Miami football is elite destination job in ACC and nationally

The Miami football program is unique in its ability to attract top coaches multiple times and continue to win national championships. The ability to win a national championship and numerous other reasons continue to make Miami a destination job in college football.

When Howard Schnellenberger took over the Miami football program in 1979 there had been thoughts of the Hurricanes dropping the sport. In Schnellenbergers second season Miami went 9-3 and in his fifth season, they won a national championship. He set the standard the blueprint for how to win at Miami.

Schnellenberger coined the phrase the state of Miami. That was to build a virtual fence around Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties when it came to recruiting. The Miami football program is not going to be able dominant recruiting in South Florida like they did 40 years ago.

Miami needs to be able to win a high percentage of recruiting battles in their own backyard to be able to dominate the ACC Coastal Division like they should be doing and to return to being a national championship contender.

The ability to be able to recruit hundreds of high school football players within 100 miles of Coral Gables is a big advantage. That’s one of the biggest reasons that keep the Miami football program a destination job for a head coach. For The New Miami head coach Manny Diaz, it was far more than that.

The Hurricanes might have caught lightning in a bottle with Diaz. Becoming the head coach at Miami was the dream job for the South Florida native. Beyond the former Hurricanes defensive coordinator, it’s still a destination job.

The recent addition of the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility is a game changer for the Miami football program. It is going to be Mark Richt’s most important enduring legacy during his three-year stint leading his alma mater. Richt made it a mission of his to get it built. He donated $1 million of his own money towards the project.

Athlon Sports ranked the 14 ACC football schools by coaches jobs in March. They have Clemson and Florida State first and second and then Miami and Virginia Tech as they put it in the next tier.

"3. MiamiWe’re almost two decades removed from the last great Miami team, but this is a highly desirable job due largely to its location in the middle of one of the most fertile recruiting areas in the nation. There are some drawbacks — no on-campus stadium, fickle fan support — but Miami is still a destination job."

Richt stabilized he Miami football program after the difficult tenures of Randy Shannon and Al Golden. Diaz is ready to take the Hurricanes to the next level. He has changed the culture and is better suited to relate to modern players. Diaz has also made it a priority to upgrade the quarterback play and modernize the Miami offense.

Bringing in Dan Enos as the offensive coordinator was a coup for the Miami football program. He was the QB coach at Alabama in 2018 and Nick Saban wanted to promote him to offensive coordinator.

Enos was reportedly also sought by Kirby Smart and Georgia. If Enos lives up to his billing the Hurricanes can move to second in the ACC behind Clemson in the rankings of the programs overall in the conference.