With the full expectation of negs, I honestly think the difference here is Blake James. Paul Dee wasn't a great AD. He made one good/lucky hire. Hocutt and Eichorst (does anyone even remember him being at Miami?) had a foot out the door before they showed up. Meanwhile, the administration wanted a clean and tidy football program given all the Coker and Shapiro madness. I was ****ed with James not firing Golden at the end of year four. But he came through and at least got MONEY for a real coaching staff. And I'm not crazy about all the "national search" talk. But in both cases, James knew who he wanted and got him. One at a WAY higher price than we've ever paid for a coach and another with a buyout. When is the last time we paid a buyout? Golden?
And then there was the Turnover Chain, which would NEVER have happened under Hocutt or Eichorst (or, possibly, Shalalalala). On top of that, there's the IPF, and ALL THE MONEY spent that we don't talk about. Does anyone remember the team didn't have a nutritionist before James? Or a sports psychologist? James' job is to secure the money that that the football program needs, and he's honestly the first AD we've really ever had that's been able to do that (of course given the recruiting landscape is different in Miami than in the early 80's).
I think what sets Diaz apart from Coker and Shannon (and of course, Golden) is swagger. You listen to the man speak and he commands your attention. He's smart, he's to the point, he's not wishy-washy, and there's not a ton of coach-speak. Be real and on your game and you might recruit SFL well.
