The addition of Ed Reed as the Chief of Staff for the Miami football program will have the greatest impact off the field. Reed’s presence in Coral Gables will play a significant role in improving the culture with the Hurricanes players.
When Manny Diaz was hired to replace Mark Richt as the head coach for the Miami football program 13 months ago one of the items he discussed as having to improve was an upgrade of the culture in the Hurricanes locker room. The addition of Ed Reed as the Chief of Staff on Thursday will help facilitate that.
Reed returning to the Miami football staff brings a big name and in some eyes the greatest Hurricane ever back to Coral Gables. There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the role Reed will have on Diaz’s staff. The Chief of Staff position has traditionally not been able to recruit off-campus or be an onfield coach.
Reed will have an impact in many other ways. He can serve as a mentor to the young men on the Miami football roster, help Diaz with logistics and breakdown film. As a member of the Pro Football and College Football Halls of Fame Reed brings instant respect and credibility to the Miami football program.
The Chief of Staff position as defined by Hurricane Sports the official Miami athletic department website is an advisory role to Diaz. Reed will not manage the football program or Diaz. Diaz is still the CEO of the Miami football program. Any personnel decisions will still be made and decided by Diaz. The Chief of Staff is defined below.
"“Reed will serve in an advisory role to Diaz in all aspects of the football program, including strategic planning, quality control, operations, player evaluation and player development. Reed will also provide assistance in team building, student-athlete mentorship and recruiting, as permissible under NCAA rules.”"
The #Miami football program has hired UM alumnus and College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Ed Reed as its new Chief of Staff. That’s a wow hire.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 30, 2020
Reed is aware of the issues facing the Miami football program. He will help Diaz organize and get the entire team and staff on the same page. During a roundtable on Wednesday night on South Beach, Reed and Hurricane football alums Reggie Wayne, Michael Irvin and Ray Lewis discussed that state of the Miami football program.
"“I disagree with that because of this – and Reggie said it, we all said it. I would’ve been nowhere without my teammates pushing me.I wouldn’t have had the interceptions I had without this dude [Wayne]…It wasn’t about the one guy. All of us had teammates that drove us, that pushed us to where we are now.Those battles of offense versus defense were like no other. … That’s all it was about.”"
The above discussion was initiated after Lewis asked who is the best Miami football player in the history of the program. Many lists mention Reed. Reed answered, “yours truly.” He then explained that it took the entire team to make him great. Miami needs to get back to that mentality.
The Hurricanes have had issues with too many players acting as individuals and not as a team in the last couple of seasons. There were reports of a fractured locker room at the end of the 2018 season on a defensive dominant team. The Miami offense struggled and was carried by the defense during a 7-6 season.
The defense playing at an elite level began to create resentment within the Miami football program with the offense not carrying its weight. More problems emerged this season when several players reportedly including departed quarterback Jarren Williams missed curfew the night before Miami lost to FIU.
Reed brings a new voice and one that has been part of championship teams at the highest levels of football. He will be a mentor to young Miami football players. Self dubbed Papa Smurf, the 5’11 legend should be a guide to the Hurricanes staff and players and a guru throughout the Miami football program.