Is a busy Tuesday in Coral Gables and, barring a surprise, here's how I'd handicap the the Miami football coaching search as of 6 p.m.:
1. Mark Richt, depending on if he wants the job.
2. Dan Mullen or Greg Schiano.
And that's it. That looks to be the wish list - again, barring a change of heart. That's a surprise considering how it looked a few weeks ago.
Butch Davis? He appears to be a long shot right now. Mario Cristobal? He wasn't contacted as of early Tuesday afternoon for an interview, a source said. That might be a timing thing with his Alabama team prepping for the SEC championship game against Florida. Then again, Miami has the foot to the accelerator and looks ready to make a decision quickly
Miami is putting money on the table as the job could pay up to $4 million. That's beyond what a lot of people (like me) thought. It also suggests there will be money to pay a staff, which is a primary concern of many
Richt brings a lot of components Miami likes - an alum, a local kid (Boca Raton High), a proven commodity at Georgia (no matter what Georgia thought in letting him go), a squeaky-clean image and, evidently, someone who still has a fire burning. The question is if he would want to take a year off after a 15-year run at Georgia or hop right back into the fire to coach his alma mater.
Mullen finished runner-up to Al Golden five years ago and has done well in what might be the toughest job in America. Mississippi State is in the SEC West, meaning he has to fight Alabama, LSU, Auburn, etc ...
Schiano? He's been out of coaching a few years, which is curious. But he has a background with UM and did well at Rutgers before failing at Tampa Bay in the NFL.
What happened with Butch? Let's understand there were issues with how he left Miami way-back-when and larger issues with what happened at North Carolina. One question in the UM interview: Why did he hire John Blake as an assistant knowing he had concerns in his background that played out in the UNC scandal? Maybe this all changes coming up, as this stuff can. But right now he looks out of the picture.
