Source: Miami’s Diaz to take over Owls

TEMPLE

Source: Miami’s Diaz to take over Owls

Temple has hired Miami defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its next head coach, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Wednesday night.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the school was planning to make the deal official Thursday, with a news conference scheduled on campus at 3 p.m. EST to introduce the Owls’ new football coach.

Diaz replaces Geoff Collins, who left Temple after two seasons to become coach at Georgia Tech last week. Like Collins, Diaz has been a successful defensive coordinator with Power Five schools.

Their careers already have crossed. Collins helped replace Diaz as co-defensive coordinator at Mississippi State in 2011 after Diaz left for Texas. In 2015, when Collins left Mississippi State for Florida, Diaz returned to the Bulldogs.

Diaz, a Miami native, has directed defenses that ranked in the top 15 nationally in yards per play with the Hurricanes each season since joining them in 2016.

The 44-year-old went to Florida State and started his career as a graduate assistant on Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden’s staff in 1998-99.

Temple was 8-4 this season under Collins, including 7-1 in the American Athletic Conference, with its loss to No. 7 UCF. The Owls have had five straight seasons of at least a .500 record under Matt Rhule and Collins, the longest stretch of sustained success for the program since the 1970s.

SYRACUSE

Babers signs long-term deal to coach Orange

Syracuse has signed football coach Dino Babers to a contract extension, the school announced Wednesday night.

Details of the deal were not revealed, but the school said in a news release that the contract will keep Babers, in his third season, at the “helm of the program well into the future.”

Syracuse finished the regular season 9-3 and ranked No. 17.

The Orange also appeared in all six releases of the College Football Playoff rankings and are seeking just the seventh 10-win season in school history.

They are headed to the Camping World Bowl, where they will play No. 15 West Virginia in their first postseason appearance in five years.

MISSOURI

DE Williams charged in domestic assault

Missouri defensive end Tre Williams was charged Wednesday in a domestic assault case.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that probable cause statement alleges Williams and his girlfriend argued early Sunday and that he hit her several times while she was driving and at one point began choking her.

The woman eventually was able to drive away.

Williams, a 21-year-old redshirt sophomore, remains indefinitely suspended from the team.

Associated Press