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Last week, Al Golden was finally given the ax by Miami after a 58-0 mauling at the hands of Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. Golden came from Temple, who ironically, currently sits at 7-1 and hosted ESPN College Gameday this past week, in 2011. During his four and a half year tenure in Coral Gables, he compiled a 32-25 overall record, with a 17-18 mark in the ACC. Despite his winning record, the Hurricanes only had one season in which they won more than seven games. Larry Scott has taken over as the interim coach, with his first game being Saturday night’s controversial win over Duke.
With the firing, Miami joins a list of several teams who have already parted ways with their head coach, and the rumors of the coaching carousel have already heated up. One question that hangs over this particular job opening, however, is whether or not this is actually the premier gig that is has been made out to be in the past.
Miami has certainly been one of the most decorated programs of the last few decades in college football. In the 80’s, with Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson, we saw the birth of “The U”. For a period of time, the program took hold of the college football world with their controversial swagger and arrogance. Butch Davis then brought the program to possibly its most dominant, building recruiting classes that set NFL Draft records. Larry Coker carried on the success of his predecessor, but was eventually fired after a season that included an on-field brawl with FIU and the shooting of defensive tackle of Bryan Pata.
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Since those days, chronicled by two ESPN 30 for 30’s, the program has fallen off substantially. Randy Shannon was fired in 2010 after being unable to build a winner in his four years, and the NCAA sanctions continued to pile up. Golden suffered the same fate.
Despite the perception of this being a great coaching job, there are quite a few issues that plague this program. The fan support has been greatly lacking in recent years. Sun-Life Stadium, the 30-45 minute off-campus stadium, is never close to capacity, despite seating 64,982. The premier College Football powerhouses, even during down years, are able to fill 90-100,000 seat stadiums on a regular basis. Alabama, coming off of a mediocre tenure from Mike Shula, was still adding seats to Bryant-Denny Stadium, with the plan to add on 10,000 seats by 2010.
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Whoever takes this job also has to deal with an extremely unrealistic player alumni base. Al Golden had a winning record in a post NCAA sanction period, yet was much maligned by former Hurricane players. This is a group of players that were members of some of the greatest teams in NCAA history, and expect their Alma Mater to have the same once-in-a-lifetime run now, that they were lucky enough to experience twice. Of course, Golden’s teams could have been a lot better, but the expectations right now are unmanageable.
One of the biggest advantages to Miami is its location. The high school talent is South Florida is some of the best country. Schools like Miami Central, St. Thomas Aquinas, and even IMG Academy further north in Bradenton, FL, consistently produce Division 1 talent. With the pipeline to arguably the best talent region in the nation, shouldn’t Miami regularly be a powerhouse program?
In the decade-plus since that last run, other schools have gained a foothold in the hotbed of South Florida. A key to third ranked Clemson’s success has been their ability to recruit the state. Part of the Hurricane’s struggles have been the inability to snag the best recruits, as well as letting them go to ACC opponents. Losing players like Elvis Dumervil to Louisville, as well as current second-best running back in the country Dalvin Cook to FSU, has hurt the ‘Canes both directly and indirectly.
That is where the hubris of the Hurricanes becomes a factor. There is a belief that people want to play for “The U”, solely based on the brand. Since the days we saw in the two ESPN documentaries, the brand has lost a lot of its luster. Once a symbol of dominance and swagger, it now feels like a relic. What we see now is a shell of its former glory, with a 9-4 record being their best in five years. A great brand does not make up for on-field struggles and bad facilities.
While “The U” is one of the iconic symbols of the ’80s and ’90s, is the brand even as big a factor in recruiting in 2015 as we think? With more televised games, along with social media, programs have more exposure than ever. Kids no longer grow up watching only the national game with Keith Jackson on the call. Schools like Notre Dame are no longer the only game on TV, and the aura around those programs isn’t what it was even a decade ago. While the legend and tradition of a program is still a drawing factor, it is no longer a guarantee in landing a recruit. Kids want to play for winners, and a lot of them aren’t too interested in tradition.
Even in the coaching search, Miami is at a disadvantage. In the state of Florida alone, their are two, and possibly three or four, jobs better than Miami. Florida and Florida State are for sure the top dogs, but it gets cloudy after that. Appearing on Jox 94.5 in Birmingham, AL, Bleacher Report Lead College Football Writer Barrett Sallee stated that Miami is not a definite better job than UCF. With a great stadium, a partnership with the Bright House Network, and the largest on-campus student population in the country, meaning the alumni base will grow exponentially in the coming years, UCF is in no way a bad job. Their current 0-8 record is the fault of aging coach George O’Leary, who has followed the path of Spurrier and Beamer, and held on long enough to get the Old Yeller treatment.
A case for USF is a bit harder to make. They also play in an off-campus Raymond James Stadium, but also with much more manageable expectations. Willie Taggart, one of the youngest coaches in the FBS, is in the process of building his program, going from two wins in 2013, to four in 2014 and now has matched that four win total from last year, seven games into 2015, and will likely take the Bulls back to a bowl game.
In the national picture, Miami is the fourth best job opening, possibly the fifth. USC has an immense amount of talent, as we have seen in the two weeks since Steve Sarkisian was let go. This is a program with plenty of resources, and they will be able to open up the wallet for a big name.
South Carolina is another high quality job.It sits in another great recruiting region, the Carolinas, which have produced great pass rushers like Julius Peppers and Jadeveon Clowney. Steve Spurrier turned this program into a SEC East contender on a consistent basis, and a guy like Justin Fuente from Memphis can come in and bring youth and energy to a program that has lacked those traits under the Head Ball Coach’s last couple years. Like the other USC, this is also a team that will fork out the money for the man they want.
Even Maryland has big upside right now. With Under Armour creating their “Oregon East”, there is undoubtedly the financial backing to snag a top name. Their recent entry into the Big Ten is also a draw, considering the new TV deal that will likely give them the ability to make this one of the top programs in terms of facilities.
The common thread here is money. So many coaches have gotten huge paychecks, and so many teams have the ability to hand out the big money. That is something that Miami won’t do. As a guest on Fox’s “The Herd with Colin Cowherd”, Fox College Football insider Bruce Feldman stated that the most Miami would be willing to pay for a coach is roughly $3 million, nowhere near the amount that the top programs in the country can dish out.
As for candidates, there have been some interesting names thrown out there. Fuente, one of the hottest names in the game, will likely get one of the bigger, higher-paying jobs. Lane Kiffin, the offensive coordinator at Alabama, is another man rumored for this job. But even with his youth and offensive savvy, he doesn’t exactly fit the “leader of men” mold that I would want to rebuild my program.
It is a different Alabama staff-member that should take this job, however. Mario Cristobal, the offensive line coach of the Crimson Tide, has Miami ties and head coaching experience. While the end of his tenure with FIU did not end well, it was the type of experience that a young coach can learn from. In 2015, he was named the National Recruiter of the Year, and he also has a Sun Belt Coach of the Year award from 2010. This is a guy that knows the area and can bring a fresh outlook to the program.
A strange name being thrown around is Butch Davis. 60 year old Butch Davis. The same Butch Davis that is coming off of an academic scandal at North Carolina. Despite the fact that NCAA sanctions and the reputation they have brought is one of Miami’s biggest problems, Davis is still being seriously considered as the man for this job. If this is the hire, than another cycle of controversy has pretty much been guaranteed.
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I’ll admit, in the past, I’ve preached doom and gloom about the Miami football program, but I’ll take a few steps back. While there has been scandal and sanctions around this program, it has all been self-inflicted. It is not entirely impossible to create a great environment around this team, but it takes time.
The unrealistic expectations have to be tempered. Yes, this team has been disappointing, but it is crazy to think Miami can become “The U” again with the snap of the fingers. You have to show a little patience with the next hire. With the NCAA finally off of the ‘canes, let the next coach, whoever it is, instill his philosophy into the team, instead of complaining that it isn’t the team of the Johnson or Davis era.
It would also help if the actual environment was nicer. One of the trademarks of an Alabama or Ohio State is the extremely upscale facilities. When your players are spending most of their time somewhere, it’s probably a good idea to give them the best experience you can. The current facilities aren’t close to the quality of the type of program Miami thinks it is.
The stadium is an issue unto its own. Sure, it is an NFL stadium, but what is the point of all those empty seats? Atmosphere is a big deal in college football, and a half-empty stadium creates a lousy one. Build an on-campus stadium that seats about 35,000 and can easily be filled up, and make it a fun atmosphere again. In such an emotionally charged game, it is a good idea to at least manufacture perceived excitement.
All this goes back to the question, is Miami really that great of a job? The answer to that, right now, is no. And it hasn’t been since 2009. Golden showed glimpses of bringing it back, but failed. It could be, however. With a change of mindset, the program could be reset and rebuilt. As of right now, however, the negatives far outweigh the positives for any incoming coach.
