Manny Diaz’s soaring coaching career took a detour through Ruston (Louisiana Tech) and Starkville (Mississippi State) after Mack Brown fired him at Texas in early September of 2013.
Rhett Lashlee’s career arc as one of college football’s hot young coordinators got sidetracked when he got run out of Auburn by his mentor, Gus Malzahn, in 2016 and then served a season in college football Siberia at UConn.
D’Eriq King dominated college football with 36 touchdown passes in 2018 and then a 1-3 start last year led to his decision to redshirt and later transfer.
Essentially, Miami’s second-year coach, new coordinator and star transfer quarterback have all experienced the searing glory of the ascent to stardom and the humility inherent to a sudden exit from college football’s fast lane.