Duke head coach Manny Diaz received a lot of praise in the updated ACC coach rankings.
Believe it or not, we are right around the corner from college football. With the calendar flipping to July, Fall camps will begin next month as a new season approaches.
For Duke, they are coming off a season in which they won the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, beating Virginia in overtime. They won their bowl game as well, that gave them momentum going into this offseason.
But with the loss of quarterback Darian Mensah to the transfer portal, Duke now faces some questions. However, Manny Diaz has shown improvement in terms of head coaching and is riding this wave high into the 2026 season.
On Wednesday, USA TODAY Sports released its annual coach rankings for the ACC and the 2026 season.
Diaz was ranked No. 7 in the new rankings, up two spots from last season's ranking:
Diaz has overall done a solid job at Duke, but his tenure has been a bit confusing. He won the ACC championship last season, although the Blue Devils went 7-5 in the regular season, reaching the title game due to a long list of tiebreakers. He has been solid, which is all you can ask for at Duke, which will never be a football school. He has an 18-9 record in two seasons. The former Miami coach is certainly meeting expectations, and could be a candidate for a better job after another strong year.
Diaz still has a lot to prove this season and will face the tough task of not having Mensah as his quarterback. That's not to say Duke can't find success at that position but Mensah was able to mask some negatives about the Duke offense.
Mario Cristobal overtook Dabo Swinney for the top spot, while newcomer James Franklin took the No. 3 spot as he takes over the Virginia Tech program.
As for Duke's rival, North Carolina, Bill Belichick was ranked dead last in the rankings after a nightmare first season with the Tar Heels. So Duke fans are able to celebrate that as well as Diaz moving up a few spots.
Let's hope Diaz and the Blue Devils are able to improve this season and put together another impressive year.
