247 Update on Admin Changes

[Notsince1985]

https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/tag/marcus-lavar-lemons/

I stand corrected

 

[BLIMPTOWN]

Senior was there on the sidelines and he still does!!!!!!

Don't let that fool you, just like all powerful fathers they usually hate their sons. Cause they know either they will overtake them one day or embarass the **** out of his name. His son is embarassing the **** out of him.

 

[Tad Footeball]

I dont think fundraising is hard if you actually put out a good program. The reason Blake had a job was because Donna and cronies did not give a **** about football but still wanted to get donations.

Big time fundraising at a school the size of Miami actually can be challenging but let's not confuse the convenient (yet seemingly unsubstantiated) claim that Blake was some phenom at it with anything more than a long-time distraction technique from his glaring on-field/on-court failures.

 

[Cryptical Envelopment]

I dont think fundraising is hard if you actually put out a good program. The reason Blake had a job was because Donna and cronies did not give a **** about football but still wanted to get donations.

Stop with the Donna didn't give a **** stuff. She made more capital improvements and devoted more money and time to the AD than every other UM President in our history combined. She:

*Built the BUC (honestly, that was supposed to be a never-going-to-happen event at UM). We could stop there.
*Rebuilt the Hecht Center.
*Built the Schwartz Center for Football Excellence.
*Rebuilt Mark Light Stadium.
*Rebuilt the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
*Built Cobb.
*Laid the groundwork for the IFP.

If Tad Foote was still President we'd probably be getting kicked out of the ACC right now. She built the capital foundation for why we even have a fighting chance right now. There are a LOT of things to criticize her for, especially the hires, but saying she didn't give a **** is absolute nonsense. You're better than that, homie!

And fundraising at UM is 10x harder than it is at our competition. Do you really need me to write why?

 

[Cane6]

I dont think fundraising is hard if you actually put out a good program. The reason Blake had a job was because Donna and cronies did not give a **** about football but still wanted to get donations.

A no frills taco joint that makes amazing food gets more business than a crappy Mexican restaurant with marketing firm (Blake James)

 

[Fluffhead]

Lake has a good source on all this stuff. He’s been accurate.

Notable name there is John Ruiz. I’d been hinting at that when I said there is a big money name people aren’t talking about.

Now that it’s out, Ruiz is about to be hugely wealthy and has a deep interest in sports and potential ownership. His son played baseball at Miami.

Great way to make a charitable contribution and lower what I am sure will be a massive tax bill next year.

 

[Cryptical Envelopment]

Guys keep in mind that we are all watching a game on our DVR's that took place weeks ago. If you don't think boosters and admin have been having back channel conversations with potential coaches and AD's for weeks, I'm not sure what to say.

 

[JD08]

People mention that Jurich is 65 and may not want to tackle a huge project like this.. It's very possible that Jurich might not want to be a full on AD, but would want to be here in an advisory capacity.

 

[AmherstCane]

"The U-Health healthcare system in South Florida makes a ton of money for the university".... You know how many times I've said money was and will NEVER be an issue for the program because of this! We have probably the top health program in the NATION. Money will always be there to spread around.

UHealth hospitals absolutely hemorrhaged money until Frenk. The past several years have seen UHealth go from losing 8-9 figures a year to making 8-9 figures a year.

That’s where the new sports money is coming from.

 

[ItsAUThing.com]

- 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".

Lost me here. Cannot see how a university embroiled in they type of scandals Miami has seen would ever align with a Tom Jurich—or why the retired AD would ever want the Miami job, when he could have a dozen better ones if he got back in the game.

 

[felix]

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.

Good information. One point on money, it has never been "is there enough money - more like do I want to spend my money on sports". UM has an endowment well over $1.3 billion.

 

[ItsAUThing.com]

People mention that Jurich is 65 and may not want to tackle a huge project like this.. It's very possible that Jurich might not want to be a full on AD, but would want to be here in an advisory capacity.

Again, why? He could literally have that roll a dozen better places? A west coast guy that's never worked further east than Louisville and zero ties to South Florida, or Miami? (Currently splits time between Colorado and Clearwater.) Doesn't seem like some advisory role is enough for someone with his resume—nor does it make sense Miami would hire a 65-year old embroiled in some degree of scandal, when this program has had its share of image problems and scandal over the years, as is.

 

[Tad Footeball]

I was going to mention this last night. Is this credible? I doubt it.

I have no idea. Dude seems to be known around here but I honestly found his resume underwhelming despite having accomplished family members.

 

[L A M P]

Sorry, I had to stop reading and punch myself in the nuts after “Manny has BOTs in his corner”.

On the record: "I'll give you this info David but make sure to lead with Manny still has people in his corner. Really convince them that we gave it lots of thought about keeping him"..

Off the record: #WantToSeeADeadBody?

 

[TOcane]

From an FAU grad lane hates pat chun. Pat chun is an idiot as AD take his name off of the list. Brian white worked better with lane even though he didnt hire him. Chun didnt really either. The school president stepped in and talked to lane.

Good to know. Scratch one off the list.

 

[Cookie917]

Where Richt left off was not good. Let's not revise history. As far from "good" as we are, the culture is better than it was, the roster is better, he brought Miami into the modern era with an actual 21st century offense for the first time, he was great at the portal, we have a strong and deep QB room for the first time since maybe JJ was coach.

Losing brings a lot of warts to the surface that would otherwise not show their face.

We are definitely in better shape than we were when CMR left IMO. I just think we all didn't realize how bad things were back then.

idkkk man. Richt got us the IPF that Manny benefited from and made Cane football fun again, at least for a season. Yes he wanted to call plays and had some nepotism and loyalty issues but don't forget, what looks like our star QB of the future was recruited by Enos. I agree Manny gave us an updated offense and we have seen some young guys start to flash but that '18 recruiting class (Richt's final year) was top 10 in the nation under any service so at that time we all had high hopes for them as well.

The '19 class, Manny's first year was rough. Ranked 27th with 18 enrollees, from that 18, over half (10) J. Payton, C. Williams, Huff, Blisset, Cam Williams, Hodges, Brooks, Holley, ElGammal, Matchoa, Are all busts.

We went portal heavy with Nnoruka, Asa martin, Tate, Phillips, Bubba, KJ and Kennedy, mixed bag there.

 

[Tad Footeball]

Loyalty to one guy and loyalty to an entire city and program is quite different

Phil Knight of all people would understand that

To be honest, I'm not sure how much soon to be 84 yr old Phil Knight still understands in general. I've seen occasional recent photos where that dude looks every bit his age.

Your larger point stands nonetheless.

 

[rsa coral gables]

He's been buying and selling $20+ million mansions down here a lot recently too. Surely he's got one Mario can stay in for a bit.

he's made his money inventing a software that identifies claims that were paid by Medicare that should have been paid by private insurance. Step 2 is to sue insurance companies where they should have paid rather than Medicare. that business is now going public and he stands to make billions. this guy was essentially bankrupt 10 years ago and had a bankruptcy infomercial for his law firm.

 

[SpikeUM]

Stop with the Donna didn't give a **** stuff. She made more capital improvements and devoted more money and time to the AD than every other UM President in our history combined. She:

*Built the BUC (honestly, that was supposed to be a never-going-to-happen event at UM). We could stop there.
*Rebuilt the Hecht Center.
*Built the Schwartz Center for Football Excellence.
*Rebuilt Mark Light Stadium.
*Rebuilt the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
*Built Cobb.
*Laid the groundwork for the IFP.

If Tad Foote was still President we'd probably be getting kicked out of the ACC right now. She built the capital foundation for why we even have a fighting chance right now. There are a LOT of things to criticize her for, especially the hires, but saying she didn't give a **** is absolute nonsense. You're better than that, homie!

And fundraising at UM is 10x harder than it is at our competition. Do you really need me to write why?

Lets agree to disagree? She was great for the school, bad for football.

 

[FromDeeeeep]

******* ****, why not brian white **** it

Lake followed up and said thar leaving White off the list was an error on his part. Definitely on the list