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Must Listen: Alonzo Highsmith on OBB podcast

ssvir said:
Need to read between the lines. They said Gino made the introduction to get him on the show.
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There’s been talk about he, Mel B and some bot having put together a group that’s already raised the money for the changes we want…. This little media blitz could lead one to believe it’s true. If u read between the lines.
 
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I think he's more than qualified for the job, but I'd much rather have Alonzo running the football program than be bogged down by the administrative responsibilities of being an AD. I would put him in a position of strong influence to do what he does best and not ask him to raise money for the rowing, golf, or tennis team.

Don Bailey Jr. would be an interesting hire for AD. He's been around the []__[] for a while and goes back to Schnellenberger, but also comes from a "respected family" in Miami that might give him a leg-up in getting the community/boosters behind the program. I think Don's persona, passion and emotion would make him a tremendous leader & fundraiser for athletics..

Mario for coach. Let the young bull of the trio do what he does best.

That would be my combo if I had a say..
 
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LOL at all the mouthbreathers who think this school is suddenly going to hire this football savant of an AD, especially when you have a president and BOT that can barely tolerate the football program to begin with. It was 8 long years ago someone thought hiring blake lames was a good idea, what evidence is there to suggest they will get it right this time?

Would you rather have them choose some other dude from the University of Maine or Alonzo Highsmith, who we know will be more qualified from day one, than james is even after his 8 years on the job.

And what evidence is there that suggests that Highsmith would only hire an ex Cane to be the head coach? People have speculated that Cristobal would only come if Zo is the AD. Again speculation. That line of thinking is selling that man short, he is intelligent enough to hire the best coach possible that the BOT will allow him to hire.

I just don't have any confidence the school will hire a good AD.
 
Liberty City El said:
That’s blasphemous to say amongst Canes fans I know, but USC & Texas used to have this exact same problem of only ever going after “their guys” to run the program both in Administration & as coaches & it stagnated them for years. You could argue that the overly localized mentality is still negatively impacting their program right now, but at least USC went with an outsider for their AD & will be bringing in a new HC by year’s end & Texas went outside of their realm bringing in Sark & giving him a bolstered staff, they have a bright future ahead of them as the transition from the last regime.

It just feels like we’re stuck in this permanent loop of trying to recreate something that never will be recreated.
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USC suffered and suffers the same disease. SC adds a symptom of entitlement, whereas Miami may not care. Since the McKay-Robinson era ended in the early 80s SC had ONE coach with sustained excellence, an outsider named Pete Caroll. Fourth choice, the first three passed on the job. Their new AD from Cincinnati is the first hire from outside the program in decades, IIRC.

Miami needs an AD who understands the economic landscape of CFB and the direction the sport is heading on the field. Then hire an HC of the same mold. After the money is found.
 
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miamicanephins said:
LOL at all the mouthbreathers who think this school is suddenly going to hire this football savant of an AD, especially when you have a president and BOT that can barely tolerate the football program to begin with. It was 8 long years ago someone thought hiring blake lames was a good idea, what evidence is there to suggest they will get it right this time?

Would you rather have them choose some other dude from the University of Maine or Alonzo Highsmith, who we know will be more qualified from day one, than james is even after his 8 years on the job.

And what evidence is there that suggests that Highsmith would only hire an ex Cane to be the head coach? People have speculated that Cristobal would only come if Zo is the AD. Again speculation. That line of thinking is selling that man short, he is intelligent enough to hire the best coach possible that the BOT will allow him to hire.

I just don't have any confidence the school will hire a good AD.
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All we have is our hope. I imagine you aim to **** on it.
 
Tru C said:
I kill ya
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kiss.gif
 
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Liberty City El said:
This 1,000x...

That’s the only thing that brings me some trepidation about Zo as AD, it will all but guarantee we’ll hire another former Cane as HC & while that will make a large % of our fan base very happy I’m uncertain that’s really the solution to our problems in the long term.

We’ve become too overly homogenous as a program, everything & everyone always has to have some kinda connection to Miami or else they’re just no good & that’s bordering on insanity IMO. There are people who probably wouldn’t want Lincoln Riley here because he didn’t play at The U or didn’t coach here under Butch lol (I’m half joking but you get my point)...

Miami’s problem is systemic from the top down & the only way to fix it is to bring in people who are not skewed with too much nostalgic bias or just plain stuck in the yesteryear of Canes lore. The obsession of returning to 80’s & the Glory years of the Canes dynasty is a big part of the problem, the game has evolved far beyond what it once was back then & we still haven’t caught up to the times. The most successful programs in college right now all have the same two things in common, forward thinking & spending money, two things Miami refuses to do.

I love Zo & Torretta & all the old school Canes & all the great memories & I’m not saying that Zo isn’t qualified to be an AD or wouldn’t do a good job here, I’m just saying, at some point if we ever really want to get back to being a competitive program we have to sincerely examine what we keep doing wrong & start the doing the opposite & that might include restructure the entire method of operation by allowing outsiders who have no connection to the school to come in & do reconstructive surgery on the program.

That’s blasphemous to say amongst Canes fans I know, but USC & Texas used to have this exact same problem of only ever going after “their guys” to run the program both in Administration & as coaches & it stagnated them for years. You could argue that the overly localized mentality is still negatively impacting their program right now, but at least USC went with an outsider for their AD & will be bringing in a new HC by year’s end & Texas went outside of their realm bringing in Sark & giving him a bolstered staff, they have a bright future ahead of them as the transition from the last regime.

It just feels like we’re stuck in this permanent loop of trying to recreate something that never will be recreated.
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Zo has been away from Miami for years. In his other interview, he point blank said he is not close to what is currently going on at Hecht. He brings ton of NFL executive experience. The only Miami guy has been Shannon. Richt might have played at Miami but he was influenced by Bowden and spent 16 years at Georgia. A Miami guy is a myth. Stoops? A couple of years in Miami 20 years ago. Cristobal is the only guy who qualifies and other than enough time for a cup of coffee with Golden it has been 15 years or so for him.
 
TemplarCane said:
USC suffered and suffers the same disease. SC adds a symptom of entitlement, whereas Miami may not care. Since the McKay-Robinson era ended in the early 80s SC had ONE coach with sustained excellence, an outsider named Pete Caroll. Fourth choice, the first three passed on the job. Their new AD from Cincinnati is the first hire from outside the program in decades, IIRC.

Miami needs an AD who understands the economic landscape of CFB and the direction the sport is heading on the field. Then hire an HC of the same mold. After the money is found.
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I have been following the USC story too. Have good friends connected to women's lax program and football.
We'll see who Bohn brings in as the new football coach. Assumption is it will be Luke Fickell. IDk though.... They have all kinds of challenges there, too.
 
ssvir said:
You again with this bull****.

Show us on the doll where Gino touched your girlfriend or mom, then tell us exactly what Blake James or any other AD for that matter does that a competent businessman wouldn't be able to do? You act like being an athletic director is doing brain surgery. There is a reason that ADs make 80% less than the coaches they hire.

The AD hires competent coaches and attorneys structure the contracts. The AD makes sure we stay on budget, with the help of an entire staff of accountants. The AD enters into scheduling agreements and attorneys draft the contracts. The AD executes on fundraising ... who better than two of the best ambassadors of the University including Gino having been the President of the Alumni Association.

You further show your ignorance with your comments on Alonzo. He has been in scouting and player personnel, including right now with the Seahawks, for the last 20 years and that job entails visiting nearly every major football university in the country, talking to coaches, watching film, and evaluating players. JFC you couldn't dream up a better candidate for an AD of Football position.
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Liberty City El said:
This 1,000x...

That’s the only thing that brings me some trepidation about Zo as AD, it will all but guarantee we’ll hire another former Cane as HC & while that will make a large % of our fan base very happy I’m uncertain that’s really the solution to our problems in the long term.

We’ve become too overly homogenous as a program, everything & everyone always has to have some kinda connection to Miami or else they’re just no good & that’s bordering on insanity IMO. There are people who probably wouldn’t want Lincoln Riley here because he didn’t play at The U or didn’t coach here under Butch lol (I’m half joking but you get my point)...

Miami’s problem is systemic from the top down & the only way to fix it is to bring in people who are not skewed with too much nostalgic bias or just plain stuck in the yesteryear of Canes lore. The obsession of returning to 80’s & the Glory years of the Canes dynasty is a big part of the problem, the game has evolved far beyond what it once was back then & we still haven’t caught up to the times. The most successful programs in college right now all have the same two things in common, forward thinking & spending money, two things Miami refuses to do.

I love Zo & Torretta & all the old school Canes & all the great memories & I’m not saying that Zo isn’t qualified to be an AD or wouldn’t do a good job here, I’m just saying, at some point if we ever really want to get back to being a competitive program we have to sincerely examine what we keep doing wrong & start the doing the opposite & that might include restructure the entire method of operation by allowing outsiders who have no connection to the school to come in & do reconstructive surgery on the program.

That’s blasphemous to say amongst Canes fans I know, but USC & Texas used to have this exact same problem of only ever going after “their guys” to run the program both in Administration & as coaches & it stagnated them for years. You could argue that the overly localized mentality is still negatively impacting their program right now, but at least USC went with an outsider for their AD & will be bringing in a new HC by year’s end & Texas went outside of their realm bringing in Sark & giving him a bolstered staff, they have a bright future ahead of them as the transition from the last regime.

It just feels like we’re stuck in this permanent loop of trying to recreate something that never will be recreated.
Click to expand...

There are points I agree with on both fronts here, but will try to sum it up as succinctly as possible:

1) Gino and Alonzo have done very well and certainly bring the right personal and professional qualities to the table. If you're asking me whether I'd sign off on Blake's dismissal, and those two to replace the current AD role (in some capacity of divided responsibility), of course I'd rubber stamp that. We'd be better off than we are now; but

2) At the same time, I don't think it's a slam dunk that either is a great success, whether as an AD or college football-only administrator. I fully recognize that NO ONE is a sure thing, and they are vastly more capable humans than Blake, but I have a tough time seeing either as the next Sam Jankovich.

But Blake needs to go and I'm at a point where I'll accept something considerably below a wild dream.
 
i'm not a big fan of blindly hiring alums to these critical positions...but after hearing that podcast...i absolutely wouldn't mind Alonzo as our next AD. Enough with the football AD, or football chief of staff/operations, blah blah blah...just make Alonzo the AD. He's worked in sports administration in an indirect way as VP of player personnel in the NFL. i don't want gino as AD or anywhere in a leadership role in athletics because he has no experience there. Zo does...and I'd be confident that he'd set championship standards for his head coaches to meet...as they should.

Zo for AD...let's go man
 
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Hoyacane1620 said:
I have been following the USC story too. Have good friends connected to women's lax program and football.
We'll see who Bohn brings in as the new football coach. Assumption is it will be Luke Fickell. IDk though.... They have all kinds of challenges there, too.
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I would be surprised if it's Fickell. He does not seems a fit for SoCal. He's pure Ohio, as it his wife. They have six children in school, the eldest a freshman OL at Cincinnati. The program has a chance at a CFP as the first G5 teanm, and joining the Big 12. Cincinnati might be ready to no longer be a stepping stone and extend Fickell into the $5M+/yr club.
 
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JeddTheFisch said:
There are points I agree with on both fronts here, but will try to sum it up as succinctly as possible:

1) Gino and Alonzo have done very well and certainly bring the right personal and professional qualities to the table. If you're asking me whether I'd sign off on Blake's dismissal, and those two to replace the current AD role (in some capacity of divided responsibility), of course I'd rubber stamp that. We'd be better off than we are now; but

2) At the same time, I don't think it's a slam dunk that either is a great success, whether as an AD or college football-only administrator. I fully recognize that NO ONE is a sure thing, and they are vastly more capable humans than Blake, but I have a tough time seeing either as the next Sam Jankovich.

But Blake needs to go and I'm at a point where I'll accept something considerably below a wild dream.
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Of course Blake needs to go, I’ve literally been calling for Blake to be fired since 2018, never once have I advocated in favor of him staying as AD.

What happens is people tend to over simplify my nuanced takes & then position it as operating between two extremes (not saying you). I didn’t say I wouldn’t take Zo as AD & I didn’t say he wouldn’t be good at it...

My point was a much larger one than just the specifics of Zo, it was about the mentality that has surrounded the program for the last 20 years that the solution to all our problems is always reverting to the past instead & attempting to move forward. There are several dozen good AD’s out there all around the country numerous schools, somehow these discussions always turn into we either have to keep Blake for an eternity or hire some former Cane from the 80’s & my point essentially is that there’s a 3rd option & the 3rd option is more than likely the best IMO because it would give a fresh exhumation of our program from someone who isn’t trapped between the gridlock of the two options.

All I was trying to say is that the solution to all our problems isn’t to always throw a former Hurricane at it, there are people who are very good at their job whether it’s being an AD or the HC of a team that have zero connection to this school or to the city of Miami in general who could do a good job here & it would pay dividends to explore those options rather than to just always stuff the ballot box with nostalgia.

Miami needs new ideas, new coaches, new evaluators & just an overall brand new culture, clinging onto dear life to the past is part of the reason why we’re in the grave now...
 
Pentagon Cane said:
Zo has been away from Miami for years. In his other interview, he point blank said he is not close to what is currently going on at Hecht. He brings ton of NFL executive experience. The only Miami guy has been Shannon. Richt might have played at Miami but he was influenced by Bowden and spent 16 years at Georgia. A Miami guy is a myth. Stoops? A couple of years in Miami 20 years ago. Cristobal is the only guy who qualifies and other than enough time for a cup of coffee with Golden it has been 15 years or so for him.
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You guys are being super literal lol...

Coker was a Butch’s OC, Shannon was a former Cane player & DC from Miami, Richt was also a former Cane from Boca Raton who hired Manny Diaz who’s also born & raised in Miami, was the DC & became the HC... Oh and he was the former Mayor of Miami’s son...

So again, my point is can we maybe once in Blue moon find someone that doesn’t have 6 degrees of separation from Miami? Now mind you, this is coming from someone who was also born & raised in Miami...

I’m just saying hiring Zo & Cristobal is basically more of the same, except with the idea that the two of them would be much better than the previous enclosed Miami moves & maybe they would be, but I’m saying why is that kinda move always the first thought, the first action? Are there any other regions we can hire from? Lol.
 
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