Stronger Miami football program would bolster ACC’s image
By Matt Porter May 13, 2015
AMELIA ISLAND —It was supposed to be the All Canes Conference, and at the time, it was tough to argue with the moniker.
In its final four seasons in the Big East, UM football was 46-4 with four conference titles and a national championship. The baseball team was a national power, with titles in 1999 and 2001. The basketball team was an NCAA tournament contender.
In 2004, the ACC was happy to add Miami and its national cachet in marquee sports. While baseball has retained its respect under longtime coach Jim Morris and Jim Larranaga’s basketball program is on the rise, football hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
Entering its 12th ACC season, UM is 46-42 in conference games (81-57 overall), with zero bowl wins since 2006 and two sub-.500 finishes in the last eight years. The ACC, meanwhile, struggles with the perception that it is the weak link among Power 5 football conferences. If Miami regained its footing, that would go a long way in vanquishing that idea.
“I think it would do for the ACC what everyone anticipated it would do when Miami joined,” UM athletic director Blake James said at the league’s spring meetings. “It would raise the profile.”
The spotlight has been on the Hurricanes of late for the wrong reasons. Last year’s 6-7 record only framed positive accomplishments, like seven draft picks and six NFL free-agent signees, in disbelief. But a talented quarterback and an increase in depth mean Miami is getting healthier.
There are few better building blocks in college football than Brad Kaaya, the ACC’s reigning rookie of the year who set UM freshman records in passing yards (3,198) and touchdowns (a conference-best 26). Miami hasn’t had player that talented at the game’s most important position since Ken Dorsey.
Then there’s the depth. Golden’s recruiting classes from 2011-13 averaged more than nine players a year who transferred, didn’t qualify, quit the team or were dismissed. That’s more than a third of the players UM signed in that time.
The NCAA penalized UM in Oct. 2013 for misdeeds committed by booster Nevin Shapiro. So far, one player from UM’s 2014 signing class has transferred. Golden said players are sticking around because they’re certain of the team’s future.
“There’s less attrition now because there’s less turmoil,” he said. “It’s a much better culture to be in, much better place to be around. There’s a lot of discontent when you’re going through something like that. It’s human nature to feel like you’re let down or betrayed.”
Sixteen players in UM’s signing class will report to campus Monday for the first summer school session, joining five players who arrived in January. UM expects all of its freshmen to arrive by June, and all are expected to qualify.
It hasn’t been a perfect offseason. The eligibility of a starting offensive tackle from last year (Taylor Gadbois) remains in question due to an undisclosed violation committed last year. Cornerback Antonio Crawford, a rising senior, raised a stink on social media before transferring to West Virginia during spring practice. There could be issues to come. After all, this is a team that went 6-7 and lost a host of NFL talent.
But at least the NCAA drama is gone, overall depth is improving and there’s a talented quarterback in place.
“I think we’re getting better,” James said. “Part of that is – and I recognize a lot of time it’s not always what the fans want to hear —it’s further distancing ourselves from the NCAA situation. It’s giving Al and Jim more time at the institution. I think that’s something that’s positive.”