5 candidates to replace Manny Diaz as Miami football coach

4. Gus Malzahn, UCF head coach

He hasn’t been anywhere near speculation over who could replace Clay Helton at USC, but Malzahn made sure it’s known he’s not interested in that job this week. He’s in his first season at UCF after he was finally let go at Auburn, with a 2-1 record after Friday night’s crazy late loss to Louisville. The Knights will also be without starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who suffered a broken clavicle on the final play against Louisville.

Malzahn fell short of the high expectations at Auburn, with a 68-35 record in seven seasons and at least four losses in each of the last six. But he is obviously well-versed in major conference football, and he feels like a short-timer at UCF even if the program moves to a bigger conference. It’s just a matter of when the right opportunity comes, and all professions from him about a bright future as the Knights’ coach will go out the window.

Miami will probably aim higher if they wind up searching for Diaz’s replacement. But they can do a lot worse than Malzahn, and he’d surely be interested in the job if it came down to it.