Blake Baker on UM Canes coach, Twitter wiz Manny Diaz: ‘It’s Hard to keep up with him’
New University of Miami defensive coordinator Blake Baker has noticed, as has virtually anyone who has a stake in college football — thousands of UM fans included.
UM coach Manny Diaz’s Twitter game, which has surfaced recently whenever there’s some kind of news brewing at the U, in particular when the “transfer portal” is involved, was discussed again during Baker’s first interview Wednesday with Joe Rose and Zach Krantz on WQAM radio. Use the initials #TNM— Diaz’s fresh slogan for “The New Miami’’ — and it’s even cooler.
“Recruiting is obviously all year round,’’ Krantz said to Baker, “but what you guys have done putting the kind of portal in a choke hold, this transfer portal, over the last couple weeks. Between Manny’s tweets and your tweets, everyone is tweeting out the coaches and social media. This transfer portal has done wonders for you the last couple weeks.’’
Said Baker: “Obviously, with the NCAA rules, we can’t get into too many specifics about individuals, but the one thing I can say... Coach Diaz is going to be smart in who we bring in and it’s going to be a position of need. And we’re not just bringing kids in to bring them in just to say we jumped back into the portal and are making a big deal of it. We’re been very detailed.. about finding out about some of these kids but also attacking it very quickly and aggressively.
“It’s kind of been unique the way it has all fallen into place and how it’s grown. We’ve kind of run with it, but definitely an advantage to us right now.’’
Baker came to UM earlier this month as the former Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator who worked previously with Diaz and safeties coach/co-defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda and outside linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Jonathan Patke. He said of Diaz’s flair for social media, “Manny...It’s hard to keep up with him. It’s fun, and I think with recruits it’s something that obviously recruits pay attention to. At the end of the day that’s what it’s all about.”
UM’s newest journey through the portal on social media came late Tuesday night, when Diaz foreshadowed the transfer announcement by new Canes graduate transfer commit Chigozie Nnoruka, a talented defensive lineman out of UCLA.
Diaz tweeted his white portal GIF with the words “#WelcomeToTheU #TNM.’’
In the transfer department, the Canes have been joined by quarterback Tate Martell out of Ohio State, running back Asa Martin out of Auburn, wide receiver KJ Osborn from Buffalo, offensive tackle Tommy Kennedy out of Butler, safety Bubba Bolden (formerly from Southern Cal) and Nnoruka.
National Signing Day is Feb. 6, so the fun should continue until then.
“I’m sure Coach Diaz has some plans as far as having a big blowout,’’ Baker said of NSD at UM. “We’ll probably be together as a staff early that morning and hopefully get the faxes rolling early.’’
Other topics discussed by Baker on WQAM:
▪ On tackles for loss, sacks and points per game statistical categories: “Those are absolutely the biggest stats to me you look for. Especially nowadays. Your main goal is to get the offense behind the ball, behind the chains and hopefully get them into long yards and passing situations.’’ Note that Baker’s 2018 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs finished 27th in the nation in total defense (341.3 yards allowed per game), 29th in passing yards allowed (191.6), fourth in sacks, 12th in tackles for loss, 33rd in turnovers gained and 33rd in third-down conversion defense. His star defensive end Jaylon Ferguson set the NCAA career sack record with 45, including 17.5 this past season.
▪ On having in his backyard three of the most football-rich counties in the country: “First thing Coach Diaz says [is] ‘We gotta get in our backyard.’ It’s been fun. I’ve had a couple days to spend driving around with Coach Banda and Coach Diaz and getting to know some of the high school coaches. You turn on the film and Coach Diaz says it all the time: ‘If you can play in any of those three counties you can play anywhere in the country.’ Great kids, great coaches and obviously the talent speaks for itself. I’m definitely looking forward to getting my feet down there more on the ground more often and embracing it.”
▪ On being able to look around Miami and South Florida and appreciate where he now lives: “ People say, ‘How do you like Miami?’ I say, “Honestly, I’ve probably been outside of Miami [recruiting] more than I’ve been there.’ But this past weekend I had a chance.... First official visit we go to South Beach and go to Rusty Pelican and see the view there and it’s absolutely beautiful. Absolutely amazing. It’s really more than I anticipated. Just the scenery, the weather. It’s paradise. It really is paradise. it’s unbelievable.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2019 at 10:18 AM.
