There has been a lot of talk about what if Butch had returned in 2016 when Richt was hired. But less talked about is the possibility that Davis could have returned a decade earlier. Now the immediate response is that UM felt slighted by Davis and if any return would have been thwarted by those feelings.
But let’s say that he does return. Does Shalala give him more of a budget to hire assistants, or is he as hamstrung as Shannon? Does Miami allow for additional spending to hire a nutritionist as SEC schools were loudly doing? And what affect does a Coach Davis have on Nevin Shapiro? Does the 2006 dip remain a blip and Miami returns to prominence by 2008, or does the rebuild take equally long as Shannon’s or longer? And how long does Davis remain as HC?