Fired by Texas just a couple of games into the 2013 season, Manny Diaz has reportedly found a new coaching home.
Both Pete Roussel of CoachingSearch.com and CBSSports.com‘s Bruce Feldman are reporting that Diaz will take over as defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech. Feldman wrote on Twitter that “Diaz took [the] LaTech DC job after bypassing on other coaching opportunities from Big Ten, SEC & Pac-12 programs so he could be a DC.”
Diaz would replace Kim Dameron, who spent just one season with the Bulldogs before agreeing earlier this month to become the head coach at FCS-level Eastern Illinois.
Diaz served as the initial sacrificial lamb for UT’s stumbling start to the 2013 season, fired after an embarrassing loss to BYU in the second game of the season that saw the Cougars rush for an astounding 550 yards. Diaz had served as the Longhorns’ coordinator since 2011 prior to his dismissal.
Before coming to Austin in 2011, Diaz was Mississippi State’s coordinator in 2010.
With the Bulldogs, Diaz will be asked to revamp and fortify a middle-of-the-pack defense. In 2013, Tech finished 61st in scoring defense (26.3 points per game) and 69th in total defense (408.3 yards per game).
UPDATED 3:18 p.m. ET: Louisiana Tech has confirmed in a press release that Manny Diaz has been hired as the Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator.
“I am very excited Manny Diaz is joining our staff,” head coach Skip Holtz said in a statement. “He brings great experiences with a lot of success at a lot of different stops. He brings excitement, a passion for the game, plenty of experience and a reputation for success that precedes him. I look forward to working with him and welcome him to the LA Tech Family.”