23. Miami (Fla.)
A number of coaches, especially those in the ACC, are down on Miami. "It's a s---- job," one coach said. Well, all right then. One thing that particularly sticks out to rival coaches is a lack of atmosphere for Miami's home games. Unless the opponent is Florida State, it's a ghost town. It makes sense, of course. The Hurricanes are playing 30-60 minutes from campus, depending on traffic, and in a part of town that has little else going on. What do you expect? "The Orange Bowl was awesome," a coach told me last fall. "How they didn't do something on that site, I'll never know. They're hurting now." Upgrades are on the way for Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphin/Dolphins/Land Shark/Sun Life Stadium -- but will that really bring in new or existing Miami fans? It's something the school is going to have to address if it's serious about growing the football program and not merely leaning on the past.
But that past does mean something. The history of "the U" is something that resonates, but more with adults than recruits. Having survived the NCAA's recent investigation, Miami now must do some soul-searching if it truly intends to reinvent itself. On the bright side, there is so much talent within a 100-mile radius of campus. Coach Al Golden has signed as many as any ACC Coastal program, and yet he hasn't done a whole lot with it. Miami is not completely broken, but it's in desperate need of repairs.
A number of coaches, especially those in the ACC, are down on Miami. "It's a s---- job," one coach said. Well, all right then. One thing that particularly sticks out to rival coaches is a lack of atmosphere for Miami's home games. Unless the opponent is Florida State, it's a ghost town. It makes sense, of course. The Hurricanes are playing 30-60 minutes from campus, depending on traffic, and in a part of town that has little else going on. What do you expect? "The Orange Bowl was awesome," a coach told me last fall. "How they didn't do something on that site, I'll never know. They're hurting now." Upgrades are on the way for Joe Robbie/Pro Player/Dolphin/Dolphins/Land Shark/Sun Life Stadium -- but will that really bring in new or existing Miami fans? It's something the school is going to have to address if it's serious about growing the football program and not merely leaning on the past.
But that past does mean something. The history of "the U" is something that resonates, but more with adults than recruits. Having survived the NCAA's recent investigation, Miami now must do some soul-searching if it truly intends to reinvent itself. On the bright side, there is so much talent within a 100-mile radius of campus. Coach Al Golden has signed as many as any ACC Coastal program, and yet he hasn't done a whole lot with it. Miami is not completely broken, but it's in desperate need of repairs.
