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Which coach gets the nod? (Hypothetical)
- Thread starter rascon
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I gotta go with JJ
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JJ easy…
10 extra years of Schnelly means we never get JJ.
10 extra years of JJ… does Butch stay? Probably… he coached under JJ from 1979-1994, but even if he doesn’t stay to replace him after the additional years, keeping JJ > keeping Butch.
Coach E is the only other person worth mentioning with this group and he isn’t getting picked over at least 3 of them.
Scorpioncane
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It's jj for me! Who was the better recruiter jj or butch?
caneULM
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This is the real question here. Both had an eye for talent the likes we have not seen since
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That's a tough one.
Schnelly built the program from sawdust. Left JJ a stacked roster and a national powerhouse to build on.
JJ, as much as I love him - a bit hit and miss as a gameday coach. Elite recruiter obviously.
Butch - see my JJ complaint, but the talent stacking would be obscene, at least back in the day. He never reproduced that at UNC.
Mario - that book is still being written and he doesn't yet have the ring, but it's a good start.
Someone else? No, Coker barely held the ship together for 3 years. Erickson set us back 10 years. Certianly no one between the Coker and Mario eras, and no one before Schnelly.
That's a really tough call but gun to my head I pick JJ.
Schnelly built the program from sawdust. Left JJ a stacked roster and a national powerhouse to build on.
JJ, as much as I love him - a bit hit and miss as a gameday coach. Elite recruiter obviously.
Butch - see my JJ complaint, but the talent stacking would be obscene, at least back in the day. He never reproduced that at UNC.
Mario - that book is still being written and he doesn't yet have the ring, but it's a good start.
Someone else? No, Coker barely held the ship together for 3 years. Erickson set us back 10 years. Certianly no one between the Coker and Mario eras, and no one before Schnelly.
That's a really tough call but gun to my head I pick JJ.
ChatGPT weighing in…
1. Jimmy Johnson — the clearest “yes,” even though he never would’ve signed it
Johnson is the rare coach whose trajectory at Miami and subsequent NFL success both validate that he was building something sustainable and elite.
• He modernized Miami’s recruiting footprint, especially in Texas and the deep South.
• He evolved the defensive identity from Schnellenberger’s foundation into a speed‑driven, attacking philosophy that became the program’s signature.
• His 1986–1988 run showed a coach who was still ascending, not plateauing.
• The only reason a 10‑year deal wouldn’t have happened is Jimmy himself—he was wired for the next mountain, not for decade‑long tenure.
If you’re judging purely on deservedness, he’s the top choice.
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2. Howard Schnellenberger / Mario Cristobal — the true program architects
These two share a similar profile: builders, not inheritors.
Schnellenberger
• Took over a program with no identity, no facilities, and no recruiting brand.
• Created the South Florida “State of Miami” blueprint that every successful UM coach has used since.
• His 1983 title wasn’t a one‑off; it was the start of a dynasty he never got to finish.
A 10‑year extension in 1983 would have been a bet on a visionary who had already proven he could build a national champion from scratch.
Cristobal
• The modern equivalent: rebuilding infrastructure, culture, and roster from the ground up.
• His value is tied to long‑term compounding—recruiting pipelines, development systems, and institutional alignment.
• Like Schnellenberger, his success curve is long‑arc, not short‑cycle.
If Miami wanted to lock in a CEO‑style builder, he fits the profile.
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3. Butch Davis — elite roster architect, but never fully proved the on‑field ceiling
Davis rebuilt Miami from NCAA rubble into the most talented roster in modern college football history. But the case for a 10‑year extension is more complicated:
• His roster construction was unmatched—evaluation, development, and retention were all elite.
• But he never delivered the final 5 percent of execution at Miami (’98 FSU, ’99 Penn State, ’00 Washington).
• His later stops (Cleveland, UNC, FIU) reinforce the pattern: phenomenal builder, inconsistent closer.
He absolutely earned long‑term security, but not quite the decade‑long “blank check” status that JJ, Schnellenberger or Mario would justify.
1. Jimmy Johnson — the clearest “yes,” even though he never would’ve signed it
Johnson is the rare coach whose trajectory at Miami and subsequent NFL success both validate that he was building something sustainable and elite.
• He modernized Miami’s recruiting footprint, especially in Texas and the deep South.
• He evolved the defensive identity from Schnellenberger’s foundation into a speed‑driven, attacking philosophy that became the program’s signature.
• His 1986–1988 run showed a coach who was still ascending, not plateauing.
• The only reason a 10‑year deal wouldn’t have happened is Jimmy himself—he was wired for the next mountain, not for decade‑long tenure.
If you’re judging purely on deservedness, he’s the top choice.
---
2. Howard Schnellenberger / Mario Cristobal — the true program architects
These two share a similar profile: builders, not inheritors.
Schnellenberger
• Took over a program with no identity, no facilities, and no recruiting brand.
• Created the South Florida “State of Miami” blueprint that every successful UM coach has used since.
• His 1983 title wasn’t a one‑off; it was the start of a dynasty he never got to finish.
A 10‑year extension in 1983 would have been a bet on a visionary who had already proven he could build a national champion from scratch.
Cristobal
• The modern equivalent: rebuilding infrastructure, culture, and roster from the ground up.
• His value is tied to long‑term compounding—recruiting pipelines, development systems, and institutional alignment.
• Like Schnellenberger, his success curve is long‑arc, not short‑cycle.
If Miami wanted to lock in a CEO‑style builder, he fits the profile.
---
3. Butch Davis — elite roster architect, but never fully proved the on‑field ceiling
Davis rebuilt Miami from NCAA rubble into the most talented roster in modern college football history. But the case for a 10‑year extension is more complicated:
• His roster construction was unmatched—evaluation, development, and retention were all elite.
• But he never delivered the final 5 percent of execution at Miami (’98 FSU, ’99 Penn State, ’00 Washington).
• His later stops (Cleveland, UNC, FIU) reinforce the pattern: phenomenal builder, inconsistent closer.
He absolutely earned long‑term security, but not quite the decade‑long “blank check” status that JJ, Schnellenberger or Mario would justify.