“We’re going to keep moving this thing forward and it’s hard for me to give you a time table. When my time table is wiped out on August 15, 2011. It’s hard me to give you a time table. I made a commitment to get it done and we’re going to fight our asses off until we get it done.” – Al Golden in the Russell Athletic Bowl post-game presser on 12/28/13.
What started out as (expected) rumors earlier today has since been confirmed by multiple media outlets—Penn State is targeting Miami head coach Al Golden to replace the recently-departed Bill O’Brien.
Hardly a surprise based on the long-time relationship between the two parties.
Golden played tight-end for Penn State (1987-1991), learned under the legendary Joe Paterno, joined the staff to coach up linebackers (2000) and after turning around the left-for-dead Temple Owls (2006-2010), has been on the Nittany Lions’ radar.
Golden took the Miami job in December 2010, when Paterno was steadfast on remaining Penn State’s leader. The longtime coach was fired nine months later for his cover-up role in the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
Three years later, both programs are at a crossroads. O’Brien helped turn the Nittany Lions program around over the past two seasons, while the NCAA reduced some heavy-handed sanctions it levied on Penn State last September—making the rebuilding project less daunting.
Early Years of the Golden Era
In Miami, Golden negotiated the Hurricanes through a two-plus year investigation of its own after the salacious Yahoo! Sports expose penned by investigative journalist Charles Robinson.
The detailed piece was released in August 2011, weeks before Golden’s first game coaching the Hurricanes.
Multiple players were suspended, the phrase “death penalty” was thrown around in a way-too-carefree a manner, with some “professionals” predicting the Miami program could be done for good.
Golden had a mess on his hands with a broken-down Hurricanes program, but sympathy in the court of public opinion, giving him a free pass to hit the road if he so chose.
Instead, he dug in deeper, stating that he wasn’t raised a quitter and would see his commitment through.
At the end of the 2011 season, Golden and Miami agreed to an extension that would keep him in Coral Gables until 2020. The news was announced during what wound up a season-ending loss to Boston College, as Golden-to-Happy-Valley rumors swirled in the wake of Paterno’s firing.
At every turn, Golden’s has reaffirmed his commitment to Miami. Penn State early on. UCLA, Tennessee and even Wisconsin—the Hurricanes’ coach always attached some how, even if it’s just media speculation rooted in his good guy persona, character and CEO-type vibe.
Crazy as it sounds, a portion of the “U Family” would gladly help Golden pack the moving van as the turnaround and clean-up haven’t met their unrealistic time table.
Forget the ten-year mess, the fact the previous coach went 28-23, burned bridges with local high school coaches and left a team so out out of shape that not one player could pass Golden’s conditioning test that his Temple players could crush.
Three dozen kids left the program over the past three years, while the NCAA scandal scared other top talent away and many of the second- and third-choice recruits simply didn’t pan out.
Still, some remain mired in defensive scheme chatter, harping on coaches and players instead of thinking long-term and praising some of the seeds Golden’s planted over the past few seasons.
Golden’s Impact Measurable for Those Who Care to Measure
Golden’s summer camps have greatly impacted recruiting efforts, while helping make things right with the local high school coaches who tired of Randy Shannon and his indifferent attitude.
Recruiting starts a decade before these kids ever play a down in college. Golden knows that and has gone new levels with brand recognition and selling “The U” to the next generation.
Golden also went new levels with his “U Tough” conditioning program, as well as implementing a 16-player “Unity Council”, in effort to create leadership and empower key members of his squad.
The critics will dismiss all the above with a, “pffftt!” and continue bitching about giving up 500-plus yards a game and losing to the likes of Duke, painfully short-sighted and too frustrated with the wins-versus-losses to acknowledge how far Miami had slipped over the past decade.
Just ask former cornerback Ryan Hill who had a few parting shots and some “real talk” regarding the Miami culture months after his playing career ended.
There’s no other process than a slow crawl back to the top. Such was the case in the late nineties when fans tried to run Butch Davis out of town—the same coach many would welcome back with open arms should Golden depart.
Forget Davis’ inability to gameday coach and true lack of character—shown in the departure from Miami as well as the blind eye turned at North Carolina.
A desire to live in the past have too many thinking the 62-year old they once thanked publicly for turning “champs” to “chumps” is the missing link in a return to glory.
Next up, some cries for the return of Jimmy Johnson almost three decades after he left “The U”, despite being in his seventies and not having coached in 15 years—his last sideline appearance, a 62-7 loss in the Playoffs when coaching the Dolphins.
Based on what Golden is doing on the recruiting front—a fourth-ranked class with 30 verbal commits, despite NCAA sanctions hovering until late October—some are still willing to run off a committed coach current doing his best “Butch” or “JJ” with his third full recruiting class.
Officially Reached That “Be Careful What You Wish For” Point
The next few days will be program-definining for the University of Miami. That’s hardly overstating it.
By staying, Golden again reaffirms his commitment to this program, displaying a type of character that few modern-day coaches possess and proves that he believes he’ll create something special—in due time—at “The U”.
He’s publicly declared his heart for Miami—both the university and the city itself—and knows that resurrecting the Hurricanes opens the door to any coaching gig he’ll ever desire.
For proof, look no further than every other UM head coach between 1984 and 2001 and where their paths led.
All that said, Golden could hardly faulted for leaving. An up-and-comer with many options three years ago, he walked into a shit-storm at Miami.
Things looked decent from the outside, but getting a look under the hood confirmed that things were worse than ever imagined.
The stench of “Shapirogate” hovered for over two years and even with Miami primed to start turning the corner with a top-flight class coming aboard, Golden still can’t earn the support he deserves—or even a semi-fair timetable in regards to a timely turnaround.
Golden is from New Jersey, but make no mistake—Happy Valley represents “home”. It’s a dream job for a former alum—despite the Sandusky scandal—and like the architect of Miami’s rebuild, whoever gets Penn State back to an elite level will be Paterno incarnate, pre-scandal.
Talk Has Been Talked—Will Walk Be Walked?
While a case can be made to stay or go, it’d be a surprise if Golden left Miami for Penn State, here and now.
Three years of planting seeds, rebuilding and changing a culture, Golden has built an infrastructure that can prove successful in South Florida. It’s simply a matter of time, desire and growth.
There’s also those buzzwords that seem to define the man. Commitment. Character. Core values. What are Golden’s “8 Pillars of Performance” if he doesn’t subscribe to and live out the same things he preaches to his kids?
“If you’re not based on something, you can fall for anything,” preached Golden in a recent CanesAllAccess piece titled “Mind Games”.
“I think that’s the one thing that we’ve experienced here the last few years, that the University of Miami stands for something. I think our coaching staff stands for something. I think our student athletes stand for something—and what they stand for is that ‘U’ and that brotherhood and that legacy and that it is worth fighting for.
Give that all up to take over the Nittany Lions—forever in Paterno’s shadow—and without the ability to pull all that State of Miami-area talent to the northeast? Penn State would have to be Golden’s “dream job” like nothing else.
There’s also the family factor—and it’s no secret that the Goldens are happy as South Florida residents. They’ve taken to the city, built friendships and proudly call Miami home.
Yes, bouncing around comes with the coaching culture—but the effect can be minimized. Look no further than former Boise State coach Chris Petersen.
Mentioned in every big time opening since becoming a BCS buster, Petersen consistently stayed put until Washington called this offseason. Big time Pac-12 program, with the ability to stay in the Pacific Northwest, as region proved more important to him and his family life than money, status or prestige.
The Petersen argument can work for or against Golden staying at Miami or making the leap to Penn State. It’s all rooted in what he considers “home” at this phase of his life.
Regardless, Golden will hear out his alma mater and go through the process out of respect for all things Blue & White.
I’m guessing South Florida wins out—rooted mostly in Golden’s reverence for the phrases “character” and “commitment—but certainly won’t count out northeast Pennsylvania or breathe easily until the man himself says otherwise.
Neither should “U”.
Again….thank you for bringing a sane perspective to the conversation. I agree that I’d bet on Al staying….and I would hate to see him leave. We have a real gem of a coach and he’ll continue to progress the football program.
… thanks, Ty. Everyone is sick of being in “rebuild mode”—I shudder to think where things go if Al Golden leaves.
This fan base is like someone who breaks up with their nice girlfriend, under the impression they’re going to go out and get laid by supermodels seven nights a week. Instead, the ex-girlfriend gets all the dates, the guy is home alone and in time he realizes he err in his ways—when it’s too late.
This mindset that if Golden goes that Miami will just pick up the ol’ orange-and-green batphone and call up a Butch Davis, Rob Chudzinski, Bobby Petrino or Charlie Strong and have a pick of the litter regarding big time head coaches … it’s laughable.
Miami is a unique job. Private school in a metropolitan city. It’s not for everybody. Most college head coaches go places where they get the rah-rah experience. That is not “The U”—but the upside here if winning is endless and there are many things Miami as a city has that podunk college towns will never possess.
Golden seems to be a great fit and could be here a while. He just needs time to turn the corner. It’s been three years and it was a seven-year disaster before he even showed up. The NCAA crap set it back even further.
Hopefully he stays and this is a learning experience for the knee-jerk folks who want to run him off.
Again, be careful what you wish for, people.
I don’t “wish.” I “expect.” And what I expect is on-the-field results. Al Golden is a white, out-of-shape Randy Shannon. The numbers prove it.
Coaches are hired to win games, not be good guys. Shannon was fired for not winning games, not for upsetting HS coaches. Golden needs to go, for exactly the same reason. Shalala won’t fire him, so PSU needs to hire him.
… by your rationale Miami should’ve fired Butch Davis after a few years as well, then … which would’ve proven idiotic and disastrous.
Coaches are hired to win games and when the guy who got fired turned over a lazy, pot-smoking, out-of-shape roster that went 28-23 over four seasons, it’s going to take the new guy more than three years to right the ship—especially with a three-year NCAA investigation, missed-out-on recruits and three dozen kids who left the program over a three-year span, killing depth.
“Expect” all you want. That entitlement mentality is prevalent in fandom and is the norm these days, sadly.
Good article but I am failing to understand where Golden has excelled. Character and perseverance are great but everything about this team has been below average. Coach D is horrible, Coley is horrible, Fisch at least put points on the board. People keep talking about a lack of talent… Is USF more talented? How about Louisville? VA tech, Duke, Vanderbilt? I say no… They are all well coached, that’s the difference. Golden is a nice guy, supposedly a good recruiter but he is an average to below average coach. Let’s not even talk about his horrible game planning and in game adjustments. How long should it take to win a division title? 10 years? I guess we will continue to watch kids like Bridgewater, S. Johnson and many others excel while we lose to the likes of Duke. Stop making excuses for AG.
… where was he supposed to “excel” at this point? Golden “excelled” by not letting Miami backslide into complete insignificance the past three years. Without the moves he made to put the right recruiting pieces in place, this program might’ve been knocked out for good. Think about it.
Also, can’t know the James Coley hire. Jedd Fisch left Miami at the final hour last year—late January. The Canes needed a last-minute option and they stole the Noles best recruiting and an up-and-coming coordinator. Coley had a tough year down the stretch but also lost some key offensive weapons.
As for Central Florida—George O’Leary has been building there for ten seasons. Went 0-11 a decade ago and had a few rough seasons, but has steadily been building something. The guy was a resume lie from being Notre Dame’s head coach, so he obviously is well-thought of and found a fit in Orlando. Has a good quarterback and running back, built a stout defense and they were a play or two from beating South Carolina after knocking off Penn State (in Happy Valley) and beating Louisville weeks later. The season ended with a bowl trouncing of Baylor … so yes, I’d say right now Central Florida has more talent at key positions, better depth and was coached up proper as it’s been a TEN-YEAR rebuild there.
Like many fans, you’re lumping ten years of ACC mediocrity all on the current guy, which is bullshit. Coker failed in three tries, when having the easiest path based on talent. Shannon gave it a whirl, crapped the bed in crucial conference games and was 28-23 overall in four years. That’s seven years of shitty football handed to Golden BEFORE the NCAA stuff even hit. Even WITH that, Golden had Miami tied for first in the ACC Coastal last year (yes, UNC would’ve won tiebreaker if non on probation) and gave up a title game shot—yet again, you’re blaming the current man in charge instead of the other jackasses who helped create the problem.
As for Storm Johnson, he chose to leave. So did Teddy Bridgewater. How is either lumped on Golden? Johnson didn’t want to compete and got himself suspended while Bridgewater didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of J12—a big reason being how the Miami fan base treated Jacory Harris.
A few things to marinate on whilst losing one’s mind. Just saying.
We hope he proves us right and stays. He is a good
man. So many coaches only care about glory
And money and not the kids they coach
GREAT PIECE! I AM TORN, BETWEEN GOLDEN STAYING OR GOING. IM NOT A UNREALISTIC FAN THAT IF WE LOSE 1 GAME OUR COACH HAS TO BE FIRED. I GUARANTEE MOST OF WHO COMPLAIN DONT UNDERSTAND THE GAME OR NEVER EVEN HAVE PLAYED A DOWN IN THERE LIFE. I AGREE GOLDEN IS A “CHARACTER” GUY, THERE IS NO DEBATING THAT, HE TEACHES MORE THAN X’S AND O’S, AND WE ARE IN A DIFFERENT ERA OF COLLEGE FOOTBALL, EVEN AS FAR BACK AS 2003 THE GAME HAS EVOLVED SO MUCH EVEN WITH THE ‘TARGETING’ RULES ETC. ITS NOT SO MUCH HIS ABLITY TO RECRUIT OR THE LITTLE THINGS HE HAS DONE OFF THE FIELD, ITS THE LITTLE THINGS ON THE FIELD, I FEEL WE DONT MAXIMIZE THE TALENTS OF PLAYERS WE DO HAVE. A PLAYERS RESPONSIBILITY IS TO EXECUTE , TACKLING ETC. A COACHES JOB IS TO GET THE PLAYERS LINED UP AND SCHEME TO OUR STRENGTHS. AGAIN, I LIKE GOLDEN BUT WHEN I HEAR QUESTIONS FROM RECRUITS THAT DONT SOLIDIFY WHAT WE ARE RUNNING AS A DIEHARD FAN (HOPEFULLY RAISING ONE) IM CONCERNED. I FEEL WITH ALL THE RESOURCES THE U HAS (FORMER PLAYERS,COACHES) HOW CAN WE PLAY AT THIS LEVEL ON THE O AND D (NOT JUST THE D’S FAULT). I KNOW WE DIDNT RECRUIT BLUE CHIPPERS BECAUSE OF OUR ‘SITUATION’ ONLY THE FEW DIEHARDS CAME (JOHNSON) BUT HOW DO OTHER SCHOOLS PUT TOGETHER A TEAM AND EXECUTE AT A HIGH LEVEL? SCHEME, EXECUTION, GAMEPLANNING AND INTENSITY. IS THE TALENT REALLY THAT DEPLEATED? I AM JUST AS FRUSTRATED AS ANY OTHER CANE, I KNOW IT DIDNT GO SOUTH OVERNIGHT AND ITS NOT GOING TO BE BUILD OVERNIGHT I GUESS WHAT I HOPING IS AND YOU CAN CONCUR THAT GOLDEN IS A MAN OF HIS WORD AND HE IS COMITTED TO THE U AND IS EVALUATING EVERYTHING HE STATED AFTER THE HORRIFIC BOWL GAME AND REALIZES SOME OF THE SCHEMES HE SIGNS OFF ON ARENT SUCCESSFUL TO THE TALENT THE U CAN POSSESS. THANKS FOR READING
This whole situation has me completely torn. While I agree coach Golden has been a great mentor and figurehead during a very turbulent time, I’m not exactly sure what we would be losing if he decided to go to Happy Valley. Does he recruit well? Sure. Does he fit the leadership role and bring a certain discipline that we haven’t seen in quite some time? Definitely. However has any player under his leadership really shown great improvement? Even with the older players coming out and saying that coach D isn’t the problem, that it’s the players fault its very difficult to see that when it seems the defense can’t tackle or shed blocks. I am guilty of looking at these teams and expecting 98′, 99′, 00′, 01′, but at the end of the day it truly seems like I’ve been watching the same 4 or 5 ball games ever since old man Coker got run out of town. I know that if Golden leaves we are in big trouble for even more rebuilding, but I really think we need someone who understands Miami football. I think he has stifled most of the bravado, and the essence of the kids that come from the area. Speed at every position is something that we haven’t seen in ages, and the diamonds in the rough that JJ and Butch seemed to always find simply aren’t there anymore. Maybe I am asking too much, yet those were the teams I fell in love with. Not a big ten team in Green and Orange. Who knows what is going to happen this coming week, but I know that either way I don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel happening anytime soon for us U fans.
Awesome article. While the attraction of Penn State is great, I believe that Coach Golden will stay strong and make The U great again!
I sure hope Golden stays at the U!!! I think he’s a good coach & an excellent recruiter!!
I hope he stays, for basically all the same reasons that you mentioned in the article. When rumors first started about O’Brien to the Texans I didn’t think Golden would be interested in the Penn State job because of turning the corner with the NCAA cloud at Miami, and not wanting to take a step backwards in terms of scholarships and bowl games. But it’s obvious now that he is considering it. At Miami he’ll have a roster full of his own guys next year, and I think that counts for something. The unrealistic expectations are probably the same at either school (I’m a Miami fan from Pennsylvania), so it’s not like the move would really make life that much easier for him. At Penn State at least he would have more than 20,000 fans at the games, but hopefully that doesn’t factor in. Al has said many times how much his family loves the Miami area, and one report I read said that his wife doesn’t want to leave. I’m hoping that influence helps to keep him in Miami.
Great piece; and once again, you put things into perspective nicely! I am a BIG believer in Golden & would hate to see him leave. Do changes need to be made, yes, but he does everything the right way. I truly believe he is the right man for the job & can’t wait to see what he is able to accomplish post-Shapiro/NCAA!! GO CANES!!
come on penn st. make golden an offer he cant refuse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH BUT HE CAN STAY AS LONG AS HE SURROUNDS HIMSELF WITH BETTER ASSISTANCE….AND D’ONOFRIO IS FIRST ON THE LIST THAT IS A MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEFENSES WITH LESSER TALENT ACROSS AMERICA PERFORM BETTER…AND THEY BLAME IT ON WHAT SHANNON LEFT BEHIND…LMAO!!! LEVITT WOULD BE A GOOD CHOICE FOR A DC…. AND IF GOLDEN JETS…. HOW ABOUT STRONG..DUNGY…HERMAN EDWARDS….GRUDEN…..JUST TO NAME A FEW GOOD CHOICES …..COME CLEAN WITH THE MONEY AND THEY WILL COME!
Great Article:
It seems befitting the scenario that if CG stays and the ‘U’ starts playing excellent football the fans who are now hounding him will do a “mea culpa”. I know that would not happen, but they surely would jump on the “Win Wagon”.
Many calling for CG’s ouster, are the same characters who hated Butch, hated Shannon, and it continues. Schnelly and JJ were not winners until the team was ready for the next step. Erickson floated in with great teams, but building is not pretty. If the architect has to reposition and redraw certain things, give him time to adjust.
These fans are the same people who would be calling for Saban to be fired because he lost 2 games, and of all the opponents. Oklahoma!!!
We are lucky and should recognize CG as a principled Leader willing to do as he has told his team.
Let the man rebuild and get off his case.
… thanks Gary. What’s scary is the fact that so many folks can’t remember the important details of the Butch Davis eras. Complaining about game day abilities, wanting coordinators fired, etc. People tried to run Davis out of town up through his sixth and final season at Miami (re: Washington loss), called him a traitor and a liar … yet many would welcome him back tomorrow because he was a top-notch recruiter.
Golden has been here three seasons and took over a shit-show program. He has earned—and deserves—more than three years to right this ship.
Had fans run Davis off in 1997 with that stupid banner, Miami might never have recovered. Let’s not try to do the same dumb thing twice.
I like Golden as a person and coach, but his insistence on keeping D’onofrio while we are at or near the bottom of the FBS in total defense for two years running is not acceptable. We want performance, and blaming Randy’s recruits does not cut the mustard after three years. I would be surprised if Al stays at Miami, and I am pretty sure we would find a good replacement. If he does stay with us, I sure hope he gets some better performance or a different set of coordinators to make some changes.
… all understandable, but honestly, until D’Onofrio has proper talent and depth on that side of the ball, he has to get an “incomplete”. No defensive line. No solid linebacking corps. If the front seven can’t get to the quarterback and bring some pressure …. what can really be done? I saw Miami in a 3-4 and 4-3 this year. Bringing pressure and blitzes. Seemed whatever the Canes tried, nothing consistently worked—when tends to be the case when you have a few undersized / lesser talented safeties, slow linebackers and a defensive line reliant on average D-I transfers.
I’m not blaming Randy’s recruits—I’m pointing out the program Al inherited (28-23), with a broken culture and out of shape player—before the NCAA stuff even hit. Three dozen kids left the program between 2010 and 2012 and a lot of good athletes wound up elsewhere, scared off by negative recruiting tactics.
With Golden now staying, let’s see what moves are made over the coming weeks and how he closes on the recruiting front.
Very good article and balanced! Feeling the blues of what both Universities have had to endure over the years… Don’t be surprised if the AG leaves for Happy Valley to take over the helm and legacy that Paterno taught AG as a player and coach. We are feeling quite empty for the very promises of staying together as a team. Players committed and held to their word but the coach did not. When it comes down right to it…money talks and the rest is all BS or empty promises. If AG stays at the “U” then I know at least JoePa taught him well and his pillars remain true to not only to the players, the university, but folks like us who love the game and honestly know that these universities offer an excellent education. Good Luck Canes! We Are!
… appreciated, man. Responding to this after Golden has decided to stay at Miami, but that said, wouldn’t have been shocked if he chose to leave. This decision really could’ve been a coin flip as there are pluses and minuses to both for Golden. An argument could truly be built either way.
At day’s end, I really think timing coupled with the uniqueness of the Miami situation make it more desirable. Having just come out of two self-imposed bowl bans and just getting the NCAA off the program’s back, that would’ve been tough for Al to walk back into—especially at his alma mater and in his mentor’s shadow.
There’s also the whole UM vibe, which Golden seems to mesh with. Metropolitan city. Small private college in a warm-weathered, beachy climate. Miami doesn’t have the rah-rah tradition, but what it does have, no one outside of Southern Cal can compete with. Golden knows how to sell UM’s strengths and if he continues doing so, he can lock up the best local recruits, nab some of the best nationally and will have the talent and depth to go toe-to-toe with anybody.
I think O’Brien was a great fit for Penn State and that Munchak is a good fit. Get an NFL guy in there for a few more years and when they depart, again go after a Golden or Franklin-like up-and-comer.
Good luck with the search. – C
I don’t think golden will feel he completed his work here. And I hope not. The D to me played better than last year. If the offense could stay on the field for more than 1/3 of the time then maybe their numbers would have been a lot better. 38 min Louisville compared to Miami 21. we had a bunch of turnovers which is something i haven’t seen in the past d’s.18 int compared to 11. and 29 sacks compared to 13 on D. don’t hate golden though he has done well under unfathomable conditions. recruiting and work eithic is what we need from him. we have a lack of talent but it should have never gotten that way. i just hope kids see we are gonna win a NC or compete by 2017-18 and jump on board. if olsen can come close to a dorsey. things will be right on track.
… the offense was a huge letdown this year. There’s so much talk about the defense, but at day’s end the loss of Jedd Fisch, the learning curve for James Coley, the injury to Duke Johnson, the lack of a complimentary back (as well as no solid number two guy), the regression of Stephen Morris and by years end, a MASH unit regarding the wide receiving corps.
Miami’s offense was good for 565 yards at Duke, but couldn’t find the end zone. Only 23 offensive points? Three red zone field goals? The defense certainly didn’t do it’s job, but that was to be expected. The offense was expected to roll this year and didn’t. Against Virginia Tech, a special teams nightmare.
Miami’s defense actually showed up early against both Virginia Tech and Louisville, but the offense’s inability to stay on the field or score … the defense could only hold up so long, as you pointed out, in regards to the time of possession issues.
Admin, don’t forget this is titled: “Opinion”. And just because some may disagree it doesn’t necessarily make it short-sighted or knee-jerk. Sure, some fans are. But many fans have legitimate criticism of this staff. An NCAA cloud doesn’t mean immunity from critique. Yes, he appears to be a phenomenal recruiter and orator. Conditioning is better. Depth returning. But what about game-day adjustments, getting most out of your players, and, quite frankly schemes? Some of these points you have conceded to in the past. Where/when do we see the improvements in these areas? Without those attributes, we likely have a ceiling with this staff. My opinion. We aren’t frustrated because we haven’t seen the “turnaround and clean-up in our unrealistic timetable. It’s because we haven’t seen really any progress in those areas. Our defense has been inexcusable the last 3 yrs. consistently bad. Most other teams have fielded far better units with less talent. That is a major red flag to many fans. 3 yrs! So, if AG doesn’t part ways with him, then why continue down the rabbit hole? “He just needs time to turn the corner”….that remains to be seen. With this recruiting class, if there isn’t that progress, then hopefully that’s a learning experience for the AG faithful.
Brian – Respect the take. No, just because someone disagrees doesn’t make their take short-sighted or a knee-jerk response—but in many cases in the sports culture, that proves to be true. If you’ve followed this Golden story via social media the past 48 hours some of what’s been said was pathetic, overemotional and laughable.
I understand why some fans have legitimate criticisms of the staff and those are different from the knee-jerk, “fire this guy”, “start this guy”, “hire that guy” comments that start flooding message boards at halftime when Miami is down a score.
Personally, I believe the biggest issue is the lack of talent and depth. I think this coaching staff knows what they want to do, but have been unable to do it without certain players in certain positions.
I don’t care how much one schemes on defense, without a solid front seven and a few impact players at tackle, you’re not going to get it done. Offensively, this team lacked a quality number two back and not only paid when Johnson went down, but paid as the kid wasn’t fresh late game as he was too relied-upon.
The Canes need more Miami-caliber players to get this thing back on its way.
Butch Davis wasn’t some game-day guru and his schemes weren’t anything to write home about. Miami simply had more talent and getting superior athletes to implement is key. No mystery that the best teams in the game have the most talent—Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Ohio State, etc.—or that supposed “surprise” teams like Central Florida or Michigan State were ten- and seven-year projects taken on by George O’Leary and Mark Dantonio.
As for progress, the debate whether there has or hasn’t been any will continue based on perspective and opinion. There were game-day adjustments this year that folks have forgotten about after closing the season 2-4. Comebacks against Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest were all results of both offensive and defensive adjustments made at halftime. To not give credit for those isn’t right. Nor is it fair to just harp on the coaching staff when we know good and hell well that these players were making mistakes, blowing assignments and flat-out played some dumb football at times this year. No point in naming names, but at times decision-making and execution was downright awful.
I believe Al Golden knows what he’s doing. The guy’s not a dummy. He’ll get this thing corrected. How? I don’t know, nor is it my job to, but I believe that he’ll bring back the talent and the program will continue taking steps forward.
When he does, only then will people realize how bad things were in this era. The 28-23 team he inherited. The broken culture. The out of shape players and non-Miami caliber kids. The weight of the scandal. The local kids lost as a result of the NCAA rooting around for three years. The three dozen kids who left the program over a three-year span (and all the other second- and third-choice recruits who didn’t pan out).
This whole mess was beyond nasty and to have 30 kids on board to come in before fall—that’s a tangible difference-maker. Talent and depth. Talent and depth. Talent and depth. Get the right guys and this thing will come back.
Al has moved the ball forward significantly since the era of failure started by Coker and Shannon. But he is obviously shopping himself to PSU. He could have shut this down uesterday and he didn’t. The only way he stays now is if he isn’t the first choice.
Assuming the penn state should be coached by penn staterd factions wins and golden gets an offer he will be out. The U should line up the best coach available so we aren’t scrambling. The best man is Butch Davis.
Now many will hollar about the way he left, but who cares? He develops mortals into monsters and that is what we need. If the bureaucrats running the school can’t swallow their pride And get a deal done with Butch, we are most likely toast. A no name hire tanks this class and sets us back to square one.
At this point Al looks to be heading for the exit and the U needs to protect the program.
Chris I post this here because I respect you and I want to get your thoughts on this.
I’ve been a solid AG supporter up until that Louisville drubbing. I then did a bit of research. AG supporters, as I once did, suggest that he just needs more time due to the terrible cloud of sanctions, and the bare cupboard RS left. Both of those equate with the claim that AG simply didn’t have quality players recruited into the system – and that, is why we perform so poorly. That, they say is why we did not win the coastal this year, and why we got thumped by Charlie Strong’s squad. I call BS.
To quote Manny Navarro:
“The Hurricanes have had higher-ranked recruiting classes (15th in 2009; 16th in 2010; 36th in 2011; 9th in 2012; 20th in 2013) than Virginia Tech (23rd in 2009; 23rd in 2010; 33rd in 2011; 22nd in 2012; 23rd in 2013) and Duke (51st in 2009; 71st in 2010; 76th in 2011; 52nd in 2012; 67th in 2013) over the last five years according to Rivals.com.”
When you look at Rivals, Louisville as well as worse recruiting classes. 2010 #48, 2011 # 29, 2012 #42, 2013 #52.
So it seems to me that AG has actually had better recruiting classes than the three teams that drubbed him this year. He started with better players coming in than they did. To me, there can only be two reasons why AG’s team did not beat Louisville, VT, and Duke, when we had BETTER overall recruiting classes for the time. 1) AG and his staff failed to cultivate, retain, and develop the recruits they did have, and 2) AG and his coordinators do not know how to be solid gameday coaches and/or do not have the know-how to take advantage of their players’ strengths (Fisch was the exception). In sum, AG has done less with more than Strong, Beamer, and Cutcliffe, as well as many other coaches.
You can’t blame the fan base, the poor facilities, etc., for these unacceptable losses. As AG continually says “put the blame on me”.
When was the last time you said “AG outcoached that team?” Last Nevuary.
Then something else scares me:
Randy Shannon record first 3 years:
2007 – 5-7
2008 – 7-6
2009 – 9-4
Al Golden record first 3 years:
2011 – 6-6
2012 – 7-5
2013 – 9-4
Now, maybe AG’s recruiting class (if he stays) will help, maybe with the sanctions being lifted we can have top 5 classes for the next four years in a row, and perhaps then we will be “back”. Maybe. But I think right now, after “black Monday” – there seems to be a huge availability of NFL talent, and we have a unique opportunity to take advantage of that. I see the Sentinal and the Palm Beach Post talk about hiring Chud, or Schiano, or someone else with big time NFL experience, or even Butch Davis, and I feel like those guys would be better if they replaced Golden right now. It would not impact the recruiting class very much, and in one of those guys we would have a coach who “gets” Miami’s program. Who understands that speed, not size, is our strength. That aggressiveness on defense, bump and run, (as opposed to the conservative soft 3-4 they run now), cover 2 man under 4-3 blitzing every other down is how to run the defense. That a good, modern, balanced pro-style offense is what we need (Jedd got this).
And then I remember why I liked Al Golden in the first place. It’s because he was so loyal to our program, because he stuck with us. But today, right now, he is meeting with PSU. He is interviewing for that job. And as others have put it, his loyalty is not there anymore. What if he DOESN’T GET THE JOB? What if he comes back and claims he was just testing the waters? Everyone will call BS, and the recruits will see him as a PSU reject.
I may be less desirous to see him leave had he simply held a press conference saying “There is no way I am leaving, the end.” However, he is interviewing for that job, and it is clear he is interested in the job if he is interviewing. You do not INTERVIEW for a position you do not want. I wish Al Golden the best, and I sincerely appreciate his recruiting, but I really hope he moves on and we can get a coach with NFL experience.
… a very detailed piece and yes, I ready Manny’s in-depth piece on the matter.
When it comes to recruiting, as we know, it’s more than just class rank. That’s important, but getting (1) the right type of players and (2) recruiting for team needs in regards to position are the most important things—as is coaching up said talent.
Look at Randy’s top-ranked class of 2008. There were some big names guys and some solid players, but a ton of holes, as well and a lot of guys who left and flat-out didn’t pan out (5-star Arthur Brown, 4-star CJ Holton, 4-star Jacory Harris, 4-star Aldarius Johnson, 4-star Davon Johnson, 4-star Ben Jones, 4-star Jeremy Lewis, 4-star Jordan Futch, 4-star Marcus Robinson, 4-star Vaughn Telemaque, 4-star Brandon Washington).
There were also a lot of filler guys that year who weren’t great fits character-wise (Zack Kane, Brandon Marti, etc. — guys who never wound up signing) and position-wise a HUGE whiff at quarterback.
Besides Harris, that class had Taylor Cook, who transferred to Rice as a punter, as well as Cannon Smith, the Fed-Ex heir who rolled in from Hargrave Military Academy and never panned out. The 2010 class was also a huge disaster, so when you do the math, there were SO many misses both needs-wise and guys who didn’t fit the culture, weren’t coached up, etc.
I get the arguments about recruiting classes at Virginia Tech and Louisville not measuring up rankings-wise, but the combination of getting the right guys, building depth at each position (so there’s not tremendous drop off when guys graduate, etc.), coaching up the talent, etc. — that’s why it worked.
The Cards also went 23-3 the past two years with an all-world quarterback in Teddy B. Goode, who bailed them out SO many times, while Virginia Tech plays sound and rises to the occasion. They win most of the games they should, drop a few here and there, ride their way to a Coastal title and occasionally win the ACC—all things Miami SHOULD be doing (theoretically), but didn’t have the right guy with Coker or Shannon and Golden has been doing three years of housecleaning (and to his credit, would’ve gone to the ACC title game year two if there were no sanctions).
If Golden sticks around, I think he can Miami very competitive and on the right track by 2015. A lot of transition next year, young guys (this new class will be heavily-relied upon) as well as a very tough schedule.
As far as your sentiments on Golden and how he’s handled things this past week, we’re definitely on similar pages. I support the guy, have bought in from day one, clung to the “Goldenisms”, accepting that he took over a shit team that needed to be rebuilt and I believed he was always sincere.
The guy was pretty high on the pedestal for me—which is why he’s fallen so far in my book this past week. It all feels pretty slimy and like we’ve been duped—falling for slick talk, as it’s all we had where there weren’t big wins.
If Golden bolts to PSU (and I think he will), I wish Miami would consider hiring Bobby Petrino. Sure he likes the young interns and broke some rules at Arkansas, but at the college level he has won wherever he has gone and he can recruit. Maybe Shiano as the DC. I like Golden, but I am not impressed with his coaching. The Canes continue to under-perform and make mistakes.
Come on coach d can coach he proved that at temple. The fact is miami lacks the talent to be great on defense. Its not scheme that has hurt miami its lack of a pass rush from front 7 and other then chick and perryman there are no impact guys in front 7. they have had to patch the line together due to shannon recruits not panning out or due to kids going elsewhere like keith bryant so they didn’t have to deal with possible sanctions. Now that ncaa cloud is gone we can see what golden can really do. I hope he stays i hope coach d gets at least 1 more year to fix this defense. That is well on its way the secondary has some scary talent now. Guys like bush, howard, burns, jenkins will be one year older stronger and faster and know system even better If they can get a pass rush and there young lbs and dl step up this d can make a huge step forward. The fact is if miami loses golden people will regret it .
Golden has done what not many coaches could have done. Turned a program on the brink if death with Shapirogate,average to below average talent,and now is recruiting a top notch class. Things are being done the right way now,but it takes time,need the foundation before the finished product. Defensive side of the ball concerns me. If he stays does his best buddy stay with him? A change is needed there in my opinion.
Not only is Golden a great man who cares about his team and the fans, he stayed with Miami to help right the ship. If you had asked a Miami fan in the preseason what they wanted or what would be a success, no death penalty and beating the Gators would have been more than enough. The issue was we all got lost in the tremendous start and we all dizzy and began thinking national championship from a team that isn’t there yet. Golden has stayed strong, made sure the team made it through the dark days, did pretty well after all the injuries, and has done a solid job recruiting. We need him to continue to take us forward. I think the Canes would hit a setback if he were to leave right now. I hope he stays.
I hope he stays, we finally have a class coach for our great “U”
Looks like Golden is staying…which means that D’onofrio is staying (much to my chagrin). I used to be sold on coach, but after ending the season 2-4 and the dismal bowl performance, my attitude towards him is now ‘meh’. I wouldn’t have been upset if he left. I have lost faith in his ability as a gameday coach, so not much he does will impress me.
… I get the frustration, Keith. I don’t have as much issue with 2-4 down the stretch as (1) Miami was a paper champion to start the season as 7-0 could’ve easily been 4-3, proving this team wasn’t all that good a lot earlier than we found out and (2) the injuries on the offensive side of the ball proved too much to overcome. Five games without Duke Johnson (and no truly capable second string back), injuries to key receivers, Morris never regaining his 2012 form, proving it was something mental, more than physical.
The offense needed to carry this team again this season and unraveled late without its best player.
I’m also not over-concerned with the game-day coaching stuff until the talent returns. Butch wasn’t a great game day guy. Nor was Larry. But when the Canes had Davis-level talent, that overcomes schematics. There are only so many Nick Sabans out there—guys who can recruit like that AND coach—and even Saban went down hard late. What happened to his unbeatable, three-peat driven team agaisnt Oklahoma? Sooners weren’t all that great this year and embarrassed the Crimson Tide.
Even Florida State—Fisher was losing to the likes of North Carolina State, Virginia, Wake Forest, etc. over the past two years, but as the talent improved—and when he got a Jameis Winston—he reached the title game. A few years back, still with more talent than Miami, Fisher was out-coached and blowing a few games per year to mid-level ACC teams. Now he has a loaded roster top to bottom and kicked the ass off the conference.
Al turned the heat up on himself with his antics this past weekend and he’s going to feel more pressure than ever expected at Miami. Hope he’s ready for it.
As of today, 01/07/2014 the PSU job is still open and until that position is filled I still think Al Golden is a candidate. Just my opinion. I think he’s mentally checked out as far as being the coach here, and this year will be him going through the motions.
I feel the same thing in regards to the Penn State job being in play for Al Golden until it’s filled by someone else. I don’t think he’s “mentally checked out”, though. I think he was calculated yesterday (and exhausted), leaving the door open for him to make the leap if they come back to him. If they don’t, I believe Golden can re-dial in. He can’t afford to “go through the motions” as that can cost him his career. He’s no dummy. If he’s at Miami, he knows he NEEDS to succeed for resume-sake.
ok he is staying…..but if he doesnt get rid of d’friono ….depression wil set in……PLEASE AL FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET RID OF THE OC AND THE DC!!!!!! ITS ENOUGH TO ENDURE THE NEWS OF YOU STAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like Golden and PSU had an agreement but when Munchek became available they wanted to interview him as well. Golden wanted a deal that day, but they did not meet his deadline so he stayed, so he wasn’t left with too much egg on his face with Cane fans. On QAM he refused to address the situtation and just said he wasn’t a candidate – semantics. Not a candidate “at this time” more like. Honestly at this point, I’m numb to it. Stay or go. Don’t leave us hanging. Who knows, they may even circle back to him if the interview with Munchek doesn’t go well. I understand him leaving but don’t deny talks ever took place. We’re not dumb and don’t treat us as such. We don’t need to know details but don’t ignore what everyone knows – you met with PSU officials about the job.
… I get that John, but believe Miami needs to put this behind them and move forward. Al is staying. Whatever was said and done—chalk it up to the game of coaching, sports being a business and folks doing what’s best for them. We live in a society where high school kids lead coaching staffs around by the nose and then embarrass programs on national TV with a bullshit hat trick—but if a coach takes a “dream job” (Golden to PSU) or an obvious better position (Strong to Texas), folks get up in arms?
Also … this fan base was ready to bring back Benedict Butch after some weak-ass mea culpa to Bruce Feldman a few weeks ago, but can’t “get over” the fact that Golden talk to his alma mater and was thinking about making the leap? Again, folks wanted to run Davis out for six years, loathed him for lying through his teeth as he left, heard about him negatively recruiting the program AT SEAN TAYLOR’S FUNERAL, yet sit here today and prefer the 62-year old former coach to Golden.
Seems a bit hypocritical.
Golden knows everyone knows he met with Penn State. Him saying or ducking the question doesn’t change that. He is here, so the semantics really don’t matter. Time to get this program back to winning ways. All he did this past weekend was hurt himself in the court of public opinion and turn up the heat regarding his timeline to succeed at The U. Fans will now be less patient than ever. That’s the price he pays for flirting with the enemy.
why do you keep on bringing up Butch Davis as if Golden is destined to do the same thing. Sorry bro, Golden may just as well end up as Ron Zook. Out coached over and over, and am not talking about getting trounced by FSU. Im talking about every QB having career days against our defense. Sorry ACC cellar dwellers. Shannon atleast took care of those. And btw Shannon played some hard ass schedules when he was here. Golden played a hard schedule in 2012….thats it. Its a shamesince Bill Obrein got to Penn St is record is 15-9….Golden’s 16-9. You want to talk about sanctions and hard to recruit go ahead and tell us how Golden’s life is hard and its the worst situation since the great depression. He is a snake oil salesman who is defending is buddy. Trick us with his fancy binder and was just in time since Shannon was so bad and poor at communicating. Their lack of accountability is an embarrassment to the U. take credit when the D numnbers were inflated playing Sav st, FAU and USF but then jump back to sanctions when getting his ass handed to him by ACC also rans. Shameful.
… I don’t bring up Butch Davis as if Al Golden is set to do the same thing. I bring up Butch as a reminder to the fan base that if they had their way they’d have run Davis out of town in 1997 before his turnaround was complete.
Davis was a hell of a recruiter, but let’s not spin some tale that he was a game day mastermind. He was outcoached right up through that loss at Washington in 2000, costing a loaded Miami team a shot at a title. (The Canes also almost blew a 17-0 lead to the Noles, down 24-20 late fourth quarter before Dorsey led that miracle drive.)
I understand where your frustration is coming from, but let’s not make Davis, or Randy Shannon (re: what ACC cellar dwellers did he take care of? Duke wasn’t a “cellar dweller” this year. Won the Coastal and should’ve beat aTm in the Chic-fil-A Bowl) into things they were not. Davis was a great recruiter and had a stellar eye for talent. Shannon coached up a great defense when he had more talent than the other guy, but was a sub par head coach and didn’t know how to recruit proper, develop talent or build depth when he was the leader of the program.