Texas hires Miss. State’s Diaz as DC

Filling a critical need on a coaching staff that went through a major shakeup after a 5-7 season, Texas hired Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to do the same job with the Longhorns.

Diaz replaces Will Muschamp, who left Texas after three seasons to become the head coach at Florida. Diaz inherits a defense that struggled badly in Texas’ first losing season since 1997. "Texas is a place that when coaches around the country get talking, it’s hard to get through a conversation without the Longhorns coming up," Diaz said. "It’s a place that is always one of the first mentioned among the best jobs out there." Diaz is the biggest hire so far on a Texas staff that was full of holes. Muschamp left, offensive coordinator Greg Davis resigned, offensive line coach Mac McWhorter and defensive tackles coach and special teams coordinator Mike Tolleson retired and wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy took a similar job at Colorado.

Muschamp was paid $900,000 annually in a contract that had designated him the Longhorns’ next head coach if he was still at Texas when Mack Brown retired.