The Coaching Carousel spun Manny Diaz from coordinating Penn State’s defense to becoming the next head coach at Duke.
The Blue Devils made the announcement official over the weekend, and Diaz went about winning the press conference on Saturday afternoon — as well as winning over many Duke fans with his appearance among the Cameron Crazies during the home hoops game against Charlotte.
Diaz’s hiring leaves two open head coaching jobs among North Carolina schools — Gardner-Webb (FCS) and St. Augustine’s (Division II) are still searching.
| SCHOOL | 2023 COACH | REASON VACANT | DATE VACANT | 2024 COACH | HIRED |
| St. Augustine’s (D2) | Howard Feggins | mid-season firing | 10/13/23 | Interim: Jody Owens | |
| Wingate (D2) | Joe Reich | moved to AD post at Wingate | 11/14/23 | Rashaan Jordan | 11/14/23 |
| Duke (FBS) | Mike Elko | hired at Texas A&M | 11/27/23 | Manny Diaz | 12/8/23 |
| Gardner-Webb (FCS) | Tre Lamb | hired at East Tennessee State | 11/27/23 | Interim: Nick Newsome |
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—> READ MORE ABOUT DUKE’S HIRING OF MANNY DIAZ HERE
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Much of the Coaching Carousel movement over the past week in North Carolina has centered around assistants. Some North Carolina teams have retooled their coaching staffs while others have seen their best and brightest move on to other gigs.
In case you missed it, here’s the latest news from the Coaching Carousel:
* Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi announced Sunday evening that he was hiring Kade Bell as the Panthers’ new offensive coordinator. Bell served as Western Carolina’s offensive coordinator this season, leading one of the most explosive attacks in all of FCS football. He is the son of WCU head coach Kerwin Bell.
The Catamounts averaged 504.1 yards and 37.6 points per game in 2023. Quarterback Cole Gonzales threw for 2,803 yards and 28 touchdowns, helping WCU post a 7-4 record. Bell is only 30 years old and is considered a rising star. He’ll replace Frank Cignetti Jr, who was fired in November after two seasons.
“Kade’s offensive approach — relentlessly fast and aggressive — is everything a defensive coordinator hates to face and the type of system our players will absolutely love,” Narduzzi said in a statement. “He’s an incredibly creative play caller who is widely regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in the country. Beyond X’s and O’s, Kade understands and greatly values relationship-building with his players and fellow coaches. On and off the field, Kade Bell will make us better.”
* While searching for a new offensive coordinator, Western Carolina has put a new defensive coordinator in place. The Catamounts hired Jerry Odom, who most recently was head coach at Tusculum (Division II). Odom started with the Pioneers in 2015 and went 42-38 during his eight years.
Tusculum beat a nationally ranked Wingate team this season and knocked off Mars Hill 29-27 in double overtime to earn a place in the South Atlantic Conference title game.
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* East Carolina has added two new members to its offensive coaching staff this month. The Pirates, who struggled to move the football in 2023 after several years of explosive play with quarterback Holton Ahlers, announced the hiring of Matt Mattox as offensive line coach on Friday. He’ll join John David Baker, the Pirates new offensive coordinator, who was introduced Dec. 2.
Mattox most recently coached in the college ranks in 2021-22 with UTSA, helping the Roadrunners to a pair of Conference USA championships. He has also coached at Bowling Green, Eastern Illinois, South Florida, Texas and Tulsa.
Baker comes to ECU from Lane Kiffin’s staff at Ole Miss.
* Former Duke player and assistant Jeff Faris will be the next coach at Austin Peay, according to ESPN and FootballScoop.com. Faris played safety for the Blue Devils form 2008-11 and served in various roles on the Devils’ coaching staff from 2012-21, including co-offensive coordinator in 2021. Faris most recently coached tight ends at UCLA.
* The hiring of Tim Brewster, a 30-year veteran of the coaching circuit, seems to be reaping immediate dividends for Charlotte. Brewster will serve as associate head coach and tight ends coach. Charlotte head coach Biff Poggi called Brewster an “excellent coach and tremendous recruiter.” Brewster has been active on social media already pitching his new home.
“I spent 11 years at the University of North Carolina and have been in every high school in the state,” Brewster said in a statement released by the 49ers. “I’ve spent a lot of time in Charlotte and from Day One, I felt that it was a sleeping giant. I’m really excited about the opportunity to sell the City of Charlotte and this fine academic institution. There is so much to sell here. My goal, our goal, is to build the strongest football program in the state. I totally align with Biff’s vision to build something special here.”
Offensive line coach Kyle DeVan has left the Charlotte program to join the Oregon State staff, his alma mater. John Morookian will take over as O-line coach. Jason Barnes will move from offensive analyst to wide receivers coach.
Multiple sources told FootballScoop on Dec. 8 that Charlotte is targeting Sal Sunseri for its coaching staff. Sunseri currently serves as defensive line coach at Colorado under Deion Sanders. No formal announcements have been made. Sunseri’s Wikipedia page still listed him as a Colorado Buffaloes coach as of late Sunday night.
—> READ MORE: Older Coaching Carousel news, from November.
