Five potential Miami football candidates with head coaching experience

With a 2-3 start to the 2021 season, the Miami football program could be searching for a replacement for head coach Manny Diaz by the end of this year. Diaz was the fourth head coaching hire for the Miami football program in the last six without previous experience. A former head coach should be one of the criteria.

Athletic director Blake James, the board of trustees, President Julio Frenk and the team that will conduct a potential Miami coaching search need to develop a criteria of what they want out of the next Hurricanes head coach. Miami could take a coach with experience a step further and look for Power Five or NFL head coaching experience.

The list of candidates who have been a head coach in the NFL or at the power five-level is small. If the Miami football program is going to make an impact with a potential new hire, finding a head coach with experience in the NFL, or with a power-five program, hiring someone with success will be important for setting the culture.

Mark Richt is Miami’s head coach of the last six hires to have power five experience prior to the Hurricanes. Richt came to the Miami football program with a 145-51 record in 15 years at Georgia. In three years with the Hurricanes, Richt finished 26-13. Diaz is 16-13 in two-plus seasons since succeeding Richt after the 2018 season.

Some of the potential Miami candidates are currently working. Others have been let go in recent seasons as college or NFL head coaches. Unless Miami turns its season around quickly, the mentions about Diaz being fired and potential successors will permeate throughout the Miami football universe until the end of the season.