Welcome to the Monday after. Larry Coker was let go Friday morning and it seems to have started a trend. Three days later more coaches heads have been put on the chopping block since and it’s time for Miami to make a move. The Canes are currently on the clock.
Since Friday, some other names have been let go. Dirk Koetter of Arizona State, Chuck Amato of NC State and Mike Shula from Alabama. Months ago Michigan State canned John L. Smith and North Carolina gave John Bunting the boot. I can’t recall a season where more big name programs gave their head coaches the curb sandwich.
Regardless of what The U pulls off, I hope the top brass files this one under “early bird gets the worm.” The Tar Heels locked Butch Davis down a few weeks back and today, the Spartans got their man, Mark Dantonio of Cincinnati. Neither would’ve been the case has these programs not fired Bunting and Smith during the regular season.
Miami, Arizona State, NC State and Alabama all waited until the final hour and now all have full plates going into potential bowl games and recruiting season. Regarding each scenario, there was a case to have fired Coker, Koetter, Amato and Shula down the stretch, yet all programs waited.
Kudos to Michigan State and North Carolina for doing their dirty work in season as both have landed coaches which are huge upgrades from who they had in charge.
I could care less what Arizona State, NC State and Alabama decide to do in their hunt for a new head coach. I only bring them up because they’re overcrowding the available seats on the coaching carousel. Any coach looking at Miami now has more leverage and options.
One plus for Miami is the hiring of Chuck Neinas, a consultant/headhunter type who will help the Canes nail down their top guy. He’ll research candidates The U has targeted and he’ll also assemble a list of his own, based on traits Paul Dee and Donna Shalala are looking for in the school’s next head coach.
Neinas is the X-Factor here, for numerous reasons. The firing of Coker and hiring of Neinas is a bold move by Shalala. Many were whispering that she was happy with Coker maintaining the program, graduating players and keeping their noses clean as well as the shared revenue deal as a member of the ACC.
If football wasn’t some sort of a priority at The U, Shalala could’ve gone against the grain and brought Coker back for one more season. Instead, he was fired 12 hours after the 17-14 win over Boston College.
This could all be a ruse and smoke screen, appearing to do a nationwide search and then bringing in old chum Barry Alvarez, but all signs are pointing to Miami putting the full court press on Rutgers’ Greg Schiano. Schiano and his Scarlet Knights are gearing up for their season finale at West Virginia this coming weekend, so don’t expect much “Schiano to Miami” chatter over the next week. If this thing has any legs, we’ll hear about it hours after the bowl selection show next Sunday on FOX.
From everything I’ve heard and read, Miami is prepared to make Schiano an offer he can’t refuse. He’ll be compensated financially and a promise will be in place to upgrade the facilities. Rutgers will most likely match this in their attempt to keep Schiano in New Jersey, but at day’s end it’ll come down to his drive and desire as a head coach.
Despite what he has said publicly, folks I’ve spoke with close to the Miami program have stated that Schiano has verbally expressed interest in hearing what The U can offer. He’s no dummy. Rutgers will only take an up and coming coach so far. If Schiano has big time aspirations, he needs to be part of a big time program.
Should Schiano not find what he’s looking for at The U, there are a few other names which have been dangled out there.
>>> Steve Spurrier seemed the shoo-in candidate for about 36 hours two weeks ago. Those flames seem to have simmered, making it much ado about nothing – or proving that Spurrier and his people know how to keep things under wraps. I don’t think Spurrier will wind up at Miami, but I also wouldn’t put it past him to pull this off.
>>> Barry Alvarez is currently Miami’s second choice, I believe. He’s the safe play if Schiano turns The U down. I can see Shalala talking Alvarez into returning to coaching, making a run for a few years and then transferring over to AD after Dee steps down or is fired. That said, if Neinas can collect come solid info and interest regarding lesser-name candidates, that could push Alvarez to the back burner.
>>> Steve Kragthrope doesn’t have the sexy name or resume, but he’s done a helluva job with a nothing Tulsa program. He’s also received a ringing endorsement from former Miami AD, Sam Jankovich. Jankovich believes Kragthorpe can be this generation’s Jimmy Johnson, an up and comer waiting in the wings for a big time opportunity. Jankovich was one of a few architects of the Miami Dynasty and if Kragthorpe is OK by him, he’s OK by me.
>>> Gary Patterson has done a good job at TCU, though some feel he’s just maintaining the program that Dennis Franchione built between 1998-2000. In his six seasons with the Horned Frogs, Patterson put together four seasons with 1-2 losses. Is he ready for that next level or was he just a “right place, right time” hire at TCU? We’ll see.
>>> Mike Leach is a name I’ve read on message boards, though no one from Miami has contacted him as of yet, which I find surprising. With a high-octane offense, all Leach needs is a defensive coordinator and some in roads to recruit South Florida and he’d be set. I wonder if Neinas will contact his agent or if he’s completely off Miami’s radar.
Is there anyone I’ve left off this list? Probably. If so, please chime in below in the comments section and let me know who you think should be the next head coach at Miami… and if anyone mentions a Johnson return, I’m gonna slap you.
The JJ we all knew and loved is long gone. Click here if you don’t believe me. Hardly the coaching legend who won rings in Miami and Dallas. I’d ask JJ to make me a Mai Tai before I asked him to head back to Coral Gables and return The U to prominence. Think outside the box, people. No retreads. Give us something to chew on here.
There are tons of coaching options out there. Think of some legit ones. Not crap like, “I heard Bill Belichick was uphappy with the Kraft family and wants out of New England…”
More to come this busy week. Stay tuned.
.:Canes305:.
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Chris, since you are a lot closer to the program than I am or ever will be, I trust your judement on Schiano. I don't know much about him other than he has one big win against a top team. But I have to give him credit for doing ANYthing at Rutgers. I wasn't sure if he was prepared or not for a big time football program. So I will take your word for it. He does seem like a non nonsense guy and I like his chopping wood thing he has going on. We need some blue collar work at The U instead of throwing our helmets on the field, expecting teams to fall over against us. On another note, ESPN stated that there have been nothing done to facilites in all the success we had in 2000 and the following years. Is this true? IN today's landscape, it seems you have got to have at least comparable facilities to other programs, and it was stated that the university has spent no money in that area. Chris, could you address this if you have the time? We have to make sure with this decision that we have the right guy. Don't pick someone just to pick someone. If a recruit wants to be part of The U and it's tradition, they will wait or stick with their commitment. If not, then they're not made of the Miami cloth anyway. Our history and success speaks for itself. I look forward to seeing how things go.
CC - Whoever comes in, facilities will be part of their package. We're not going to entice any coach without promsing to fix the current situation.
Funny so much is being made of facilities, though. We won five titles with lesser facilities. NFL talent spends their whole off season working out in our "dilapidated" facilities. USC - the current dynasty they are - THEY have lesser facilities than Miami.
Miami will pick who we can get. Schiano is the top choice, but after him I believe there is a lot of unknown. Talk of a retread like Spurrier or unknowns/waiting for a big break guys like Kragthorpe, Patterson, Leach, etc.
Schiano adds instant credibility and we know he'll be a hard worker IF he makes the leap. Spurrier would be a good 2-3 year choice and he could work magic with that offense, but is he really the "right" guy for Miami right now? I don't know.
Of the "up and comers" who is the right one, who is the best and who wants it the most? We need someone who is ready to burn the midnight oil and become the next Jimmy Johnson. Of the aforementioned names, WHO is THAT GUY?
The fact we have a headhunter on the case, I like that. This isn't a knee-jerk reaction. We've hired a guy in Neinas who has a great track record. If anyone is going to find Miami's next great coach, he's the guy.
If we only had Shalala and Dee on the case, I'd be worried - but the hiring of Neinas and the newly implemented fund raising program prove that our top brass wants this program back in the thick of things and that's GREAT news.
I've been touting the name Mike Leach since pre-season. I'm crossing my fingers hoping Miami will make him a nice offer.
Yesterday I mentioned June Jones from Hawaii.This guy is a gun slinger type coach.All you need to know is that his nickname is "Air" Jones.His offense racked up 476.2 yards a game and 384.2 yards per game through the air(which was second best in the country). This would be an inexpensive and economical hire which would end our offensive woes. Althogh it's a great location lets be honest Hawaii is not exactly a national power. I think this would be a tremendous young coaching option,but what do I know??Tell me what you think.
Caneiac1
Whomever the coach turns out to be needs to take the Butch Davis approach: Recruit your butt off, finding diamonds in the rough, getting the local talent you SHOULD be getting, as well as develop the talent we have already. I firmly believe we have some great talent already that just needs to be developed and put in positions to succeed. I don't care what the haters claim, that we've dropped off in talent. The years we won with Butch our classes were never rated top 10. It's not just how they're rated coming out of high school, but more importantly to me, how well they're developed while they're on campus. I don't think we have been doing that the last 3 or 4 years- just look at the drafts. I think we do have some playmakers, especially in the freshmen class who just need to get the ball. This goes back to what I've been saying for a while- our lines have been below average for a while now and I don't understand why. So recruits some nasties as the foundation, get at 2 quality quarterbacks this class and go from there. There is no reason The U can not get a top flight player at ANY position.
They really need to look cross state and hire Jim Leavitt from USF. This coach has done amazing work with a school that did not even have a football program 6+ years ago.
has Mike Shula become a candidate now that he's unemployed?
Living in Tampa, I can tell you this,,, forget about Jim Leavitt. Agree that he would be a great hire, but he isn't going anywhere. He loves it here,,,,, he built this team and right now they have a tremendous group of talented freshmen and sophomores who are going to be really good, really soon. Additionally, he has been strongly courted by both Kansas State and Alabama the last couple of years and had his contract torn up and redone as a result. He is just now seeing the fruit of his labors here ripening. They have brand new facilities and play in a state of the art stadium in Raymond James.
IF, (and that's as big an "if" as I can make with this font), he were to go anywhere,,, I would think Alabama would be the place that would throw some serious dollars and facilities at him.
I just do not believe that he will go anywhere.
JMG
Tampa
I don't think I saw Randy Shannon mentioned as a replacement. Does he have a shot? I only ask because I think he'd be the best So Fla recruiter of the whole list for natural reasons. When it comes down to it, better players will beat an "innovative" system. Miami has proven that in the past time and again. By hiring Shannon they can spend more money on an offensive coord like Trestman who is now in limbo at NC State.
What about promoting Randy Shannon and spending more $ on an offensive coord like Trestman who is now in limbo at NC State?