Miami is parting ways with Athletic Director Blake James, the program announced Monday afternoon.

James served as AD for Miami athletics for 8 years. The program said it will conduct a national search for his replacement. The move comes just over a month after Miami President Julio Frenk released a letter to the university community promising he’d be more involved in athletics affairs.

More than anything, the status of Miami football head coach Manny Diaz now comes into play. After an 8-3 season in 2020 led to a preseason AP top-15 ranking, the Hurricanes have struggled. Miami is just 5-5 on the year and fresh off a 31-28 loss to Florida State.

The Canes had a 5-point lead with 2 minutes to play before allowing a 7-play, 80-yard scoring drive to the Seminoles.

James had a hand in hiring Diaz away from Temple in 2018 just a month after Temple had hired him from Miami. The former defensive coordinator was brought back to town after coach Mark Richt retired.

But Diaz is just 19-15 in 3 seasons at Miami. The Hurricanes (3-3 in ACC play) have games left against Virginia Tech and Duke. According to ESPN, if Miami were to have fired Diaz with James still in place, the AD would not have been the one to pick Diaz’s replacement.