Miami Hurricanes Sep 8, 2018; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A Miami Hurricanes fan holds a school logo sign during the first half against the Savannah State Tigers at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
NCAABy Sean Keeley on

The writing has been on the wall for a few days now and it became official on Monday. The Miami Hurricanes fired Manny Diaz on Sunday evening to make room for Mario Cristobal, who is leaving his post with the Oregon Ducks to become the new head football coach there.

The coaching carousel has been particularly wild in the last couple of weeks, so all of this ends up being less surprising than you might think. However, it’s the financial numbers involved that seem to signal a whole new era for Miami football and college sports in general.

First, Miami is reportedly going to pay Cristobal $8 million per year over 10 years and give him the largest assistant coach pool in the ACC.

That’s not all, however. Miami has also agreed to buy out Manny Diaz as well as cover the buyout in Cristobal’s Oregon contract.

That kind of upfront money is unheard of, even for a program like The U. Where is it coming from? In the most American of ways, it appears that a boom in Miami’s healthcare arms is helping to fund their football team.

Per Stewart Mandel, the Miami UHealth system made over $400 million in profits last year in the midst of a pandemic, and that, coupled with boosters who want to see the Canes return to form, makes it easy for the school to make this wild investment.

The reaction to that development is, well, interesting.

https://twitter.com/PeytonWXYZ/status/1467840382213963786

It’s true that there is perhaps no better summation of America than taking the profits earned during a pandemic and using them to make your football team better. That it’s the school that was involved in multiple booster scandals over the years is simply icing on the cake.

But if Cristobal is able to elevate Miami back to national prominence, you won’t hear too many people in Coral Gables complaining about it. So it goes.

[Manny Navarro, Chris Vannini, Stewart Mandel]

About Sean Keeley

Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Editorial Strategy Director for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.

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