It was one of the defining moments during season three of the hit Netflix Documentary series, “Last Chance U.” Frank Diaz, quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator at Independence Community College, stood in his tiny room and pointed at a pair of suitcases he’d set in the corner: “I have my two suitcases there, ready to go just in case I get fired. I have to get ready to roll.”

Diaz then said he works from 5:30 a.m. to curfew checks at night, before admitting, “I work for free.”

One of the stars of season 3, which moved from Mississippi to Kansas, Diaz’s arc largely revolved around his relationship with star Florida State transfer Malik Henry and head coach Jason Brown. Diaz, portrayed as a calm presence in the eye of a fiery storm between Brown and Henry, spent one season at the program before departing.

Diaz spoke with 247Sports on the phone Thursday in a lengthy Q&A that touched on what he’s up to now, his relationship with Henry and Brown, his experiences with “Last Chance U” and also why someone would opt to work for free after considerable previous coaching experience.

This Q&A has been edited slightly for clarity.

247Sports: What’s life been like after the show’s come out?

Diaz: “I’m a lot more relaxed, I’ll tell you that. Nothing has really changed, you know, I guess I was just able to put my story out there on a large platform. I was speaking for a lot of coaches, not just myself.”

247Sports: What’s the experience like being on a show where the camera is always on you when you’re trying to do your job like normal?

Diaz: “At first it was difficult to do what you need to do and say what you need to say, because you were so aware of the cameras being there. But over time we got used to the cameras being there. We got used to the camera staff and production staff. They essentially almost became part of the team. By the middle and toward the end it didn’t really matter anymore if they were there or not. But every once in a while you’d think in the back of your head, ‘OK, the cameras are here. Tread softly.’”

247Sports: Was there ever a moment when something crazy happened and two minutes later you remember, ‘Oh crap that was all filmed.’?”

Diaz: Absolutely, there were plenty of moments, not just myself but all the coaches, where we’d be like, ‘Damn it, yeah the cameras are there.’ But at the end of the day the staff isn’t uptight, and we all have a sense of humor.”

247Sports: The end credits of the show said you decided to leave the program. What are you up to now?

Diaz: “I just got hired by Matt Kirk. He’s the former defensive backs coach at the University of Nevada, and he just got hired at Santa Monica High. He heard I was down in Los Angeles and reached out to me and offered me the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator job.”

247Sports: I bet you’re happy to be back home in California, right?

Diaz: “It’s a lot better than Kansas, I’ll say that. But I have a lot of love for that town. They were very welcoming and they opened the doors to me. I can’t say anything bad about the actual people, they’re very cool. They’re competitive and into winning, and they love what we did out there at Independence.”

247Sports: You worked as an undergraduate assistant at Oregon when Chip Kelly was there, then you worked at West Los Angeles College right after that for five years. Then you decided to make the move to Independence before last season. Why did you decide to move away from college and into the high school ranks?

Diaz: “Financially I couldn’t afford it. Working for free isn’t a sustainable lifestyle, you know? I’m at the stage where I need to have some sort of financial income, I can’t be living off free meals and in my brick. If that wasn’t going to happen, I need to part ways.”

247Sports: Why choose to work for free in the first place? Is that normal for junior college coaches?

Diaz: “You know, typically you’ll get a stipend. However, the biggest draw with coaching on that team for me was the big-time talent. I had been away from coaching talent like that at each position since my time at Oregon in 2012. When I heard we had the Sheriron Jones, the Malik Henrys, the Brandon Beas, the Drake Smiths, your Carlos Thompsons, your Calvin Jacksons, you name it, I wanted to be around a team like that. I knew that it was going to be a lot of drama to it, but I wanted to see what my relationship-building skills are like with high-profile student athletes that might have some baggage with them. That was the biggest draw for me on why. Second, and most importantly, I did it because I grew up in a broken home. My father was in and out of jail. Coaches were my father figures. This was my way of paying it forward.”





247Sports: What did you learn about yourself in terms of coaching high-profile talents and players who might need some extra guidance?

Diaz: “I dug into a different coaching style. The style seen on Netflix makes it seem like I’m very, very calm. I’m a calm person, but I’m not calm to that extent. They don’t catch me working throughout the week and watching me coach. That’s what the audience doesn’t get to really see. Coach Brown trusted me with the offense, and I ran the offensive practice throughout the week. That’s something that the show doesn’t really show. They don’t catch the coaches working throughout the night. Obviously we have to do something right to go 9-2, win the conference championship for the first time in 30 years and win a bowl game. Know what I mean?”

247Sports: Coach Brown is a former QB and y’all seemed to have pretty different personalities. What was that relationship like?

Diaz: “I enjoyed coaching with Brown, and he’s obviously a very fiery, competitive guy who coaches with a lot of emotion. That’s tough for a coach going into a game and dealing with a coach like that who’s very fiery and competitive and has a lot of emotion. At the end of the day there are plenty of coaches like that. You just have to continue to coach. At the end of the day as a position coach, you have to keep your players calm even if the head coach is fired up about things.”

247Sports: I've heard and seen coaches go on some rants, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anybody quite like Coach Brown in that regard.

Diaz: “I’ve never been with a guy like that before. The Oregon coaches were very mild and kept their composure. When I went to West Los Angeles College, coach (Marguet) Miller was kind of the same way. Obviously we’d yell, but it was never to that extent. When I got to (Independence), it’s like my world’s been turned upside down, you know?”

247Sports: The show focused a lot on the dynamic with you and Malik. How would you describe your overall relationship with him?

Diaz: “I look at Malik like a younger brother. I really like Malik. Still to this day we talk. He’s improved a little bit. Last time I saw him, about a week ago, he had a better … you know, he just had a lot more confidence in himself. He’s smiling, he’s talking more. He’s out in the community coaching younger guys. At the end of the day that’s my guy. I wish I could coach him for another season. It takes more than three months to build a relationship with someone, and all the adversity that I had to go through with him made it a stronger bond. Had I had one more chance to coach him for one more year, I think we could really take the lid off something and put big-time numbers up.”

247Sports: Is there a reason, after such a successful season, Independence wouldn’t offer you a stipend to stay?

Diaz: “Um, that’s not a question I can really answer for you. I’m sorry.”

247Sports: What are the challenges that come with coaching a player like Malik who’s come from Division I, especially someone with his background and some of the coaches he’s had over his career, when they come to junior college?

Diaz: “Before I got there, and I got there in July, the coaches told me how much trouble Malik was getting into and how upset he was at being Independence coming from Florida State and Jimbo Fisher. Obviously, I’m not Jimbo Fisher. But when he found out I was coaching there and he knew my background, he came in with the sense, ‘OK, now I have a coach I can respect that knows things. He understands where I’m coming from.’ It was night and day from when I showed up. I just kept trying to mold him and keep him on the right path. At the end of the day, it’s about building that relationship and having those guys trust you and play their butts off for you. That’s with all type of players. It’s building that relationship with guys so, as Coach Brown would say, they’ll run through a wall for you. You’ve got to love them up and show tough love every once in a while. For every three f-bombs, you love them up or give them a pound.

I didn’t treat Malik any different than any other quarterback than I’ve ever coached. At the end of the day it just takes more time to build a relationship with a player.”

247Sports: How do you feel the show portrayed Malik?

Diaz: “In my opinion they portrayed Malik as just a fiery competitive guy. Those guys talk a lot of trash on the field, and it is what it is. At the end of the day, it is a show, right? People want to see drama. That’s just the bottom line. Malik would have about 80 percent good practices. We didn’t see too much of practice, right? It was mostly stuff that was outside of football. You turn it back to (East Mississippi Community College), at EMCC, you watched those guys practice multiple times. The cameras were rolling and filming everything, however they only showed the drama bits if that makes sense.”

247Sports: This might be out of context considering we only saw snippets of your season. But there were times Malik would brush off play calls. There were times when he completely ignored them. Do you think, at least early on, Malik respected the coaches as much as he needed to?

Diaz: “Yeah, no doubt. He was doing everything we wanted him to from the beginning. When results weren’t happening he became frustrated and decided, ‘Hey, I can do better.’ But his intention was to try and help. It wasn’t to piss us off or make us look bad. He wanted to win. The way were calling things and stuff, he just didn’t like it. We weren’t getting results. It’s tough when the head coach, you know, isn’t calling what Malik feels comfortable with. And Malik is trying to do what the head coach wants, but we’re not getting any results. It wasn’t really to piss us off, he was trying to win the game.”

247Sports: But if you’re at Oregon and the starting quarterback decided to yell at (former offensive coordinator) Scott Frost about the play call and change it without the freedom to do so, that wouldn’t go well, right?

Diaz: “Well I don’t think that would happen. I think the players would just come back and talk to Coach Frost and we’d adjust. That’s the biggest thing. Does the coach listen to the player? You know what I mean?”

247Sports: Late in the show, you said you thought Malik was ‘night and day’ by the end of the year. What changed with Malik and how did he improve?

Diaz: “When I first got there I was hearing stories from other coaches about how he’d gotten into a fight during the spring game in front of the coaches. How he was just a non-stop trash talker, how competitive he was. He wasn’t going to classes in the spring. He was just doing his own thing. He just didn’t want to be there. He just wasn’t ready for it. He had just got dismissed from Florida State, and he really didn’t know what to do with himself. He really shouldn’t have been there. When I got there, he didn’t really retaliate much. He kept his composure with as much crap as he went through. It wasn’t any fights on the field like there was in the spring. He was going to classes, obviously you had to be on top of him. Let’s just say his effort was a lot better than it was in the spring. That counts. He made it through the season. He did make it.”

247Sports: Do you still feel he’s that potential future pro that everyone billed him to be coming out of high school?

Diaz: “Yeah, no doubt. He has all the intangibles. He has the IQ, the footwork, the arm strength and the accuracy. He’s got it all. Character counts, right? That’s the number one thing people ask about. He was pretty young, and I’m not trying to make excuses for him, but some kids take pressure and the spotlight different from others. Maybe he’s finally out of that funk and has grown out of it. Maybe he’s finally a little older and wiser. He’s been through some stuff and that makes people change. Perhaps the next school that gives him a chance, they’ll realize and see. He’ll show the world, ‘Hey, I was just young and dumb. Let’s get after this now.’ I’m excited to see which school gives him an opportunity.”

247Sports: In the last episode, he talked about the idea of quitting after he left Florida State. But he had to keep going because people around him have worked so hard to get him to this point. He seems very passionate on the field about football. Was that just him talking about how tough the experience has been or does that say something else about Malik and his football future?

Diaz: “Malik is well spoken. He’s not dumb. He just wants to be back at a level that he can just take flight with. Yeah, you know, I really think that Malik … A lot of people have helped him and ultimately he wants to make them proud. He’s going to do whatever he can do that. I hope it works for him, because time is running by. I just wish him the best of luck.”

247Sports: In regards to your career, you’re in the high school ranks now. You’re an OC, probably don’t have to live in a brick building anymore, how would you describe the last year of your life?

Diaz: “It’s been a great learning experience. I went from Los Angeles to being in Southeast Kansas. Being there I was around a lot of athletes who were from a lot of parts of the U.S., and I built a lot of bonds with those guys who were out there. It was just great to kind of pay it forward with my coaching points to those guys, and they’ll take it with them wherever they go. Those guys will always have a piece of my heart. We grinded, man. We put a lot of work in together, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for those coaches and players that are still there.

It humbled me. I didn’t realize how much crap I actually dealt with until I actually watched the show. When I’m in there in the line of fire, you’ve got to kind of ignore the outside noise. You’ve got to keep focused and keep your eyes on the task. I didn’t realize how much drama I was actually going through until I watched the show. But I handled it the way I’m supposed to handle it, and that’s giving credit to the guys who taught me the game. I just got to keep going forward man, keep pushing. I hope that somebody gives me an opportunity and I’m ready to go. Like I said, my bags are always ready to go. When that phone call comes and if someone wants to give me an opportunity, I’ll go take it.”

247Sports: Is college coaching still the goal for you in the long run?

Diaz: “Absolutely. I’ve never coached high school ball before. I don’t want to be coaching high school ball, but if this is where I’ve got to be, this is where I’ve got to be. I love coaching football, so as long as I’m coaching football I’ll be fine. Yeah, I want to get to the college level. And if an NFL personnel guy wants to give me an opportunity and interview me at the NFL level, I’ll take it as well.”

247Sports: Last thing, what does football mean to you? You were willing to go through all that last year, coaching for free, and keep working in the sport.

Diaz: “I grew up in a single-parent home. My father was in and out of jail, my coaches were my father figures. Football made me who I am. The whole idea of discipline, being on time, holding yourself accountable to others. This is my way of paying it forward to other kids. I can relate to a lot of players because a lot of us do come from broken homes. I had a platform, and I’m representing not just myself, but thousands of coaches who are coaching for free as well if not for little money. Yet, they’re great mentors to their players.”