Stop comparing Mark Richt to Jim McIlwain or Al Golden
![CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greets head coach Mark Richt of the Miami Hurricanes on the field after the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers greets head coach Mark Richt of the Miami Hurricanes on the field after the ACC Football Championship at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/2e30ebe91a99203885f29bfcfdaa66941c20a86ed814b4255f9ccc094d600a2b.jpg)
The writer goes by the moniker NYCanes Guy instead of using his real name. He stops short of saying that Richt should get fired but calls for major changes. That has been prevalent throughout a lot of social media surrounding the Miami football program.
"“Is it too early to talk about firing him? Probably…When this offense barely looks capable of scoring more than 20 points against an ACC opponent, then the talks of Richt not making it to the 2019 season may escalate…. Changes must be made but not necessarily at head coach. Richt must give up the playcaller (SIC) role and find a capable offensive coordinator. He must fire his son and get a QB coach who can develop his signal callers. He’s got to dig deeper into offensive line coaches who are available and find one who can do a better job developing what Miami has.”"
It’s hard to tell if NY Canes Guy wants Richt fired or not. He concludes the article by seemingly calling for Richt to be replaced at some point.
"“Richt has to show the ability to change, and fast, or Miami will need to find another new coach sooner rather than later.”"
"“There are some similarities between the two. Both won 19 games in their first two seasons, largely with holdover players from the last regime. Richt won his division in Year 2; McElwain won the SEC East in both of his first two years. Despite their histories of developing quarterbacks, neither did much here. But the similarities largely end there. McElwain burned out in Year 3, leaving in the middle of a 4-7 failure. Richt’s Hurricanes have been one of the bigger busts in the country, going from a top-10 team in the preseason to 5-3. McElwain never seemed to fit the Gators culture, and he wasn’t easy to work with. Neither description applies to Richt. He played at Miami and calls Boca Raton is hometown, so he knows the area and the school.”"
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Miami’s recruiting has climbed in the rankings each season under Richt until the 2019 class which is currently ranked 19th by 247Sports.Com. Miami finished 22nd in 2016, 16th in 2017 and eighth in the 2018 rankings.
Baker discussed the differences in recruiting between Richt and McIlwain. McElwain never signed a top-10 class, so he couldn’t keep the high-end talent coming.
"“Although Miami’s 2019 class is 19th, Richt landed the No. 8 class in 2018 and has the nation’s top class for 2020, with nine blue-chip commits. Richt also recruited a lot of the players that helped his old school, Georgia, advance to the College Football Playoff national championship game last season.”"
Sun Sentinel columnist Dave Hyde touched on the comparisons to Golden and the frustrations from the Miami Hurricanes fanbase and some of the football alumni.
"“Even some Miami Hurricanes football alums bashed the coach; it became open season about not just his play calls but why he’s even calling plays; people made the grand leaping from saying his team shouldn’t lose these past two games to suggesting he’s Al Golden II.”"
Miami Hurricane legend Warren Sapp went way overboard in declaring the U dead under Mark Richt. At 5-3 and with four games left in the season the Hurricanes can still finish 9-3. Even 8-4 would not be a bad season.