Manny Diaz isn’t afraid of the challenge directly standing in Miami’s way to start the 2021 college football season.

In fact, the Miami coach believes opening the season against the defending national champions in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium has proven to be valuable for the Hurricanes.

During a recent appearance on ESPN’s Packer and Durham show, Diaz was asked about the difficulty in having to face Alabama in the 2021 season opener and having to be ready to perform at an elite level in the first game of the season.

“Which is great because that adds a great sense of urgency for our entire offseason program,” Diaz responded on the show. “And really what you’re talking about is how do we get us to the level that we want to get Miami at?

“If we concern ourselves about Miami, ultimately we will play better no matter what the opposition is. We have a lot of respect for what they’ve done there to Alabama, we know that’ll be a difficult contest, but it’s still a new year. There’s new players on both teams. And, look, if you want to be the best, you got to play the best and we’re excited to go line up against those guys.”

Diaz was also asked about Miami’s starting quarterback, D’Eriq King, who was injured during the team’s bowl game last season.

According to Diaz, King is ahead of schedule in his rehab.

“He’s not going to not be in that game,” Diaz added on King.

Sounds like the leader of Miami’s offense is eager to test himself against Nick Saban’s defense.