Manny Diaz introduced at Duke

DURHAM – There’s something about Duke.

That much Manny Diaz wanted to make clear during his introduction as the Blue Devils’ new football coach on Saturday at the Pascal Field House.

After short remarks by Duke president Vincent E. Price — “we think the best is yet to come” — and athletics director Nina King — “it was clear that he prioritize the holistic student-athlete experience and continue the positive momentum around football” — it was Diaz’s turn to take the podium and explain what drew him to Duke.

“There’s something about Duke,” Diaz said. “So, the story begins really in the last couple of years and the first character of the story is David Feeley.”

That was Diaz shouting out Duke’s strength and conditioning coach, who before spending the last two seasons at Duke, was Diaz’s strength and conditioning coordinator at Miami for three seasons, in which the Hurricanes were 21-15 and had the second-best record in the ACC (16-9).

Upon mention of Feeley’s name, there were a few barking noises from among the dozens of football players in attendance.

“I’d be on the phone with David,” Diaz continued, “and he would tell me, ‘There’s something about Duke.’ And then you watch the season a year ago, you watch the success that you guys had.

“And then, like most of America on Labor Day Night this past year, Clemson comes into town and talking about it afterwards, there’s something about Duke.”

The 49-year-old continued with what attracted him during the last 10 days — the hiring process, essentially — was meeting the people around Duke. Diaz spoke highly of King and the administrators tasked with finding Duke’s next coach.

Diaz rounded off the story of “there’s something about Duke” with the most important part of his message, though.

“Even though you’re all here to hear me talk, I’m here to listen,” Diaz said. “I want to know what makes Duke special. I had an opportunity to have a team meeting with these young men yesterday, but I tried to get as many into my office in the time that I had afterwards.

“There was one young man in particular who said something and it finally clicked, the whole story of ‘there’s something about Duke.’ Finally it made sense.

“He said, ‘When we’re on campus we are surrounded by the best people in the world. When we come back into our locker room, we think we have the best locker room in the world.’”

Duke’s football program exists in two worlds now. One is what Diaz is building, hiring a staff, choosing which staff members to retain — certainly sounds like Feeley is a given, and several current staff members were at Saturday’s intro — and assembling a roster for his first season. This weekend is a huge one for recruiting and retaining the class Duke intends to sign in the early period, which starts Dec. 20, and the transfer portal fervor is in full gear.

The other world is preparation for Duke’s matchup against Troy in the Birmingham Bowl, which will still be coached by interim coach Trooper Taylor. Diaz made a point of mentioning how high on the priority list winning that game would be.

There was something about Duke, which is why Diaz is here now.