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Travis Haney, ESPN Staff Writer
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What's the better open job: Miami or South Carolina?
I asked several agents, coaches and administrators this week to choose one. Most responded with Miami but not for the reason you might think.
It was not necessarily a matter of the school's tradition, so the Hurricanes having won five national titles to South Carolina's single conference title did not come up. Nor was it tied to the Miami "brand."
It was all about the relative weakness of the ACC Coastal.
"You go where the wins are, more than anything else," one coach told me. "With the [recruits in South Florida] and that division, it's definitely Miami between those two. South Carolina is on the right side of that league, but it's still the SEC. I'd want to be in Miami's division. You can compete for a conference championship every single year."
That leads our notes from the coaching carousel, a ride that became even more dizzying Wednesday morning when Minnesota coach Jerry Kill unexpectedly announced his retirement. Minnesota became the sixth open Power 5 job, and we're not yet to November.
"The first wave [of coaching changes] usually comes in the middle of November, but we've already had the first wave," an agent told me, "so it makes you wonder if we're due for a whole, other second wave."
South Carolina is expected to pay at least $1 million per year more than Miami, those close to the programs have told me. And yet the majority of the agents, coaches and administrators polled said Miami was still the better gig.
"Money does talk," a coach said, "but if you win then you'll make that money in the long run. They'll have to pay to keep you. I'd go to the easier [conference and division], every time."
To that end, a few of the coaches and agents added that Virginia Tech -- if it does open in this cycle -- is a better job than both Miami and South Carolina. Not only is it in the ACC Coastal, they said, but it has better resources and fan support. Agents are under the impression that Virginia Tech would likely pay about $3 million-$4 million a year, which would fall between Miami and South Carolina's ranges.
"There's a reason they're open now," a Power 5 AD told me, referring to Miami and South Carolina. "They're getting a head start on their searches before other jobs -- and maybe better jobs -- open up. That means more than some might understand or realize. They'll have already narrowed their focus while other schools are making decisions on their current staffs."
• Much is made of Miami feeling compelled to make a hire "within the family." Candidates with ties to the school, such as Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal, are seemingly early frontrunners. But is it necessary to have that link to "The U"?
"I don't think so," an AD told me, "but I would think that it's important that they know South Florida. It's a unique place. I don't know that I would drop a younger coach like [Memphis coach] Justin Fuente or [Houston coach] Tom Herman in there. Maybe it works, but I know I'd look for coaches and staffs who know the area."
That's an apt description of Marshall's Doc Holliday, who has never coached at Miami but has recruited the state of Florida for more than two decades.
The Herd are 7-1 this season and 30-6 since the start of the 2013 season. Holliday, 58, is also well within Miami's budget.
If Miami passes, agents have said that another Florida-based school -- UCF -- would be wise to make a run at Holliday.
• Additionally, some coaches have wondered if Miami should be the first major program in the state to go all-in on a hurry-up, no-huddle offense. Tempo has been incorporated here and there, but no one has fully invested, despite the in-state talent.
In style and substance, just imagine Miami running a Baylor-style spread, gunning for 90-plus plays a game. It would set the school apart from Florida and Florida State, which should be a motivating factor in recruiting.
"They could do special things if they got that sort of offense in there," a coach told me. "(High school kids) would be lining up to run that offense."
Clemson became the first ACC program to fully embrace a fast-paced offense when it hired Chad Morris in 2011, and it yielded dividends for the Tigers in a league that has been slow to adjust.
So would Morris be that candidate at Miami? It's unlikely, if for no other reason than Morris' $3 million buyout. Additionally, as far as he has brought the program in a year's time, SMU is still 1-6 in his first season as a head coach. Even if an AD understands Morris' value, a school's administration is still going to wonder why it's hiring a guy who with a losing record with limited experience.
• Those close to the program say Minnesota interim Tracy Claeys will be the odds-on favorite to take over for Kill, who announced his retirement Wednesday morning because of health reasons.
Interim promotions are somewhat rare in college football, but so are these circumstances. The 46-year-old Claeys coached the final seven regular-season games in 2013 when Kill had to take an extended leave because of seizures. Claeys held the team together, leading the Gophers to four victories and a bowl bid. Kill on Wednesday called his staff the best in the country, so there's reason to believe there would be continuity for a group that has coached Minnesota to eight-win seasons the past two years.
As for this season, the 4-3 Gophers have dealt with an incredible number of injuries -- and the upcoming schedule, beginning Saturday against Michigan, is brutal. Because of that, there's a sense in the Twin Cities that Claeys will not be harshly judged for how the Gophers finish in 2015.
Additionally, the school intends to conduct and conclude its AD search before making a decision on a coach. With that search expected to take several months, the likelihood of Claeys promotion increases even more.
• File this away, too: Claeys is from Clay Center, Kansas, and went to Kansas State. You'd better believe K-State AD John Currie has his eye on Claeys as Bill Snyder nears retirement, especially if Minnesota does hire from the outside.
• The coaching community is again tuned into what's going on in Athens, Georgia. If Mark Richt's team loses Saturday against Florida, especially if it's a convincing Gators win, it would again throw Richt's future at UGA into the air.
"It's the same thing every year," an AD told me earlier this week. "But you know if we hear it every year, he feels it every year. At some point, it adds up enough where he says, 'You know what, that's enough. I've had enough.' "
The AD suggested the 55-year-old Richt -- who is 141-50 at the school -- wouldn't be fired but rather it would be an agreed-upon retirement/resignation in which Richt was still paid his buyout figure.
If it opens, Georgia would be on the same elite level as USC. Coaches have wondered for years what someone else could do with that top-notch in-state recruiting base.
"More than one [SEC] title in 10 years. That's for dang sure," a coach said this week.
Travis Haney, ESPN Staff Writer
1
Share
comment
What's the better open job: Miami or South Carolina?
I asked several agents, coaches and administrators this week to choose one. Most responded with Miami but not for the reason you might think.
It was not necessarily a matter of the school's tradition, so the Hurricanes having won five national titles to South Carolina's single conference title did not come up. Nor was it tied to the Miami "brand."
It was all about the relative weakness of the ACC Coastal.
"You go where the wins are, more than anything else," one coach told me. "With the [recruits in South Florida] and that division, it's definitely Miami between those two. South Carolina is on the right side of that league, but it's still the SEC. I'd want to be in Miami's division. You can compete for a conference championship every single year."
That leads our notes from the coaching carousel, a ride that became even more dizzying Wednesday morning when Minnesota coach Jerry Kill unexpectedly announced his retirement. Minnesota became the sixth open Power 5 job, and we're not yet to November.
"The first wave [of coaching changes] usually comes in the middle of November, but we've already had the first wave," an agent told me, "so it makes you wonder if we're due for a whole, other second wave."
South Carolina is expected to pay at least $1 million per year more than Miami, those close to the programs have told me. And yet the majority of the agents, coaches and administrators polled said Miami was still the better gig.
"Money does talk," a coach said, "but if you win then you'll make that money in the long run. They'll have to pay to keep you. I'd go to the easier [conference and division], every time."
To that end, a few of the coaches and agents added that Virginia Tech -- if it does open in this cycle -- is a better job than both Miami and South Carolina. Not only is it in the ACC Coastal, they said, but it has better resources and fan support. Agents are under the impression that Virginia Tech would likely pay about $3 million-$4 million a year, which would fall between Miami and South Carolina's ranges.
"There's a reason they're open now," a Power 5 AD told me, referring to Miami and South Carolina. "They're getting a head start on their searches before other jobs -- and maybe better jobs -- open up. That means more than some might understand or realize. They'll have already narrowed their focus while other schools are making decisions on their current staffs."
• Much is made of Miami feeling compelled to make a hire "within the family." Candidates with ties to the school, such as Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal, are seemingly early frontrunners. But is it necessary to have that link to "The U"?
"I don't think so," an AD told me, "but I would think that it's important that they know South Florida. It's a unique place. I don't know that I would drop a younger coach like [Memphis coach] Justin Fuente or [Houston coach] Tom Herman in there. Maybe it works, but I know I'd look for coaches and staffs who know the area."
That's an apt description of Marshall's Doc Holliday, who has never coached at Miami but has recruited the state of Florida for more than two decades.
The Herd are 7-1 this season and 30-6 since the start of the 2013 season. Holliday, 58, is also well within Miami's budget.
If Miami passes, agents have said that another Florida-based school -- UCF -- would be wise to make a run at Holliday.
• Additionally, some coaches have wondered if Miami should be the first major program in the state to go all-in on a hurry-up, no-huddle offense. Tempo has been incorporated here and there, but no one has fully invested, despite the in-state talent.
In style and substance, just imagine Miami running a Baylor-style spread, gunning for 90-plus plays a game. It would set the school apart from Florida and Florida State, which should be a motivating factor in recruiting.
"They could do special things if they got that sort of offense in there," a coach told me. "(High school kids) would be lining up to run that offense."
Clemson became the first ACC program to fully embrace a fast-paced offense when it hired Chad Morris in 2011, and it yielded dividends for the Tigers in a league that has been slow to adjust.
So would Morris be that candidate at Miami? It's unlikely, if for no other reason than Morris' $3 million buyout. Additionally, as far as he has brought the program in a year's time, SMU is still 1-6 in his first season as a head coach. Even if an AD understands Morris' value, a school's administration is still going to wonder why it's hiring a guy who with a losing record with limited experience.
• Those close to the program say Minnesota interim Tracy Claeys will be the odds-on favorite to take over for Kill, who announced his retirement Wednesday morning because of health reasons.
Interim promotions are somewhat rare in college football, but so are these circumstances. The 46-year-old Claeys coached the final seven regular-season games in 2013 when Kill had to take an extended leave because of seizures. Claeys held the team together, leading the Gophers to four victories and a bowl bid. Kill on Wednesday called his staff the best in the country, so there's reason to believe there would be continuity for a group that has coached Minnesota to eight-win seasons the past two years.
As for this season, the 4-3 Gophers have dealt with an incredible number of injuries -- and the upcoming schedule, beginning Saturday against Michigan, is brutal. Because of that, there's a sense in the Twin Cities that Claeys will not be harshly judged for how the Gophers finish in 2015.
Additionally, the school intends to conduct and conclude its AD search before making a decision on a coach. With that search expected to take several months, the likelihood of Claeys promotion increases even more.
• File this away, too: Claeys is from Clay Center, Kansas, and went to Kansas State. You'd better believe K-State AD John Currie has his eye on Claeys as Bill Snyder nears retirement, especially if Minnesota does hire from the outside.
• The coaching community is again tuned into what's going on in Athens, Georgia. If Mark Richt's team loses Saturday against Florida, especially if it's a convincing Gators win, it would again throw Richt's future at UGA into the air.
"It's the same thing every year," an AD told me earlier this week. "But you know if we hear it every year, he feels it every year. At some point, it adds up enough where he says, 'You know what, that's enough. I've had enough.' "
The AD suggested the 55-year-old Richt -- who is 141-50 at the school -- wouldn't be fired but rather it would be an agreed-upon retirement/resignation in which Richt was still paid his buyout figure.
If it opens, Georgia would be on the same elite level as USC. Coaches have wondered for years what someone else could do with that top-notch in-state recruiting base.
"More than one [SEC] title in 10 years. That's for dang sure," a coach said this week.
