UM commit Sam Bruce talks 'Canes coaching search, more - Sun Sentinel
Sam Bruce says he hasn’t given much thought to the recruiting process of late, not with his St. Thomas Aquinas football team in the chase for yet another state title.
But the standout wide receiver – and one of the biggest jewels in Miami’s 2016 recruiting class – says that isn’t the only reason he’s held off on thinking about where he’ll play college football next year.
The other? He remains committed to the Hurricanes even as they’ve fired coach Al Golden and have yet to name his replacement.
Not long after Golden was fired, Sam took to social media to tell worried fans that when he committed, he committed to Miami, not to any coach in particular. He reiterated that last week in an interview with the Sun Sentinel, and he remains hopeful fellow Hurricanes recruits will stick with the program.
“I’m not alone. This is my hometown,” Bruce said. “I’m 30, 40 minutes away from Coral Gables. My family can catch all of my home games and if I need to go home, I can just get up and go,” Bruce said. “If I go to another university, I’d have to deal with plane flights and things like that, things of that nature. This is my home. Why not play in front your own people? Why not be the underdog? A lot of people are afraid of being the underdog. I’m not. I’ve never been.”
While he says he hasn’t spent too much of his time thinking about recruiting, Bruce has thought about the kind of coach he’d like to see Miami hire. One of his biggest hopes? That that new coach will retain receivers coach Kevin Beard, a thought that’s been expressed by a few current Hurricanes players who’ve praised Beard for the work he’s done since joining the staff earlier this year.
Bruce has known Beard for years and even played for him when Beard was an assistant coach at University School a couple of years ago. Keeping Beard on staff, Bruce says, will help all of the Hurricanes, not just the receivers.
“He’s a phenomenal coach, a phenomenal person and he has all the aspects a University of Miami coach needs,” Bruce said of Beard. “He has swagger, he has the coaching ability. He’s a player’s coach. He gets the players going and that’s definitely what I think the university needs. They need someone to bring that swagger to the game, that’s what the University of Miami is all about. They’ve gotten away from that, but everyone hates Miami because they’re not Miami. KB, I have no doubt he’ll still be there.”
As to the new coach himself, Bruce hopes former Hurricane and current Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal will get the nod, especially because of his deep connections with South Florida’s high school coaches and players.
“I feel like if Miami goes back to what they were doing before, just basically gaining the foundation of their team from the tri-county area, that will definitely be a big thing and I feel like Mario Cristobal definitely knows the tri-county area,” Bruce said. “He’s been recruiting down here as long as he’s been at Alabama. I’ve talked to [Crimson Tide receiver] Calvin Ridley about him. He says he’s a great coach. But only time will tell. I definitely feel like we need a coach that can be really sort of strict, but also bring the swagger to the game. I definitely feel like the University of Miami needs a player’s coach. There’s a lot of talent. We have a lot of talent down here right now and the performances they’ve been showing lately, it’s flat out unacceptable. We have all the pieces, we just need to put the puzzle together. We need someone to direct the University of Miami back to the top.”
Sam Bruce says he hasn’t given much thought to the recruiting process of late, not with his St. Thomas Aquinas football team in the chase for yet another state title.
But the standout wide receiver – and one of the biggest jewels in Miami’s 2016 recruiting class – says that isn’t the only reason he’s held off on thinking about where he’ll play college football next year.
The other? He remains committed to the Hurricanes even as they’ve fired coach Al Golden and have yet to name his replacement.
Not long after Golden was fired, Sam took to social media to tell worried fans that when he committed, he committed to Miami, not to any coach in particular. He reiterated that last week in an interview with the Sun Sentinel, and he remains hopeful fellow Hurricanes recruits will stick with the program.
“I’m not alone. This is my hometown,” Bruce said. “I’m 30, 40 minutes away from Coral Gables. My family can catch all of my home games and if I need to go home, I can just get up and go,” Bruce said. “If I go to another university, I’d have to deal with plane flights and things like that, things of that nature. This is my home. Why not play in front your own people? Why not be the underdog? A lot of people are afraid of being the underdog. I’m not. I’ve never been.”
While he says he hasn’t spent too much of his time thinking about recruiting, Bruce has thought about the kind of coach he’d like to see Miami hire. One of his biggest hopes? That that new coach will retain receivers coach Kevin Beard, a thought that’s been expressed by a few current Hurricanes players who’ve praised Beard for the work he’s done since joining the staff earlier this year.
Bruce has known Beard for years and even played for him when Beard was an assistant coach at University School a couple of years ago. Keeping Beard on staff, Bruce says, will help all of the Hurricanes, not just the receivers.
“He’s a phenomenal coach, a phenomenal person and he has all the aspects a University of Miami coach needs,” Bruce said of Beard. “He has swagger, he has the coaching ability. He’s a player’s coach. He gets the players going and that’s definitely what I think the university needs. They need someone to bring that swagger to the game, that’s what the University of Miami is all about. They’ve gotten away from that, but everyone hates Miami because they’re not Miami. KB, I have no doubt he’ll still be there.”
As to the new coach himself, Bruce hopes former Hurricane and current Alabama assistant Mario Cristobal will get the nod, especially because of his deep connections with South Florida’s high school coaches and players.
“I feel like if Miami goes back to what they were doing before, just basically gaining the foundation of their team from the tri-county area, that will definitely be a big thing and I feel like Mario Cristobal definitely knows the tri-county area,” Bruce said. “He’s been recruiting down here as long as he’s been at Alabama. I’ve talked to [Crimson Tide receiver] Calvin Ridley about him. He says he’s a great coach. But only time will tell. I definitely feel like we need a coach that can be really sort of strict, but also bring the swagger to the game. I definitely feel like the University of Miami needs a player’s coach. There’s a lot of talent. We have a lot of talent down here right now and the performances they’ve been showing lately, it’s flat out unacceptable. We have all the pieces, we just need to put the puzzle together. We need someone to direct the University of Miami back to the top.”
