Disclaimer: I KNOW RICHT IS NOT GETTING FIRED THIS YEAR, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME, I KNOW.
With that out of the way, these are a just some of the Coaches I think would great for us in the event they were hired.
Josh Heupel - I know I know everyone hates UCF, but I think he would kill it here in Miami due to his Offensive background. He comes from the Bob Stoops coaching tree, was QB coach & OC at Oklahoma from 06-14. He's developed QB's like Bradfrod, Landry Jones & Drew Lock at Mizzou. He was OC when Okla beat Bama in the Sugar Bowl in 2014 when Trevor Knight lit'em up.
Obviously I don't think he would go undefeated at Miami, but I do feel his Offense would be more than enough to bring Miami into the 21st century & we would win those games against lesser opponents because we would put games away early with a high octane uptempo Offense that puts up points at will. Team him up with Diaz & our Defensive talent and I think we have a team that could actually compete for the ACC.
Mike Norvell - Another young offensive innovator that has done a great job in QB & offense development, he made below average QB's like Paxton Lynch & Riley Ferguson look like good passers. When he was OC at AZ St they won 10 games back to back in 2013-14 & made another below average QB like Taylor Kelly look like a legit passer.
Plus currently at Memph he has the #2 rusher in the nation Darrell Henderson. And yes I'm aware the talent level is different from G5 to P5 football, but the point is the man understands how to maximize his players strengths & utilize his weapons without having elite talent.
Ryan Day - Came from that New Hampshire system when Chip Kelly was the OC & was also a Steve Addazio guy at Temple & BC. Followed Chip Kelly to the NFL with the Eagles & Niners, before getting brought on to be QB/OC coach with Urby at Oh St. Has Dwayne Haskins playing at an elite level being 3rd in the nation in passing with 3,280yds 33TD's & 6INT's & considering this is his 1st season as a starter and is a True Soph.
He's the hottest name in coaching right now due to his connections & how he handled being the HC when Urby got suspended for 3 games. He's someone that Oh St boosters would back up the brinks truck to keep him in house if Urby left, so I don't think we have a realistic shot at getting him, just think he could do a good job here.
Dino Babers - Long Coaching history most of you know his background (if not look it up), but as a HC is 53-34 all-time. Did well at Eastern Illinois going 19-7 where he had Sterling Gilbert as his OC & guess who his QB was... Jimmy Garoppolo. Also did well at Bowling Green going 18-9. Currently has Cuse at 8-2 with an opportunity to destroy Notre Dame's playoff potential next week & even has a bum QB like Eric Dungey playing pretty solid.
He's a very good Offensive minded HC & usually has good OC's under him, he gets a lot of his players without having high caliber 4/5-star talent. His resume obviously doesn't stack up to Richt's (none of these coaches do), but I think he would kill it on the recruiting trail in South Fla due to his personality & approach to the game. Most importantly if you've ever seen the locker room celebrations after they upset teams it's pretty clear he gets his guys motivated, they play for him, which is something we need & a Coach that can lite a fire under his team and have them respond.
Neal Brown - Was with KC Keeler at Delaware for a brief stint, was OC at TTech with Tubberville & with Stoops at Kentucky, but is basically a Larry Blakeney disciple from Troy. Has a 33-15 record with back to back 10/11 win seasons in 2016/17 & wins against 2 P5 teams (Neb this year & LSU last year), also almost beat Clemson in 2016 (lost 30-24), the same Clemson team that won the National championship that year.
Now almost doesn't count I know, but when you look at how wide the talent gap is between Troy & Clemson that's still pretty crazy the game wasn't a blowout like it should have been. I know some would say ridiculous even considering him, but I wouldn't necessarily put him at the top of the list but he's an interesting name IMO as an unconventional hire. He seems like a coach that will eventually take on a job in the SEC, and the fact he's only being $810,000 a year it basically a forgone conclusion he'll get a big pay day somewhere in the SEC.
There are others many of you have talked about extensively in dozens of other threads, Matt Campbell at ISU, Mike Leach, even Briles etc., I'm not a Leach guy at all but the thinking of brining in an Offensive guru & pairing him with Diaz & our Defense, along with the very good skill players at their disposal is the right direction we should move IMO.
My top candidates were always guys like Gary Patterson or David Shaw, just basically guys who were proven program builders & winners at their previous spots but I doubt they would want to leave their comfortable situations to come deal with the pressure of Miami. I think we need to go in the same direction that Oklahoma went & hire a young upcoming innovative Offensive guru like Lincoln Riley. It would improve our Offense over night, which would get us W's vs these weak Coastal teams we keep losing too, which would also make us a more attractive destination for both local Fla & OOS recruits that would be salivating at the opportunity to play for Miami.
I know the hardcore Richtians will hate this thread, that's fine, I'm not even going to engage with yall. But for the rest of you, go ahead & let me know what other Coaches you guys think would be great here.
