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Miami Football: Top replacements for Mark Richt

By Justin Dottavio

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt looks on in the third quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 27: Miami Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt looks on in the third quarter of the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /
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Mark Richt’s strong start with Miami football quickly came crashing down. Richt will retire following a 7-6 campaign. Who should the Canes’ pursue to replace him?

After guiding Miami to a second overall ranking only one season ago, Mark Richt has retired after a beat down to Wisconsin in the 2018 New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Mark Richt, known more for his time as head football coach at Georgia, finished his tenure in Coral Gables, FL with a 26-13 record including three straight bowl appearances. However, Miami finished with a 1-2 record in said bowls and had slumped badly after a four-game losing streak in 2018.

The Hurricanes are in disarray after a 7-6 season, bowl drubbing, mediocre early signing period class, and losing defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to become the head coach at Temple. However, it’s still Miami. The Hurricanes now have a state of the art indoor practice facility, sit in a recruiting hotbed in Florida, and have recently upped their budget for both the head coach and all assistant coaching positions.

A new head football coach could sweep up the national signing day period in February, lure a few graduate transfers to Miami, and establish an improved strength and conditioning program and more modern offensive system. As much as I would love to see a name like Matt Campbell interviewed, I think he has his sights on a job like Michigan State once Mark Dantonio retires.

Just a year away from courting names like Butch Davis and Mark Richt, Miami athletic director Blake James is thrust into a position to cement his legacy at Miami. There are some great names that stayed put this cycle and are still available to move up the ladder, even if Geoff Collins and Scott Satterfield are off the table. Don’t get your hopes up on Oregon’s Mario Cristobal, either. That buyout is rumored in the range of $10-12 million dollars.

Here are the top five coaches James should be target for the vacanct head coaching position:

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