Regardless of what is or isn’t said in public, it is very hard to deny the idea that the Miami Hurricanes reacted to the UCF Knights on Sunday afternoon.
Sure, Miami faced its own upwelling of internal pressure to fire Al Golden, but when George O’Leary abruptly retired as UCF’s coach on Sunday, it became that much more imperative for The U to not stand idly by.
Consider the idea — by no means a certainty, but worth taking seriously — that UCF has become a better job than Miami.
Start here:
https://twitter.com/kensing45/status/658426132815962112
Continue here:
Jan 1, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Central Florida Knights head coach George O’Leary (right) celebrates with an assistant coach in the closing seconds of the game against the Baylor Bears during the Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Central Florida defeated Baylor 52-42. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The argument isn’t an airtight one, and it’s not even meant to be. The mere reality that UCF has a claim to being the better job than Miami is, itself, a powerful commentary. The U might be a better destination than Beautiful Downtown Orlando… but it must now work to earn that distinction. No one should assume that the Hurricanes can lure anyone to Coral Gables.
Miami — as is fairly well known in the industry — will have to pay Golden a significant amount in the buyout for the contract, such that it can’t offer top dollar to the coach who will lead the team in 2016. The Hurricanes have to acquire the coach who is willing to take less up-front money in exchange for having the opportunity to walk into a fertile recruiting area and revive what used to be one of the great brand names in college football.
Should Miami call Mark Richt? Yes… but it shouldn’t expect Richt to accept in a million years. Should Miami call Tom Herman? Yes… but Herman can aim much higher if he’s interested in making Houston a one-year pit stop.
The man who makes the most sense as Miami’s next head coach is the man who was dismissed by Florida International (the same athletic department which hired Isiah Thomas as its head basketball coach).
Yes, we’re talking about Alabama offensive line coach and former FIU field commander Mario Cristobal.
How Cristobal disappeared from the head-coaching scene was striking and bizarre, but now, it seems that he will return to being a head coach in the state of Florida.
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FIU gave up way too early on Cristobal, but one man trusted in his abilities: a man named Al Golden. In January of 2013, Golden hired Cristobal to be his tight ends coach at Miami. The move was smart, and who knows how much good it could have done for the Canes in the next few years. We never got to find out, though, because Cristobal bolted to take an offer from Nick Saban to coach Alabama’s offensive line.
If Miami can overlook that slight from 2013, it will (and should) hire Cristobal this December, after Alabama’s SEC season ends. If Miami doesn’t…
… the other coaching vacancy in the state of Florida becomes that much more interesting.
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It’s enough of a drama by itself that Miami’s job is now vacant. The chance to rejuvenate that particular program must fill the eyes of an aspiring coach with a certain gleam. Being the toast of South Florida is alluring; you can be celebrated anywhere, but being celebrated in Miami comes with a certain degree of glamour and historical resonance. Moreover, realize that as great as Miami was in its heyday, none of its head coaches lasted even seven years.
Howard Schnellenberger. Jimmy Johnson. Dennis Erickson. Larry Coker. All four men won national titles, but none of them stayed longer than six seasons. Neither did Butch Davis, who led the Canes within an eyelash of the national title in the 2000 season.
Imagine being able to take over Miami after the Nevin Shapiro scandal and successfully coach The U for 15 seasons. The limits of the job (in terms of compensation and fan attendance, plus the presence of Florida State and Clemson in the ACC Atlantic) are substantial, but for the coach who thinks he can solve those riddles, this remains a job of a lifetime, a centerpiece gig and not a stepping stone to something else. Again, it’s enough of a drama in itself that the Miami job is open.
Yet, what if UCF’s Fiesta Bowl win and new on-campus stadium — with an attractive lifestyle and less pressure (and a more loyal fan following) — are valued more by a coach in search of that next good job?
Miami might have fired Golden when it did because it didn’t want UCF to get such a leg up in the coaching search. Whether or not that’s acknowledged in public, it should certainly be taken into consideration as a reason for the Hurricanes’ abrupt move, following Saturday declarations that nothing would happen anytime soon.
Let’s play along with the idea that Cristobal wants the Miami job. (Only time will tell if he does.) When the UCF news broke, the idea of having to compete with the Knights for coaching candidates had to enter the minds of Miami’s foremost decision makers. The idea that Cristobal might find the UCF opening attractive… with Miami’s job still occupied through November… could have been one very granular yet important part of this larger process in Coral Gables.
If Cristobal does become Miami’s next coach, don’t discount the importance of firing Golden this past weekend, thereby clearing the deck and giving Cristobal the chance to (fully prepare to) seek the job.
If Miami is interested in a wider search? UCF can then pay a visit to Tuscaloosa and see what FIU’s former head coach is up to.
Maybe he’d want to recruit against the Hurricanes (and Seminoles, and Gators).
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Miami and UCF, open at the same time. Ten years ago, this wouldn’t have rated as a particularly fascinating coaching-carousel drama. Today, in 2015, it is richly intriguing, with subplots and tension points that make late November and early December such an endlessly interesting time to be a fan or chronicler of college football.
