Per David Lake
- On the front end, let me get this out of the way. The decision to separate from Blake James was a strong one by the UM administration and it should be commended. If you read the tea leaves, it is pretty clear that a change at head football coach is likely at the end of the season as well. With that being said, however, Manny Diaz still has key Board of Trustees members in his corner and they are willing to fight and continue to back him. It is not necessarily a forgone conclusion that Miami will move on from Diaz.
- With that being said, however, it is hard to ignore the strong message that the UM administration sent across the country to Eugene, Oregon. It is well known in UM circles that Mario Cristobal and Blake James do not like each other and that James would never be able to hire the coach of the No. 3 overall program in the country. Separating from James was a MAJOR first step to making a run at Cristobal.
- Why would Cristobal leave Oregon for Miami? Two reasons: Miami is home and being the head coach at UM has always been his dream job. Outsiders don’t fully grasp how much pull the University of Miami has with Cristobal in this regard, but people around the program know how much Cristobal loves UM and the city of Miami. IF the university were to come at him with the acceptable amount of resources and a vision from leadership for the future of the athletic department and football program, there is a belief that it would be very difficult for Cristobal to turn down the opportunity. A commitment, both in resources and vision, will be needed to make a run at Cristobal.
- Does Miami have the money to go get a Mario Cristobal? The constant message from people around this decision making process continues to be: “money is not an issue.” The U-Health healthcare system in South Florida makes a ton of money for the university and the UM leadership is finally willing to dip into those coffers to provide resources for the football program. We will see if UM puts the money up at the end of the day.
- There is a sense around Cristobal, however, that if Oregon keeps winning and makes the College Football Playoff, the chances of UM luring him away would be quite slim.
- What would be the biggest reason that Cristobal stays at Oregon beyond a College Football Playoff run? Cristobal is fiercely loyal and grateful to Nike CEO Phil Knight, who of course is Oregon’s top booster. It was Knight who gave Cristobal another chance at being a head coach and that is something Cristobal doesn’t take lightly.
- There are three deep pocket boosters/board of trustees members that are believed to be pushing for a run at Cristobal: Jose Mas, Marcus Lemons, and attorney John Ruiz.
- In terms of what Miami is now looking for in an athletic director, I have been told ‘somebody who understands how to lead athletics.’ Blake James was respected for his ability to fundraise, but he did not understand how to hold coaches accountable for middling performances. Loyalty to a coach is important, but at some point hard decisions have to be made.
Now onto some athletic director names that are worth knowing at this early stage…
- Tony Hernandez: Hernandez worked his way up the athletic department when Paul Dee was the athletic director. People around the UM program respect Hernandez for being highly intelligent and he knows what a successful football program is supposed to look like. He is currently the Deputy Director of Athletics at Texas Tech under former UM athletic director Kirby Hocutt. He served as Miami’s interim athletic director when Hocutt left for Texas Tech.
- Tom Jurich: You won’t find a potential candidate with a better resume of success than Jurich, who pushed Louisville’s athletic department to new heights. Jurich was Louisville’s athletic director from 1997-2017 and during his time he hired Rick Pitino as the basketball coach and played a big part in the football program getting to the ACC and making hires like Bobby Petrino and Charlie Strong. Louisville’s baseball program also took a step forward with his leadership. Jurich also vastly improved Louisville’s facilities during his time there. Jurich was placed on unpaid leave in 2017 after the Louisville basketball program was implicated in a FBI investigation. On May 18, 2018 the board of trustees agreed to a $4.5 million settlement with Jurich that cleared him of any wrong doing and phrased his termination as "retirement".
- Pat Chun: Chun hired Lane Kiffin as the athletic director at FAU, which is an interesting connection point. He is now the athletic director at Washington State. Chun worked his way up the ranks in the Ohio State athletic department, working 15 yards in Columbus, Ohio. He understands what a successful athletic department is supposed to look like.
- Jeff Purinton: Currently the Executive Deputy Athletics Director at Alabama. He is essentially No. 2 man to athletic director Greg Byrne. Purinton currently serves as the sports administrator for Alabama’s football team as well as men’s and women’s golf. He previously oversaw Alabama basketball. At one point, Purinton was believed to be in the mix for the FSU athletic director job.
- Alonzo Highsmith: The former UM running back has worked in NFL front offices and understands the business side of sports in addition to how to run athletics. Highsmith would understand what a winning football program looks like. Whether or not Highsmith is hired as the athletic director, there is a belief that he should be working within the UM athletic department as someone that oversees the football program.
- Gino Torretta: The former Heisman Trophy winner would check two boxes for the athletic director position: 1.) He understands the athletics side of leading an athletic department and specifically what a winning football program is supposed to look like. 2.) He understands the financial side of running an operation. Torretta’s post football career has centered around finances and asset management.
- It is hard to ignore the potential Columbus High School connection to the program moving forward…Jose Mas is a Board of Trustees member that deeply cares about UM athletics. He also attended Columbus with Mario Cristobal. Marcus Lemonis is a booster that also attended Columbus. Alonzo Highsmith is a Columbus alum. Cristobal’s right hand man, offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, also attended Columbus. These connection points are interesting.
