Can Former Texas DC Manny Diaz Succeed in the SEC?

Fair or not, most people have already made up their minds on whether new Mississippi State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz is a good defensive coordinator.

Some remember him for his work at Mississippi State in 2010 when his Bulldogs forced 28 turnovers—the third-most in the SEC—and held opponents to 19.8 points per game and the second-best red-zone touchdown percentage in the conference (42.5 percent).

Others, on the other hand, remember his demise.

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Lured away by Texas following the 2010 season, the Longhorn defense got progressively worse under Diaz, and it culminated when Texas gave up 679 total yards—550 of which were on the ground—in a road loss to BYU on Sept. 7, 2013.

Diaz was fired the next day, but his resume as a hotshot coordinator who couldn't live up to the hype was etched in stone.

Or was it?

Diaz was hired for his second go-round at Mississippi State on Monday, replacing Geoff Collins, who left to become Florida's defensive coordinator.

"When you look at the new standard Mississippi State has set and the national prominence that has come with the accomplishments of 2014, we want to continue to raise the bar here," Diaz said in a release from the school. "This is a tremendous place to develop players on and off the field and ultimately compete for championships."

It's a fantastic move for Diaz and for Mississippi State. 

This is the place where Diaz really made a name for himself, and he did it shutting down potent offenses.

Michael Thomas/Associated Press

Auburn won a national championship that season with quarterback Cam Newton at the helm, but Diaz held the Tigers to just 348 yards in Starkville and was a big reason why Mississippi State had the ball late with a chance to tie or win. 

Kentucky's offense finished the season averaging 427.8 yards per game behind quarterback Mike Hartline, running back Derrick Locke and wide receiver Randall Cobb. Against Mississippi State, the Wildcats managed just 347.

Those were two of the more creative offenses in the SEC at the time, and over the last four seasons that number has only increased.

As former Bulldog quarterback Matt Wyatt of Head To Head radio in Mississippi notes, he was a tremendous coach during his lone season in Starkville:

There will be some speed bumps. 

Continuity played a big role in Mississippi State's success in 2014, and that won't continue in 2015.

P.J. Jones, Kaleb Eulls and and first-team All-SEC defensive end Preston Smith will all be gone from the defensive line, first-team linebacker Benardrick McKinney could jump early and two starters in the secondary—Jamerson Love and Jay Hughes—have exhausted their eligibility.

That doesn't mean Diaz can't recapture the magic.

There's still a solid foundation up front with former 5-star recruit Chris Jones at defensive tackle and a leader at linebacker in Beniquez Brown, who finished second on the team in tackles (62). 

Diaz can build around them and continue the tradition of Mississippi State producing physical and punishing front sevens. After all, he was one of the men who helped build the tradition.

Don't be fooled by Diaz' time at Texas. It was a sinking ship at the time, and Diaz was thrown off before it went under. He can still coach, and will succeed at Mississippi State during his second stint in Starkville.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report, as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.