University of Miami Athletic Director Blake James reiterated to CaneSport Sunday afternoon that coach Al Golden's job is secure entering next season despite four consecutive season-ending losses.
But, at the same time, James didn't rule out a shakeup with the assistant coaches.
"Al and I talked after the game last night, we'll meet this week and I'll get a better understanding of where he sees everything at," James said. "We'll have an open conversation about where we're going and how we best get there."
Would James be okay if Golden said there are no coaching changes needed?
"Those are things I'll talk with Al about," James said. "He needs to decide what's best for us. It's something I'm not going to get into `we need to recruit a different kid, make coaching changes.' Al is the coach of the program, it's his responsibility to assess the program understanding the expectations. I don't think anyone looks at our program and says 6-7 is going to be acceptable for our program. And that's not Al. He came here wanting to win the ACC and that's where we need to go. I'm confident he'll continue to make the changes that are needed to get us to that point."
James says he reads all the emails and messages from fans upset with the current state of the program.
"I understand the frustration of the fan base," he said. "The thing I would say to everyone is no one is more frustrated than everyone here. It's frustrating when you don't have the type of success you want as a program. With that said everyone has different perspectives on what needs to be done. My job is to work with Al and figure out what is the best plan for us to get to where we meet all those expectations. The bar is set very high here."
James acknowledged "we're not achieving at the point" the football program needs. So how long before the program can be "back"?
"It's coming," James said. "You see it this year with the great impact we had with some of the freshmen, and having a great quarterback is huge. Having someone of Brad (Kaaya's) skill and to see him to continue to progress - I spoke with Brock Berlin (at the bowl game), got his thoughts which was very valuable to me.
"I don't want to put a time on it, `this date', but we have to continue to move forward. I think there was a lot of progress made this year, unfortunately it wasn't in the win and loss column. At the end of the day it's about wins and losses, and I understand that, and I understand why fans are frustrated."
Garbage!
