21-15 in three seasons as Miami’s head coach, leading the Hurricanes to a No. 22 finish in 2020. The 48-year-old Miami native has done a very good job as Penn State’s DC and is one of the brighter people in football. He got shoved out the door at Miami for Mario Cristobal, but FAU might be a better fit.

Willie Simmons, Florida A&M head coach​

Simmons, 42, has done an outstanding job as a head coach at the FCS level, with a 51-23 record over seven years at Prairie View A&M and Florida A&M. He is 18-5 the past two years; the Rattlers had endured six consecutive losing seasons before Simmons took over. He’s also in play for the USF vacancy.

Ja’Juan Seider, Penn State co-offensive coordinator​

The 45-year-old Belle Glade, Fla., product was a star quarterback at Florida A&M and has deep recruiting ties around South Florida. Players really respond to him. He has also been a key assistant in Happy Valley, at Marshall and at West Virginia.

Alex Atkins, Florida State offensive coordinator​

Atkins is another hot name this year and has gotten some consideration for a few vacancies. The 38-year-old has been a vital piece in Florida State’s rise from three wins to five wins and then to nine wins this season, an encouraging build after the program fell apart late in the Jimbo Fisher era. Atkins was integral in rebuilding what was a dreadful O-line when he arrived.

George Helow, Michigan linebackers coach​

Helow, 35, has been a key cog in the Wolverines’ defensive resurgence the past two years, during which time Michigan has gone 24-2. Helow was the right-hand man to former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and stayed in Ann Arbor to help new DC Jesse Minter help Michigan keep building. Helow, a former Ole Miss defensive back, worked and learned under Nick Saban and Kirby Smart before his time with Jim Harbaugh. He’s a Jacksonville native and another rising star we expect to be in the mix for some defensive coordinator jobs in addition to vying for this vacancy.
Manny will buff his star much better here next year. His next move will he to as good or better program than Miami. FAU is a BIG step back.
 
The path for Diaz is to be head coach at an up and coming school win there for 2-3 years then to a Florida, South Carolina something like that. Can’t see him getting a big power 5 from DC role.
Like Will Muschamp, i don't think so. It's one thing to do the HC jump and another to lose that HC job and return to it.

Can't speak for him, but establishing himself in 2 to 5 years raises his star power. If Franklin talks of leaving again, maybe Manny could be PSU's next HC. Who knows.
 
Yeah, I'm with everyone else that Diaz might end up leaving this off-season for a head coaching gig, but I don't see going to FAU. Would be at least another Power 5 team, otherwise I would think he would stay another year at DC.

I could see Seider taking such a position if offered though,
 
I dont think he goes to FAU this year but I wouldn't be shocked at all if he has to go the G5 route after Miami.

Again not this year but sometimes G5 is a better option than low level P5
 
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