Texas A&M signed the nation’s top-ranked class three years ago believing it had built a potential national title contender.

Heisman Trophy hopeful Cam Ward threw for 400 yards and five more touchdown passes, three to Xavier Restrepo on a record-setting day for both of them, and No. 5 Miami erased a double-digit deficit for the third time this season to roll past Duke 53-31 and stay unbeaten.

The Miami sideline was loaded with talent this past weekend.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in South Florida on Monday.

A few weeks ago, Jill Peeling was in disbelief when she received a permission form and her daughter asked her to sign it so she could participate in Black History class.

The Miami Hurricanes schedule is now out.

Duke has hired Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz as its head coach.

Lawmakers, teachers, school board members and parents crowded into a South Florida church for a forum on the state's new standards for teaching Black history.

Florida State Senator Shervin Jones believes it’s pushback from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office that forced Education Commissioner Manny Diaz to cancel his appearance at Thursday’s town hall forum.

Students in a Florida school district will be reading only excerpts from William Shakespeare’s plays for class rather than the full texts under redesigned curriculum guides that were developed, in part, to take into consideration the state's “Don’t Say Gay” laws.

The backlash against, and the defense of, Florida's new standards for African American history curriculum has gone nationwide.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is visiting Miami-Dade County on Tuesday. His morning agenda includes a visit to a charter school just north of Kendall.

Hundreds of people from 11 countries are gathered in Venezuela to participate in boxing, swimming, gymnastics and other events.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to hold a news conference at a Miami-Dade private school Monday, where he’s expected to sign a bill into law expanding school vouchers in Florida.

Florida's move to expand its prohibition on teaching sexual orientation or gender identity in the classroom comes as several states are pursuing similar bans.

Florida Democrats have selected former state Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried to lead their party after a disastrous midterm performance in the onetime presidential battleground state.

The head of the Florida Democratic Party has resigned after a disastrous midterm election in the onetime battleground state.

South Florida politician Manny Diaz is stepping down from his position as the Chair of the Florida Democratic Party.

The ripple effects of the Republican wipeout in Florida continued Sunday. Earlier this week, Manny Diaz, the chairman of the Florida Democratic Party, blamed the midterm losses on a lack of support from Democrats nationwide.

The Florida-funded flights of 50 migrants from Texas to Massachusetts took center stage during news conferences by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Manny Diaz, the chair of the Florida Democratic Party, on Thursday in Miami-Dade County.

A group of Florida Democratic Party leaders and Venezuelan-American activists met on Thursday at El Arepazo restaurant in Doral to condemn the flights of immigrants out of Texas.

The Miami Hurricanes are ready to kick off their season.

In a letter to the districts sent Thursday, Florida Education Secretary Manny Diaz said the proposed anti-discrimination language is not binding law and following the guidance could result in breaking state law.

The Atlantic Coast Conference has four new coaches for this season, all in the same division.

Gov. Ron DeSantis will be joined by Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez and Senator Manny Diaz at a news conference Monday morning at the Freedom Tower in Miami.

Democrats have yet to announce who will be running against the Miami-Dade County Republican incumbents of two of Florida’s most competitive House seats.

There is a rare consensus in the Florida Senate about a new shift in public education policy after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the Florida Standards Assessments in 2020.

On the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast, host Michael Putney is joined by infectious disease expert Dr. Aileen Marty, Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Broward Teachers Union President Anna Fusco and retired educator and author Dr. Marvin Dunn. The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.

On the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, state Sen. Shevrin Jones and head of the Florida Democratic Party Manny Diaz.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, state Sen. Shevrin Jones and head of the Florida Democratic Party Manny Diaz.

Last weekend the leaders of the state Democratic Party met in Orlando to plot strategy for winning the 2022 elections.

Former Miami coach Manny Diaz has been hired as defensive coordinator at Penn State less than a week after he was fired by the Hurricanes.

It didn’t take long for former University of Miami head coach Manny Diaz to find a job.

Miami welcomed new coach Mario Cristobal with an introductory news conference in Coral Gables, Florida.

Mario Cristobal is leaving Oregon and headed home to Miami.

Twice a national champion as a player, Mario Cristobal has been hired as the University of Miami’s new football coach and has his sights set on returning his alma mater to prominence.

On the latest episode of the Miami Sports Pod Local 10 Sports Anchors Will Manso and Clay Ferraro take a deep dive into the current state of South Florida’s football teams.

Tyler Van Dyke has been honored again.

Huddle up! Here’s a look back at this weekend on the gridiron, with three key takeaways from the state’s football scene.

Manny Diaz addressed reporters on Wednesday.

On the latest episode of the Miami Sports Pod, Local 10 Sports Anchors Will Manso and Clay Ferraro discuss the fallout of the Canes loss at FSU, and what it means for head coach Manny Diaz.

Manny Diaz is trying to prepare the Miami Hurricanes for their home finale against Virginia Tech on Saturday, after a disappointing loss to Florida State.

On the latest episode of the Miami Sports Pod, it's all about the victories!

The Miami Hurricanes are getting ready to renew their rivalry with Florida State.

Canes quarterback

Hurricanes head coach Manny Diaz talked about his passion for the program.

Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson and Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett headline The Associated Press' list of midseason football honorees for the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Miami Hurricanes running back Cam'Ron Harris is undergoing surgery.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King needs surgery to repair his right shoulder and will miss the remainder of the season.

Canes Athletic Director Blake James responds to criticism.

Manny Diaz came to the defense of the University of Miami on Monday.

The 69 points was the fifth-most in University of Miami school history.

Miami quarterback D’Eriq King has a shoulder injury that will need further evaluation this week in the latest blow to the reeling Hurricanes.

Payton Thorne passed for 261 yards and four touchdowns, two of those scoring throws going to Jalen Nailor, and Michigan State extended its unbeaten start by topping No. 24 Miami 38-17 on Saturday.

The Miami Hurricanes are now focused on Michigan State.

Head Coach Manny Diaz discussed Miami's loss to Alabama.

Top-ranked Alabama looks very much like a team capable of making another run at a national title.

Atlantic Coast Conference coaches are counting on high program COVID-19 vaccination rates to minimize risks of illnesses or lineup-depleting contact tracing for the upcoming college football season.

Safety Avantae Williams is ready to rejoin the University of Miami’s football program, his attorney said on Thursday in a statement.

Bring on Bama.

The Miami Hurricanes enter the season ranked No. 14 in the AP Poll.

On the latest episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by Broward County Mayor Steve Geller, Dr. David Andrews from the University of Miami, Broward School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood and Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Manny Diaz.

On the latest episode of This Week in South Florida, hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg are joined by Broward County Mayor Steve Geller, Dr. David Andrews from the University of Miami, Broward School Board Chair Dr. Rosalind Osgood and Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Manny Diaz.

Yotuel Romero, one of the musicians who created the SOS Cuba protests’ anthem “Patria y Vida”, is among the Cubans who are scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Friday afternoon at the White House.

College football coaches around the country are spending much of the offseason urging their players to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Former Georgia and Miami football coach Mark Richt has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

The Florida Panthers entrusted their season to a rookie goalie making his playoff debut.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Florida Democratic leaders are calling for Republican State Senator Ileana Garcia to step down or to voluntarily resign and for a new election to be held. This comes in the wake of former state senator Frank Artiles being charged with election fraud Thursday, accused of masterminding and funding a sham candidate to manipulate voters last November. Faced with proof of fraud that clearly impacted the outcome of an election decided by 32 votes. He lost the election by 32 votes to Republican Ileana Garcia. It is unlikely that Garcia would voluntarily resign her seat and there is no provision in state law that says she must step down.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The School Board of Broward County met on Tuesday to discuss Broward County Public Schools’ next year’s budget which is based on a blend of federal, state and local funding. The state ties the disbursement of some funds for public education to the number of students enrolled in each district. “We need the kids back in school, not just for the money — because they belong in school,” Runcie said. The Florida Education Association opposes it because public schools are underfunded in Florida. The traditional public schools have to share federal funding with charter schools.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Joining the latest episode of This Week in South Florida are Florida’s Director of Emergency Management Jared Moskowitz, Florida state lawmakers Evan Jenne and Manny Diaz and Broward County Vice Mayor Michael Udine. The full episode can be seen at the top of this page.

Ron DeSantis was in South Florida last week making the case for bills that would change voting and election procedure. The governor and supporters call it making elections more secure, but opponents call it making it harder for people to vote. To discuss the issue, and other happenings in Tallahassee, are state Rep. Evan Jenne of Dania Beach and state Sen. Manny Diaz of Hialeah. Jenne is the co-Democratic leader in the state Senate and Dias is part of the Republican leadership and chair of the Education Committee. They joined This Week in South Florida hosts Glenna Milberg and Michael Putney, and their discussion can be seen at the top of this page.

James was asked about the football team. Overall, it was a real step forward from the previous year, Manny’s first year as head coach. I don’t want to take away from the fact that as a program, I thought we took a step forward. James said, “I think he’s got already in a short window, a track record of showing that he’s willing to make changes. So far, the changes that he’s made have really worked out well.”James cited the Canes ability to clean up the punting and kicking game.

Diaz says the Hurricanes have improved their roster and their coaching staff, both by additions and subtractions. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Manny Diaz is taking back control of the University of Miami’s defense. On Wednesday, Diaz officially said that he is taking over as the team’s defensive coordinator. Wednesday, Diaz said, “I’m going to be the defensive coordinator and what I’ve done as defensive coordinator is what I’m going to do. We’ve got some great experience on the staff, I’m really excited to work with them.

This Week In South Florida (Full Episode): Feb. 23, 2020PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Joining this episode of the This Week in South Florida podcast are Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and attorneys Raquel Rodriguez and Chris Smith. Subscribe to the weekly TWISF Podcast on iOS or Android

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Joining this episode of This Week in South Florida are Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz and attorneys Raquel Rodriguez and Chris Smith. The full video can be seen at the top of this page.

PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – The 2020 Election was not kind to Florida Democrats. They lost two congressional seats and a state Senate race in Miami-Dade County by a handful of votes. Those losses set off a scramble for new leadership at the Florida Democratic Party, and the winner was former Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. He joined This Week in South Florida hosts Michael Putney and Glenna Milberg and their discussion can be seen at the top of this page.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes defensive coaching staff for the upcoming season is set. The Canes announced on Thursday that they have hired Jess Simpson as assistant head coach/defensive line coach. DeMarcus Van Dyke has been promoted to cornerbacks coach. Simpson was Miami’s defensive line coach during the 2018 season. Former cornerbacks coach Mike Rumph will assume a role with the team’s recruiting department,.

Miami quarterback D'Eriq King (1) looks for a receiver as Oklahoma State defensive tackle Sione Asi (99) rushes during the first half of the Cheez-it Bowl NCAA college football game, Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami quarterback D’Eriq King tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the Hurricanes’ loss this week in the Cheez-It Bowl. The Hurricanes went 8-3 this season, the best record among the seven FBS schools in the state of Florida. King, in first season at Miami following his transfer from Houston, was a big reason for that. King completed 64.1 percent of his passes, the second-best single-season completion percentage for any Miami quarterback and one that qualifies him as, for now anyway, the most accurate passer in Hurricanes history. ___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

Miami coach Manny Diaz congratulates quarterback D'Eriq King (1) after a touchdown pass against Duke during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, in Durham, N.C. (Nell Redmond/Pool Photo via AP)CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes are running a quarterback keeper. Canes QB D’Eriq King announced on social media Saturday that he will return to the University of Miami. King transferred to Miami prior to this season from the University of Houston. King started all 10 games for the Hurricanes, leading Miami to an 8-2 record. The 23-year-old threw for 2,573 yards and 22 touchdowns, with only 5 interceptions on the season for the Canes.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes are trying to pick up the pieces after a blowout loss to North Carolina on Saturday. Diaz said he has spoken with quarterback D’Eriq King about his upcoming decision, if he’ll stay at Miami or go to the NFL draft. Diaz said, “I’ll answer the question about staff the same way I did a year ago. You wait for a season to end, you evaluate the season in its entirely, and then you do what’s best to improve the football team. The head coach said he wants to make sure that the North Carolina game is, “An outlier that we never see again.”

The annual question in Coral Gables — “Is Miami back?” — might finally have an answer Hurricanes fans will like. 9 Miami gets its first ACC championship, a drought that’s now 17 years and counting, but the Hurricanes (8-1, 7-1 ACC, No. Just finishing the right way, that’s really, really, really important. “We were taken away from each other for almost two weeks and didn’t really get back as an entire football team — I mean, not even an entire football team, but anything resembling a football team — until this past Monday. Odd as this sounds, that’s Miami’s second-longest ACC streak; the Hurricanes won 11 consecutive league games spanning 2016 and 2017.

DURHAM, N.C. – Miami’s offense needed a little bit of time to find its edge after the ninth-ranked Hurricanes’ coronavirus-related layoff. Meanwhile, King and the rest of the offense shook off a bumpy first two drives by finishing with 524 total yards. Duke: Roughly a week ago, the Blue Devils were expecting to host Florida State. Instead, they ended up with a matchup against the Hurricanes with a chance for a third straight series win. Duke: The Blue Devils visit Florida State next Saturday in a matchup bumped to make room for the Miami game.

MIAMI – The Miami Hurricanes have found an opponent. The Canes will play at Duke on Saturday night at 8 p.m.Miami was originally scheduled to play at Wake Forest, but that game was cancelled because of Covid-19 cases within the Wake Forest program. Miami’s last game was at Virginia Tech on November 14. The Canes outbreak included head coach Manny Diaz. The Canes game on Saturday night will be broadcast on the ACC Network.

All rights reserved)CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Another twist in the Miami Hurricanes strange season. The Canes moved up 2 spots in the latest AP poll released on Sunday. Miami did not play this weekend. An outbreak of Covid-19 forced Miami to bump back their last three games of the regular season. Also this week, head coach Manny Diaz tweeted that he had Covid-19.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami football coach Manny Diaz has tested positive for COVID-19, he announced Friday morning, capping a week in which the team had three games rescheduled because of infections within the program. “I have tested positive for COVID-19,” Diaz wrote on Twitter. I will continue to work with our team virtually as we prepare for our next game at Wake Forest.”I have tested positive for COVID-19. I will continue to work with our team virtually as we prepare for our next game at Wake Forest. The ACC announced Monday that three Miami games were being shifted because of COVID-19, including a matchup against Georgia Tech that had been set for this Saturday.

So we can complain about this and this and that but, listen, we’re still getting to play football,” Fisher said. Last week, 15 FBS games were called off because of COVID-19, the most yet this season. Major college football conferences have been tweaking policies to provide their schools flexibility to schedule games on short notice. That probably won't work for LSU-Alabama, which was among four SEC games postponed last week. __Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at https://westwoodonepodcasts.com/pods/ap-top-25-college-football-podcast/___More AP college football: https://apnews.com/Collegefootball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes fell in the Associated Press poll on Sunday. 9 heading into Saturday’s 25-24 win at Virginia Tech. Despite the win, the Canes dropped 3 spots. Manny Diaz and the Canes were playing without 13 players, as the Canes are dealing with Covid-19 inside their locker room. The 12th ranked Canes next play Georgia Tech Nov. 21 at Hard Rock Stadium.

Zonovan Knight had a 100-yard kickoff return to put NC State (4-3, 4-3) on top in the third quarter. NC State led at halftime on the strength of Hockman’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Cary Angeline with 2:49 left. NC State: Angeline, a redshirt senior, has caught at least one touchdown pass in five of the Wolfpack’s games. With a victory, NC State would have been a candidate to climb back into the rankings. NC State: Hosts Florida State next Saturday.

11 Miami outlasted Virginia 19-14 on Saturday night. Harley’s big night for Miami (5-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) started with a 43-yard touchdown grab on the Hurricanes' second play from scrimmage. “It was a really tough game,” Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said. Virginia tied the game at 7-7 on its first drive, with Tony Poljan hauling in a 2-yard scoring pass from Armstrong. Virginia, however, was out of time-outs at that point and Miami punted the ball away with only 23 seconds left.

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Miami avoided the post-Clemson letdown and now can set its sight on remaining in the conference championship picture. “We were disappointed and a little bit angry coming off last week,” Miami coach Manny Diaz said. But Miami regained its double-digit advantage on King’s 45-yard touchdown pass to Mallory. “They make you earn every single thing.”The Hurricanes struck first on King’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Cam’Ron Harris midway through the first quarter. King connected with Mallory on a 6-yard score with 6:44 left in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead.

HIALEAH, Fla. – The Florida Police Chiefs Association officially endorsed President Donald J. Trump in his bid to stay in the White House. Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi was on hand Friday to accept the endorsement from the third largest association in the state of Florida. That sentiment was felt elsewhere as seen in the Faith and Blue Solidarity Ride, which traveled through South Florida showing support for police. The event wasn’t political, but was an effort involving religious communities and officers showing support for each other and riding police station to police station. The Faith and Blue Solidarity Ride was planned to take place across the country.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The Miami Hurricanes are fired up about the opportunity to host Florida State on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium. Canes head coach Manny Diaz said, “It’s still just game two. This a team that’s getting some of the details right week in and week out. Deputy head coach Chris Thomsen assumes the in-person head coaching role for the game. Diaz said that the one word he would use to describe Florida State is multiplicity.

WEST LITTLE RIVER, Fla. – A shooting left a 46-year-old Miami Senior High School’s football coach dead on Monday in Miami-Dade County’s West Little River neighborhood, police said. Corey Smith was killed Monday during a shooting in West Little River. (Crop of Facebook Profile Photo)Manny Diaz, University of Miami’s football coach, was among the many who were mourning the loss of the football coach. “Our entire football program is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Corey Smith,” Diaz wrote in a statement. 3 PM REPORTBREAKING NEWS REPORTCommunity grievesDADE COUNTY MOURNING ABOUT THIS ONE 😢💔😢💔 COACH COREY Posted by Nathaniel Greatone on Monday, September 21, 2020Boy that news bought tears to my eyes.

While no one forced a turnover in the season opener of the Miami Hurricanes game, Turnover Chain 4.0 made its big debut on Saturday during the match up against the Louisville Cardinals. Al Blades Jr., the cornerback from Fort Lauderdale, didn’t let the chance slip by in the second game of the season. As always, Turnover Chain 4.0 is some serious bling. AJ Machado, the owner of AJ’s Jewelry in Miami, once again created the customized turnover chain. Turnover Chain 4.0 took roughly three months to complete.

Facing questions about whether he would fulfill his promise, Bloomberg moved over the weekend to direct $100 million to Florida alone in support of Joe Biden. “Mike Bloomberg is an impact player,” said former Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who served as a co-chair of Bloomberg’s presidential campaign. After spending $1 billion on his own campaign, Bloomberg won just one primary contest: American Samoa. And they say that, beyond Florida, Bloomberg is one of the Democratic Party’s biggest funders. Many say Biden, who visited the state on Tuesday for the first time since becoming the nominee, has not reached out enough to Hispanics in particular.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. It is finally game week for the Miami Hurricanes. The Canes kickoff the season on Thursday night at 8 against the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Diaz said, The credits got to go to our players who have been remarkable in the way that theyve taken care of each other, taken care of themselves and really since June 15 when we started coming back on campus. When the Canes force a turnover this season, the turnover chain will be back. Its not a turnover mask, which wouldve made some sense this year.

Players responded to the potential end of the season because of Covid-19 concerns by speaking out with the hashtag We Want To Play.' Diaz said, What that really means is that we want to do everything we have to do in order to play. In terms of academics, Diaz said that the team would adopt a hybrid model of school. For the Hurricanes, Diaz said No one has decided that were going to play a season, what weve decided on is we want to have a chance. Were saying lets see if we can navigate this thing here week by week and give ourselves a chance to play a season.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. The Miami Hurricanes 2020 season is off to a strange start. The Canes continue working out in Coral Gables, as their season remains in Jeopardy. The Big 10 and Pac-12 conferences are making moves that could end their 2020 season amidst concerns about Covid-19. Meanwhile, the Canes continue to practice. You dont know what were going through with family issues or you dont know the work we put in to have this season.

Coral Gables – Hurricanes head football coach Manny Diaz said there was a moment of reflection during the team’s first practice of fall camp on Friday night. The Canes ran through their first official practice as they prepare to kick off the season against UAB on Thursday night, September 10th. The Canes have also made big splashes on the recruiting trail, and Diaz credited pro football hall of famer Ed Reed for his work in that department since taking over as chief of staff. "It's not even just the name 'Ed Reed' when he talks to these young men," said Diaz. The Canes will be back on the practice field on Saturday.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami star pass rusher Greg Rousseau is opting out of the 2020 football season. Head coach Manny Diaz made the announcement at the end of a zoom call with reporters on Thursday. Coach Diaz said that he heard about Rousseau’s decision while on the call. Diaz said, “We’ve had a great relationship with Greg... outstanding young man. Diaz praised the leadership of the President of the University, Dr. Julio Frenk, who has a background in public health.