Opinion: Miami Vs. Penn State For Al Golden?

“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”.

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