According to a report, the Miami Hurricanes will now be searching for a new defensive coordinator.

UM's defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has elected to become Temple's next head football coach, according to FootballScoop.com. You can read the full report here.

Diaz will replace Geoff Collins, who was hired to be the head coach at Georgia Tech last week.

There is no denying that Diaz's departure will be a hit for the UM program. Diaz did a terrific job of turning around a Miami defense during his three years in Coral Gables.

Diaz arrived at Miami as a hire by Mark Richt and he was charged with turning around a Miami defense that had lost its way.

In 2015--the year before Diaz arrived at Miami--the Hurricanes ranked No. 69 in the country in total defense, No. 77 in scoring defense, and No. 70 nationally in sacks. Diaz bettered those numbers in his first season at UM. The Hurricanes improved to the No. 12 scoring defense, the No. 20 total defense, and No. 22 in total sacks in 2016.

Diaz has brought an aggressive and attacking style of play back to Miami—a different philosophy from the read and react system that Al Golden and his staff implemented. Diaz’s coaching style and scheme have been a perfect fit for the Hurricanes. South Florida produces an abundance of speedy players on defense that can execute Diaz’s system at a high level.

The 2018 season was a culmination of Miami's overall talent on defense improving and those players fully understanding Diaz's system. Simply put, UM's 2018 defense was elite. The Hurricanes finished No. 2 nationally in total defense, No. 3 in yards per play allowed, No. 3 in pass efficiency defense, No. 11 in sacks, and No. 15 in scoring defense.

With the loss of Diaz and the loss of key seniors like defensive tackle Gerald Willis, safety Jaquan Johnson, safety Sheldrick Redwine, and cornerback Michael Jackson, UM's defense will likely take a step back in 2019. Miami also has multiple NFL Draft eligible juniors that need to make a decision like: DE Joe Jackson, LB Shaquille Quarterman, and LB Michael Pinckney.

Diaz makes the second departure from the original Miami coaching staff that Mark Richt brought to Coral Gables in 2016. After last season, the Hurricanes lost defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski to Alabama. He was replaced at UM by coach Jess Simpson, who led a position group that had strong results in 2018--including All-American level play by defensive tackle Gerald Willis.

The focus for Miami will now be to try and close strong on the recruiting trail with the December Early Signing Period looming on December 19th. UM currently has 11 players committed on defense in the 2019 class.