Miami Hurricanes AD Blake James mentioning recruits sets up disappointment

In giving Miami Hurricanes football coach Manny Diaz the often dreaded vote of confidence athletic director Blake James stating that things are being done to build the program will not be seen until after the recruiting class signs will set up disappointment.

Relying on a recruiting class at the time they sign will set up the Miami Hurricanes football program for disappointment. It is a troubling statement for a variety of reasons. There is no way to know when a recruiting class signs the impact that is will or will not have on an athletic program.

When Manny Diaz was hired to succeed Mark Richt as the head coach for the Miami Hurricanes football program there was a lot of promise. The fan base, boosters and media for Miami were growing weary of Richt’s antiquated view of offensive football. Diaz promised a more aggressive approach to equal his defense.

Through the first seven games in 2019, the 3-4 record the Miami Hurricanes have accumulated has as would be expected brought out all the Armchair, Sunday Morning quarterbacks. Social media has had a field day with people who want Diaz and/or his staff or at least coordinators replaced.

Diaz brought in Blake Baker to call his defense and Dan Enos to coach the quarterbacks and have full authority over the Miami offense. Enos has done an admirable job upgrading the play at QB in 2019. The play calling for the Miami Hurricanes continues to be a work in progress.

The expectation of giving Diaz three to four years to get the program where he wants the Miami football program to be should have been anticipated by anyone that follows the Hurricanes. Miami Athletic Director Blake James discussed where he stands with Diaz on the Hurricane Hotline Monday night.

"“We are seven games in…Manny is doing the things he needs to do to build a program for long term success. Some of it we will not see until after recruiting signing days. I will say I feel 100 percent as confident in the decision today as I did back when we made it in December.It is frustrating to lose games—I hate losing and I know Manny hates losing—they are going to do what they need to do to put themselves in position to win every game with the understanding that we are not going to win every game. That is part of football.The teams that we line up against are doing everything they can to win games as well. It is going to be a battle week in and week out. Manny has the full support of myself and our full institution.I am very confident in his ability to take this program where we all want it to go and that is competing for ACC and National Championships. The games haven’t gone the way that we would have drawn it up but the future is one that we all are confident in where it is going and Manny is the guy to take us there.I think the reality is that we are 3-4 and we need to focus on the remaining five games and do everything we can to win each and every one of those. It is a disappointing journey to this point.You can look at each one of our losses and I think you can realistically say that if this play went the way that it normally would, then we would end up in a different spot. While you could say that we could be 7-0 or 5-2 or whatever it is, the reality is that we are 3-4 and that is what we are moving forward from.We have five games ahead of us starting with Pittsburgh. Football is the biggest piece of the puzzle and everyone here understands that starting with (Miami) President (Julio) Frenk and the board of trustees. Everyone recognizes the important role that football plays in the overall success of our athletic program.Part of that is making sure that our facilities are on par with the rest of the country. I think with the improvements made, we have put it to a point where a kid is going to come in here and not be able to check the box…The investment we have made positions us well for the future, but it is an investment that never stops.The bar continues to be raised. The minute we finish one project, we have to be starting another. Manny and I are in regular communication. I think Manny would say that we have everything we need for football to be successful.”"

The majority of followers of the Miami Hurricanes football program are going to begin with the results on the scoreboard and go backward from there. While that is understandable from both the fan base and James doing the opposite to look at the big picture both cause problems. Reality is somewhere in between.

Miami Hurricanes Football

James mentioning “Some of it we will not see until after recruiting signing days” sets a few questionable precedents. Relying on one signing class puts a lot of pressure on a football program.

Miami had the eighth-best class nationally and second to Clemson in the ACC in 2018. Few of those players are currently starting.

The only true star that has emerged from the 2018 signing class for the Hurricanes is tight end Brevin Jordan who leads Miami with 28 receptions and 428 yards receiving. He is clearly the latest player to impact “Tight End U.”

Running back Cam’Ron Harris had a breakout performance on Saturday against Georgia Tech. Harris relived an injured DeeJay Dallas by rushing for 138 yards on 18 carries and adding three receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown.

On the other end, three players who signed with Miami in February 2018 have left the program. That includes WR Brian Hightower who announced his entrance into the transfer portal Monday. Miami cannot rely on the 2020 recruiting class to set things right and prove Diaz is on the right track to building a successful program.

The Hurricanes are currently 17th nationally and third in the ACC for the 2020 recruiting cycle. None of those players can sign until December. A lot can happen in the next two months. Miami has had several players de-commit from the upcoming signing class. With a 3-4 record expect the Hurricanes to lose more commits.

Miami should also add some players that will contribute to the football program in the future. The last few years have seen numerous improvements for the football program. The completion of the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility and the addition of new dorms will help Miami in recruiting.

Diaz and his staff need to continue to build the program overall. The constant berating is anyone’s right but it doesn’t help. Recruits see that and it can impact their decision to sign elsewhere.