Mark Richt expects Miami football fans to be patient
Former Miami football head coach Mark Richt expects Hurricanes fans to be patient after an 8-2 season.
Miami football fans should be patient according to former Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt. Miami improved from 6-7 during the 2019 season to 8-2 in 2020. The Hurricanes did not lose any games they were overwhelmingly expected to win. The blowout losses to Clemson and North Carolina are concerning.
Other than wins over Virginia Tech and Notre Dame in 2017, Miami still has to prove it can win the big game. Richt pointed out how well the Miami staff got the Hurricanes to focus entering 2020 after inexcusable losses to FIU, Duke and Louisiana Tech to finish the 2019 season. Eight wins were the most since 2017.
Manny Diaz and his staff have the Miami football program headed in the right direction. The Hurricanes just signed the 10th ranked class in the country after signing the 16th ranked class in 2020. Miami signed the top two players in the ACC for 2021 with defensive tackle Leonard Taylor and safety James Williams.
Building a program takes time. Richt did a lot of things to upgrade the Miami football program in his three seasons from 2016-18. The culture and talent on the Hurricanes roster have been upgraded by Diaz with more talent coming in next fall. Richt discussed how Diaz is doing on WQAM Thursday morning.
"“You lose to FIU, Duke, get shut out to Louisiana Tech and everybody believes the sky is falling [to end the 2020 season]. I think the staff has done a great job since that moment. This [2021] recruiting class was almost top 10…Things are going in the right direction. The losses [to Clemson and North Carolina] were brutal for sure.It does take time to get where you got to go. And sometimes people have got to be patient and support your team no matter what. If a recruit is looking to a school or thinking about coming to Miami, they want to know they’re coming to a place where they will be supported by loyal fans.”Transcripts courtesy Barry Jackson Miami Herald"
Miami football fans and fellow signees played a big role with four-star quarterback Jake Garcia signing with the Hurricanes. The additions of Garcia, Taylor and Williams at the top of the 2021 signing class with a roster full of talented freshmen going to Miami in 2021 should help the 2022 recruiting class.
Next. Miami should be able to produce turnover chain versus Oklahoma State. dark
Diaz has received criticism from a sizeable portion of the Miami fanbase. Professional analysts have mostly praised Diaz for the direction that Miami is going in entering the Cheez-it Bowl on Tuesday. Closing out the 2020 season with a victory over the Cowboys on Tuesday is important to continue to build momentum for 2021.