Miami Hurricanes: Who Would Replace Al Golden Next Year if He Gets Fired?

1 of 8

Feb 1, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; The Miami Hurricanes fans hold signs expressing his desire for the return of former Hurricanes football head coach Butch Davis (not pictured) in the second half against the Florida State Seminoles at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles won 55-54. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports

Honestly, I hate that I’m writing a post like this, but with his fifth straight loss to Florida State and no signature wins to date as a head coach, Al Golden is skating on thin ice at Miami. And, with college head coaches dropping like flies (Steve Sarkisian, Randy Edsall and Steve Spurrier), Golden’s future as a ‘Cane looks to be nearly concluded. Confidence has completely diminished in the old Temple coach.

With Golden at the helm, Miami’s defense has looked soft, there’s been no swagger, top (in-state) recruits continuously slip from his grasp, the talent isn’t being coached up, no bowl wins, no signature wins and the Miami Hurricanes’ record under Golden is completely sub par.

More from Miami Hurricanes Football

The excitement level at Miami is at an all-time low.

In fact, I haven’t been able to get excited over ‘Canes commits in some years as I’m getting so used to these recruits de-committing at a later point in time (i.e. Jordan Scarlett, Jordan Cronkrite, Kadeem Telfort, Amir Rasul, McArthur Burnett, and the list goes on and on). I know you can’t sign them all and this is quite normal in college football (and why recruiting is such an art form), but I haven’t seen this much local talent ditch “The U” for other programs well, ever.

There used to be a certain air about Miami where players dreamt of wearing the orange and green. That “U” helmet decal signified toughness, alongside, out-of-this-world talent. An offer from Miami was gold. Now, it’s nearly lifeless.

Al Golden’s extension runs through February 1, 2020, given after a loss to Boston College in 2011 by former AD Shawn Eichorst. The 4-year extension was added onto a 5-year contract initially proposed in December 2010.

Nevertheless, it’s hard for me to envision a white button-down and orange tie roaming the Miami sidelines come next year with all the flying banners, spewed hatred and poor performances that have been produced in the past several years. I mean, the hashtag #FireAlGolden trends on Twitter.

Keep in mind, when coaches that are in demand look into taking over a program they ideally look for several things: tradition, infrastructure, competition, leadership and obviously, pay. In regard to the Hurricanes, they possess the first four (as I really don’t know their budget in regard to a coach). But, tradition is covered as the ‘Canes run out the smoke with 5 National Titles, countless All-Americans, numerous NFL draft picks and active NFL roster players. There’s an infrastructure in place with long-term endorsement deals, a passionate fan base, newer facilities and a fertile recruiting territory, where the top talent in the country is at your fingertips. Miami takes on the best competition in the country (or at least tries to) whether it’s in-conference: FSU, Clemson, and VaTech or non-conference: Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida and Nebraska. And most importantly, a coach would takeover a team with a junior Brad Kaaya who has established himself as one of the best QBs in the ACC.

Bottom line, Miami has everything needed, but a head coach to grab the program by the reins and whip it into shape.

Though schools such as USC, Maryland and South Carolina are currently leading the charge for new head coaches, let’s take a look at the world of hypotheticals (and possible realities) and see which coaches could make a great fit for the Miami Hurricanes come 2016.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

Next: Mario Cristobal

Home/Miami Hurricanes Football