Canes in 2019: The search for the next head football coach

Just a few days after the Miami Hurricanes’ loss against the Wisconsin Badgers in Pinstripe Bowl, Canes’ head football coach Mark Richt announced his retirement. Making things official, Athletic Director Blake James led a press conference to get into the details.

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After 18 years as a football coach, Richt is bidding farewell to his career. The last three years of his career was spent working with his alma mater, the University of Miami. The talk now focuses on who will fill his shoes as head coach. Fans, enthusiasts, and UM’s management all have their picks.


Mario Cristobal is among the top choices for the position. He is completing his first year as Oregon’s head coach and maintains direct ties to the UM program. He participated in a couple of national championship teams and worked as a grad assistant from 1998 to 2000 before becoming an assistant coach for three years, leading to his six-year stretch as FIU’s head coach. The following years he spent working with Alabama, then Oregon.

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Butch Davis is another tough contender for the position, having worked with the Canes in the past as a coach. In just a couple of years, he has transformed the Panthers into a tough-to-beat team in the Conference-USA, playing 17-9 since taking charge prior to the 2017 season. Manny Diaz, currently Temple’s head coach, could have been the Canes’ head coach had Richt made the decision a few weeks before the former accepted the coaching job at Temple on December 12. Diaz is a Miami native and was UM’s defensive coordinator.


Patrick Dwyer, a financial advisor, is an ardent supporter of the Miami Hurricanes, and an avid fan of college basketball and college football. For more updates about the Canes, visit this blog.

Looking back at the Miami Hurricanes’ 2018 football season

2018 was clearly not a great year for Hurricanes football. Even though the team was expected to win all their games, coach Mark Richt only managed to guide the team to a 7-6 record, culminating in a loss at the Pinstripe Bowl. Worse, Richt would announce his retirement shortly after, a move that, for many supporters like financial advisor Patrick Dwyer, completely blindsided the team.

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Richt’s offense was ranked 77th overall in the horrible season, not helped by the horrible kicking game. While recruiting was not bad, the Canes weren’t able to capitalize, ending with a 97th ranking in terms of special teams efficiency. The punt game was also lacking on all levels, from coverage to actual punt with Zach Feagles unable to find his rhythm throughout the season. Feagles finished with a 38.9 yards per punt while alternate Jack Spicer had a 37.7 average.


One good news for the Canes is that Bubba Baxa had a solid year as a rookie, ending the season with 9-of-12 on field goals and a 45-of-46 on extra points. He also came up with 41 touchbacks on 69 kicks. The team also displayed flashes of athletic brilliance in the return game department. Both Jeff Thomas and Deejay Dallas had solid performances, too, each scoring touchdowns on punt returns. Sadly, Thomas will be gone this year.

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The development of Baxa coupled with a leaner Dallas will prove crucial this coming season, something that would be greatly complemented by the arrival of new offense coordinator Dan Enos, says financial advisor and Canes fan Patrick Dwyer. Canes should find ways to improve their kicking game, especially if running back Lorenzo Lingard returns fully healthy.


Financial advisor Patrick Dwyer is pushing for the empowerment of medical organizations such as the Neuroscience Centers of Florida Foundation, Inc. (NSCFF) and their advocacy of putting an end to chronic neurological diseases. For more on Mr. Dwyer’s work and advocacies, subscribe to this Twitter page.