Duke: Manny Diaz Gets Big News for Florida State Job

Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz continues to be linked to the vacant Florida State job, and something happened on Thursday that will make the buzz around the third-year Duke coach only grow more loud in the coming days.

Per multiple reports, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons agreed to a contract extension with second-year head coach Jake Dickert. The move comes amid Wake Forest's 8–1 start this season and No. 13 ranking for the College Football Playoff. 

Dickert had been linked to the Florida State job this month, but the contract extension pretty much kills that idea. 

Diaz has been an obvious candidate since before FSU made the decision final to fire Norvell. He's an alumnus of the university, and he got his start under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden.

On Monday, FSU hired Jeff Purinton as its athletic director. Purinton has ties to Diaz, as the two worked together under Bowden. With Dickert out of the picture, expect Diaz’s name to be brought up more for the Noles' job.

Diaz is 46–26 as a head coach of Miami and Duke. He had his well-documented problems with Miami, but has learned from his lessons with the Hurricanes. He led the Blue Devils to the ACC championship in 2025.

FSU has a hefty $50 million figure for Norvell's buyout, so the program will be somewhat stretched thin on resources early on with its next coach. That would make Diaz an even more attractive candidate for FSU. He's done more with less at Duke, as evidenced by what he's been able to pull off this season.

Duke lost Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate late in the transfer portal cycle. The Blue Devils were able to snap up San Jose State transfer Walker Eget at quarterback, but there were questions if the roster would be good enough to make a bowl game. 

The Blue Devils have been one of the bigger surprises in college football this year thanks to Diaz's defense and running back Nate Sheppard. Duke is 7-2 before finishing the season against Miami, Clemson, and Wake Forest.

Duke will end its season against Wake Forest on Nov. 28. It'll be interesting to see how Diaz does going up against Dickert. That game could have ACC championship ramifications for one or both teams.

After that game, we could get a better glimpse of what Diaz plans with Duke are just months after signing a contract extension of his