The Miami Hurricanes will probably be searching for a new head coach sooner rather than later. Manny Diaz has not lived up to the billing required for a football school like Miami; his Hurricanes teams have yet to win anything of note over the last two and a half years. Miami is in the midst of another mediocre season, sitting at 5-5 in a weak ACC. The noise around his job security reached the max this week, when Miami AD Blake James was fired. James was the one who brought Diaz in, and a new AD won't have the same sense of loyalty and investment to succeed in Diaz as James did.

Miami is a prestigious program that has fallen on hard times of late. If the head coach job became available, it would be highly-coveted. Miami and its surrounding counties have long been a hot bed for the highest-end football talent in the country. Diaz was unable to take advantage of that. His 2022 class is ranked 64th in the country. A different coach may be able to succeed where Diaz failed in that area, and potential is limitless if they do.

Here are four possible candidates for the Miami head coaching gig if tea leaves read true and Diaz is out after this year.

Lane Kiffin

Earlier today, a rumor surfaced that Kiffin would be willing to leave Ole Miss if the Miami job became available. It makes a certain amount of sense. He's familiar with the recruiting territory after spending a few years coaching Florida Atlantic, and Kiffin's stock has rebounded during his time with the Rebels; in only two years with Ole Miss, Kiffin has them competing for a big bowl game this season and quarterback Matt Corrall looks like a future top pick. Kiffin is a brand name, even if it comes with some past controversy, and would at the very least make Miami football exciting again with his imaginative offensive play-calling.

James Franklin

There have been consistent murmurs over the last year that Franklin is done with Penn State and is looking for a new landing spot. Miami would be absolutely thrilled to have him. Franklin made Penn State great under his watch because he's one of the top recruiters in the country, and he would be invaluable in the hotbed of Miami talent.