U Football becomes a year-round experience

Forget the dog days of summer; this time of year is generally no treat if college football is the only dish on your menu. Come summer, at least fall is around in the corner. What do you get in mid-February, the NBA All Star game and PGA Tour’s west coast swing?

Again, no disrespect to the other sports at ‘The U’. It takes every last one of them to make the athletic department go around and I know each respective squad works their asses off to be the best they can be. There’s also a built-in fan base for every team at Miami and because they’re Canes and wear that orange and green proud, it’s a great day when any of them get a ‘W’.

That said, I don’t allow myself to get emotionally invested in anything other than football. As fans we die a dozen deaths between September through November and as much as I long for that time of year, come January, the reprieve is much-needed.

Sure, if basketball reached the NCAA Tourney it’d get the juices flowing; even more so for baseball getting to Omaha in June. But to invest heart and soul into both sports the first half of every year? No can do. My sanity is too important and I can no longer pay that price.

Thanks to technology, college football has become an annual sport and the downtime of the off-season is now spent giving you a bird’s eye view regarding the preparation that goes into those three actual months of playing time.

Overblown and sensationalized as the recruiting process has become, around-the-clock coverage leading up to Signing Day allows you to get to know the incoming freshman in a way never before possible.

To UM’s credit, the new-look athletic department and staff have gone full bore not only embracing social networking and upgrading their website – but all the recent behind-the-scenes videos truly make you feel like a fly on the wall at Hecht, with a vested interest in the program.

A few weeks back a clip was posted where cameras went both inside both the coaching meeting room, as well as inside the weight room. The piece was over ten minutes long and as a fan, you gained more knowledge and understanding from this segment than you did at any point during the four-year Randy Shannon era.

New head coach Al Golden is proving to be the shot in the arm this stagnant program needed and his energy – coupled with the vision of athletic director Kirby Hocutt and technological savvy of associate athletic director Chris Freet – is turning ‘The U’ into the type of program is should be entering 2011.

The University of Miami will never compete with likes of Texas, Florida or Ohio State regarding athletic budget – but in the online world, creativity and desire outweigh cost. A video camera and copy of Final Cut Pro can turn any novice into a pro, while a vibrant coaching staff and on the ball athletic department decide what will be filmed and in what medium that message will be delivered.

The aforementioned clip was eye opening on many levels. First and foremost, Miami finally has a true leader at the helm for the first time since Butch Davis was ‘the guy’. Coach Golden has a true presence and along with that, a vision, a game plan and a winner’s attitude. Again, this successful program tabbed an up and comer on the climb – which was the case with Davis, as well as Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. Success at ‘The U’ will make Golden a household name, like it did so many others.

Skeptics will say that ‘talk is cheap’ and that it has to be ‘proven on the field’ – which is understandable after six years of Larry Coker and four under Shannon – but don’t let a decade of sub-par coaching make you jaded or blind to the truth. Golden gets it and is and a man on a mission. He’s changing the culture at ‘The U’, while embracing the brand and rich history which made this machine so successful; something Shannon – a former player and assistant – inexplicably shunned.

For those who haven’t followed the new-look U online, it’s time to get on board. UM’s official Facebook page is chock full of clips that turn ‘theory’ into ‘reality’. Go behind the scenes on ‘Signing Day’ and watch this staff at work. Watch some footage of the new “UTough” workout that Golden and staff are putting these kids through.

As hard as it was to swallow twenty-two losses on Randy’s watch, even worse was the unknown as a veil of secrecy covered the program for half a decade.

The losses piled up – and so did the frustration, the rumors and animosity. Fire this guy. Bench that guy. Stick a fork in the program. Under Shannon, silence wasn’t golden – it was crippling.

One constant target of fans’ wrath; Andreu Swasey. As players wilted on the field, the long-time strength and conditioning coach was the first to shoulder the blame.

To the ‘Fire Swasey’ crowd, again, watch the weight room video and listen to him describe the process and his approach. Golden believes in Swasey and beyond that, will sell Swasey on his vision regarding the art of strength and conditioning – something Miami’s new leader knows something about.

Like JJ before him, Golden’s “UTough” approach will make practice a living hell – which will make Saturdays seem like a breeze.

When you look at Swasey’s resume, there was success the early part of last decade when the Canes were chock full of future NFL talent, on-the-field leaders and guys who were willing to put in the work. Somewhere over the last few years, the caliber of Cane fell off and a sense of entitlement overtook the once-hard working program – providing a ‘chicken or the egg’ scenario.

Was Swasey the problem, or was the onus on Shannon and staff, as well as the type of entitled players they were recruiting and not developing?

Same to be said for offensive line coach Art Kehoe – recently rehired after being fired after the 2005 season. There were several fan-fueled knocks and theories on Kehoe, but like Swasey it simply could be the case of another coach that was either held back, not motivated, underutilized or watered down courtesy of an upside down head coach.

Golden’s management style and ability to motivate seem to be through the roof. More than a head coach, Golden is proving he’s a CEO, politician and team leader all wrapped into one.

Miami’s recruiting class of 2011 began with six verbals, two quick decommits and zero visits on the book for January when the former Temple coach took over. In the end, Golden and staff booked upwards of forty-five visits the final month, reeled in twelve kids, kept those who counted and swayed eight kids who were previous committed to other programs – all in a matter of weeks.

The day after the ink was dry on all of this year’s letters of intent, Golden and staff began recruiting for next season – setting up a luncheon to mend fences with local high school coaches and tailoring their sales pitch this year’s high school seniors, convincing them that winds of change are blowing in Coral Gables.

Miami missed out on Dwyer quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who chose Florida the Friday after Signing Day, but quickly reeled in Michigan transfer Tate Forcier – a former four-star prospect out of San Diego – and within days received verbal commitments from Westminster Christian two-sport star David Thompson, as well as Clearwater product and pro-style quarterback Gary Crow, both said to have tremendous upside. The Canes are also chasing down Kentucky four-star Zeke Pike.

For those keeping score, quarterback has been the weakest link for the Canes since Ken Dorsey left town eight seasons ago. Both Coker and Shannon struggled to reel in their guy and Miami has paid a price ever since. UM’s new staff couldn’t sway a big name down the recruiting stretch, but addressed an immediate need with a desired transfer as well as earning verbals from two of next year’s prospects a week after Signing Day.

Spring ball is around the corner, followed by the official dog days and summer and before we know it, September will be here and Miami will be kicking of the Golden Era with a nationally televised Monday night ESPN opener at Maryland.

Until then, Miami’s coaching staff will continue getting this team ready while the athletic department does their part in making football season a year-round experience.

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