The state of Florida has seen three new head coaches at its three major football programs -- Miami, Florida and Florida State -- over the past two years. That instability and change has led to all three trying to rebuild and rebrand through recruiting with each team at different stages of its climb back to the top.
At Miami, for example, first-year head coach Manny Diaz is just beginning to make his mark on the recruiting trail.
Diaz has been making noise since he took over in December, and none bigger than when he and his staff showed up unannounced at a high school coaching clinic in Orlando.
The Nike Coach of the Year Clinics are annual gatherings held in 14 different cities across the country, allowing high school coaches the opportunity to hear presentations from top college football coaches in the area. As the title sponsor, the coaches presenting are leaders of programs represented by Nike.
But that didn't stop Diaz and his staff at Miami, an Adidas school, from showing up to the Wyndham Resort Hotel in Orlando to spend time with the in-state high school coaches despite not receiving an invitation.
