No doubt Dr. Pat Kraft did his due diligence prior to hiring Manny Diaz as Temple’s football coach but even he probably did not anticipate the reaction following the introduction.

Mostly, it’s been a positive led by a terrific endorsement on ESPN’s duo of Jonathan Vilma (a Miami product) and Emmanuel Acho, a linebacker he coached at Texas (see above video).

That wasn’t the only reaction, though. Here is a sampling that includes players, media and rival fans.

Players:

“Watching some of the games, seeing him running around on the sideline having fun with that defense, that is the kind of guy you want to play for,” quarterback Anthony Russo.

Media

Alan Rubenstein, Canes’ Insider: “There have been a lot of reasons on social media why Diaz shouldn’t take the job at Temple. The fact is Temple is a good opportunity with a program that has been successful over the last ten seasons and seen its head coaches in the past step up into Power Five positions.”

Imagine any Philadelphia football station talking about Temple like this one about Miami.

Opposing Fans

Rutgers (rivals board):

Tico: “No matter how you feel about the Temple program, they didn’t pout or cried about being left behind. They reinvented themselves and they have a pretty good looking future as of now. And from the looks of things, they’re not looking to rest on their laurels and think this is all they have to do (unlike other programs).”

Lotus aggressor: “It appears that we are doomed to the worst case scenario. The only hope is that Temple gets the Texas Manny Diaz and not the Miami Turnover Chain Manny Diaz.”

.. and, of course, you can’t read the RU board without a dumb remark here and there:

Miketd1: “Yeah, that’s nice. There’s a reason an undefeated UCF didn’t get a shot at the national title. Enjoy the kiddie table.”

Like losing 78-0 a couple of times every year is the big boy table.

Uconn fans (The Boneyard Messageboard)

Dream Job: “The great thing going with Temple right now is that they are unafraid of hiring guys who consider it a stepping stone job. Who cares if a guy is only there 3-4 years before moving on? Better than firing someone every 3-4 years.”

UCF fans (Rivals board)

Poolside Knight: “It fits Temple’s Program Identity. This might be an upgrade from Collins who I thought relied a little too much on Special Teams gimmicks but the problem for Temple is that if Miami continues to struggle it could be a 1-2 year round trip to Coral Gables for Diaz.”

Wednesday: A Cautionary Tale