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College Football Coach Is Very Honest About Bill Belichick Situation

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 25, 2025 10:32 AM ET

Manny Diaz has a prominent new ACC coaching contemporary in Bill Belichick.

Despite leading Duke to a 9-4 record in his first season, Diaz is watching his rivals steal the spotlight. North Carolina sent shockwaves across college football by hiring Bill Belichick to replace Mack Brown.

Appearing on the College GameDay Podcast, Diaz told Rece Davis and Pete Thamel that he's happy to see Belichick draw attention to their conference.

"Whatever gets more people watching, right?" Diaz said (h/t On3). "Anything that's good for ACC football is good for all of us in the ACC."

Diaz, a former defensive coordinator for Brown's Texas Longhorns, defeated his former boss in dramatic fashion last September. Duke rallied from a 20-0 deficit to earn a 21-20 comeback win over North Carolina.

Belichick enters Chapel Hill as arguably the most decorated coach in NFL history, but he must fill the void the UNC's all-time wins leader left.

"The guy that was there this past year had won a lot of games, too," Diaz said. "You know what I mean? And I worked for him, too. So the expectation is that game should always be amazing. Our belief here is it's always going to come down to the last play, and we've got to be built to win the game on that last play."

Diaz has spent the entire 21st century in college, and Belichick was an NFL lifer before making the unexpected leap to campus. Yet Diaz said the duo has a strong relationship.

"Coach Belichick has always been great to me," Diaz said. "I'd always go and visit him up in New England, and he even had me speak to the team last time I was there. So I got to see him for the first time in Amelia, and it was good to catch up with him. Like I said, let's get ACC football back to rolling a bit."

Diaz helped UNC snap a five-game losing streak to Duke last year. He'll now look to lead the Blue Devils to their first win at Chapel Hill since 2017 when they play Belichick's Tar Heels on Nov. 22.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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