University of Miami tailgaters might want to get to sleep early on Friday, Sept. 6th. That's because the highly anticipated Florida Gators at Miami Hurricanes football game was announced for a noon kickoff at Sun Life Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7 on ESPN -- upsetting fans who would rather have a night game.
A night game would certainly be a great draw and the event to party around at Sun Life. UM would get heavy-duty exposure. And let's face it, night games are always more fun (unless you're on deadline or savor getting broiled outside).
Turns out that ABC has NASCAR from Richmond, Va., that night and ESPN is broadcasting the Notre Dame-Michigan football game in prime time. A game has not yet been announced for the prime-time ESPN2 slot.
"We requested and lobbied ESPN for an evening slot for the game vs #BeatUF.'' tweeted UM athletic director Blake James. "Unfortunately, they were unable to accomodate.''
I just got off the phone with ESPN spokesman Mike Humes, whom I asked about the noon start.
"Essentially, we
looked at all the options and this was the best available window for the game,'' Humes said. "We average probably around three million viewers for that time
slot. So it wasn’t like, 'Let’s put the worst game on at noon.' The noon window does really well with fans.
"We view this as
a great matchup. Scheduling games is like putting together differrent puzzles with different time
zones and commitments, and this was the best window.''
UM AD James also tweeted this: "espn/abc wanted to take game national 3:30 slot is regional coverage."
Humes said the 3:30 p.m. ABC game is Oregon at Virginia.
In other Canes football news, the Aug. 30 season opener at Sun Life Stadium against FAU will kick off at 8 p.m. Aug. 30 -- a Friday -- and will be aired by ESPNU.
EL PASO -- Time to renew the rivalry. The Miami Hurricanes (7-5) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-5) will meet for the first time in 20 years at the Sun Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on CBS. UM is a 2.5 point favorite.
> REWIND: In it's heyday, the rivalry was called Catholics vs. Convicts. UM is 7-15-1 all-time against the Irish, but won five of the last seven meetings. The series opened in 1955. Notre Dame won the last meeting 29-20 in South Bend in 1990.
> ABOUT NOTRE DAME: The Irish, who played the nation's toughest schedule, enter Friday's game on a three-game winning streak. Those wins were pretty impressive -- at home versus a ranked Utah team, Army and at USC. Sophomore linebacker Manti Te'o leads the Irish, who run a 3-4 scheme, with 127 tackles, 17th most in the country. Notre Dame's pass defense (ranked 40th) can create problems. The Irish have produced 28 sacks this season and are giving up under 10 yards per completion, one of only eight teams nationally to do that. The Irish have also picked off 14 passes. Darrin Walls has returned two of his five interceptions for touchdowns. The Irish are also very experienced at safety. Freshman quarterback Tommy Rees was called into action after Dayne Crist went down against Tulsa with three games left. Rees has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of his last four games. His favorite target, junior receiver Michael Floyd (73 rec., 916 yards, 10 TDs) ranks second all-time in touchdown catches at Notre Dame and needs only one more to tie Jeff Samardzija. Notre Dame kicker David Ruffer, a former walk-on, is 20 for 20 on field goal attempts since last year -- including a career-long 50-yarder this season.
THINGS TO KEEP AN EYE ON FOR THE U...
> How starting quarterback Jacory Harris plays... Harris' play is an obvious key for the Hurricanes to win this game. But for his own future, he needs to have a good game. Harris has struggled with interceptions throughout his career and this game could go a long way toward deciding his future. New coach Al Golden, who will be watching the game from a box, will probably prefer to go with freshman Stephen Morris going forward anyway. But if Harris continues to struggle, he could make it easier for Golden to make that decision.
> The emotional life Mike James delivers... The sophomore has been dealing with the death of his mother, who passed away in a car accident Dec. 20. Her funeral is today and he's missing it to be with his teammates. Interim coach Jeff Stoutland said James would provide a huge lift to his teammates being with them. He also promised James would play in this game. Let's see if James and the players' motivation to play for former coach Randy Shannon play a factor.
> If the Canes look like a cold team standing on the sidelines... You remember last year's Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando, right. UM players huddled up on the sidelines as temperatures dipped into the 40s. This game will be played in similar -- if not colder -- conditions. UM players came out for warmups wearing ski masks. I didn't notice any heaters on the sideline. Notre Dame? The Irish play in this weather all the time and brought their own special heated benches for the game.
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EL PASO -- It's a "special day" at the Sun Bowl -- especially for stadium workers.
The facility, set to host Miami and Notre Dame in the 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl, welcomed visitors Friday morning with an inch of ice and snow.
Brad Thomas, the stadium's field/turf technician for the last nine years, said he expected to have the snow off the field before kickoff at 2 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on CBS.
"It's a special day," Thomas said. "We have a street sweeper here. First time we're using it for snow. I talked to the actual company that installed the turf this morning. They said about an inch, two inches at the most we will be able to take off. We're doing what we have to do to make it work."
Stadium workers were using long, buffet-type tables and foldable chairs in addition to the sweeper to drag the snow and ice off the turf.
"It's a mixture of ice and snow, mainly snow. It's about an inch thick and it's starting to melt right now," Thomas said about three hours before kickoff. "We're going to start breaking it up and help it melt, before we start sweeping it up with a street sweeper."
Thomas said the field conditions will naturally be a bit slippery during the game.
"It will be like it rained. It will be wet," Thomas said. "The turf actually won't be icy once the ice is off. But It will be wet."
EL PASO -- For the first time in 20 years we'll get to see the University of Miami take on Notre Dame on a football field. The Irish and Canes are both 7-5 and far removed from their glory days. Still, Friday's 77th annual Hyundai Sun Bowl will mean a lot to the winner in terms of building momentum toward 2011.
The Hurricanes have lost two in a row coming in and the Irish have won three in a row. Yet, the Canes are a 2.5 point favorite. With temperatures forecasted to range from the mid 40s to lows in the 30s (it was feel like the 20s with the wind chill factor) and winds ranging from 15 to 25 miles per hour, it is obvious the conditions will be more familiar for the Irish than UM. So who is going to win? Here's a breakdown:
> When UM runs the ball... Canes ranked 26th in the country in rushing, averaging a little over 190 yards a game on the ground. Notre Dame ranked 56th in run defense (146.75) but surrendered only 93 yards a game in its final three victories. The Hurricanes are led by senior Damien Berry (865 yards, 5 TDs), redshirt freshman Lamar Miller (633 yards, 6 TDs) and sophomore Mike James (384 yards, 3 TDs). Sophomore linebacker Manti Te'o leads the Irish, who run a 3-4 scheme, with 127 tackles, 17th most in the country. As improved as Notre Dame might be against the run, the Hurricanes should still have some success. Edge: Miami.
> When UM throws the ball... Jacory Harris (54.8 pct, 1,756 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs) has had trouble with interceptions throughout his career. He'll have Leonard Hankerson (66 rec., 1,085 yards, 12 TDs) to throw to. But Notre Dame's pass defense (ranked 40th) can create problems. The Irish have produced 28 sacks this season and are giving up under 10 yards per completion, one of only eight teams nationally to do that. The Irish have also picked off 14 passes. Darrin Walls has returned two of his five interceptions for touchdowns. The Irish are also very experienced at safety. Edge: Notre Dame.
> When Notre Dame runs the ball... The Irish rank 96th nationally in rushing (121 yards per game) and lost leading rusher Armando Allen (Hialeah-Miami Lakes) for the season in late October. Cierre Wood (522 yards, 2 TDs) has done a decent job filling in. The Canes rank 81st in run defense (171 yards per game) and have been steamrolled on the ground by a few good teams. But the Irish prefer to throw and the Canes, who lead the nation in tackles for loss (8.58 per game), should be able to line up and defend against the run in this game. Edge: Miami.
> When Notre Dame throws the ball... Freshman quarterback Tommy Rees was called into action after Dayne Crist went down against Tulsa with three games left. Rees has thrown at least two touchdown passes in three of his last four games. His favorite target, junior receiver Michael Floyd (73 rec., 916 yards, 10 TDs) ranks second all-time in touchdown catches at Notre Dame and needs only one more to tie Jeff Samardzija. But the Irish will be tested. The Hurricanes pass defense ranks second nationally and has 16 INTs. UM also ranks sixth in sacks (3.1 per game). Normally, this is probably a push. But with the conditions being what they will be, that has to favor the defense. Edge: Miami.
> Special teams... Notre Dame kicker David Ruffer, a former walk-on, is 20 for 20 on field goal attempts since last year -- including a career-long 50-yarder this season. He is 34 of 37 on extra points. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas grad Ben Turk averaged 38.2 yards per punt this season. The Irish blocked a punt against Utah and returned it for a score. The Hurricanes' Matt Bosher has been inconsistent on field goals going 12 of 16 and making only one of three attempts longer than 40 yards. He's averaging 44.3 yards per punt. The Canes had a kickoff and punt return taken back for a touchdown at Ohio State. But they haven't done much since. Edge: Notre Dame.
> Coaching... Since 2001, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly has the fifth-most wins of any FBS coach at 101-29 -- only Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Texas' Mack Brown, Ohio State's Jim Tressel and Florida's Urban Meyer had more. UM interim coach Jeff Stoutland, who will return to coach the offensive line for the fifth year, has never been a head coach. Six UM assistants aren't expected back next season and that has to play at least a psychological role. The Irish, meanwhile, are gaining confidence under Kelly. Edge: Notre Dame.
> Intangibles... Who is more battle tested? Notre Dame played the toughest regular season schedule in the country, taking on 11 teams that finished .500 or better, including nine that made it to bowl games. Of Miami's seven wins, only five came against teams with winning records. Who is more disciplined? The Irish are the eighth-least penalized team in the country. UM ranks 114th out of 120 FBS teams in penalties per game. Edge: Notre Dame.
Now that you have seen the edges who do you think is going to win and why? Provide your prediction below. Susan Miller Degnan and I will announce our picks shortly before kickoff on Twitter.
EL PASO -- In less than 24 hours, the Miami Hurricanes will put an end to the 2010 season when they take on Notre Dame in the Sun Bowl. For UM interim coach Jeff Stoutland and his players, the game will mark the conclusion of what has obviously been a difficult month of change since Randy Shannon was fired.
As soon as the Canes board a plane back for South Florida after the game, the Al Golden era will officially commence. Stoutland, one of three assistants who will be retained, said he's thrilled at the prospect of coming back, not having to move his family to another city and starting over.
But this past month? Not an easy one. The 48-year old veteran offensive line coach hasn't had much free time to enjoy his first head coaching opportunity. Between running practices, travel and every other head coaching responsibility he's had, he's also had to recruit. Fun? Stoutland said he was going to spend about 20 minutes with his father and son Thursday afternoon to go and see Stoutland Street in El Paso before rushing back to the team hotel in time for Thursday's walk through.
His players, he says, have handled their challenges with class. Not once, Stoutland said, have any of his players come in late for curfew. He even gave them an extra hour on the first night in Texas and claims "they all came back early."
"[Finishing 1-0 as a head coach] would be special," Stoutland said. "That would be super special. Most importantly it will be more special for us as a group. This will really be the last time we'll all be together. It's an emotional time for a lot of people. Like I said, it could have gone either way. The guys could have said I'm doing my own thing, been late for curfew, not shown up to practice on time or missing team meetings. But I have to give credit to the players -- they stayed together."
Stoutland said he's spoken to Shannon nearly every day since he was fired. "He's a good friend of mine," Stoutland said. "He's not going to [give me advice]. I would have to ask him, say coach what do I do here? He has helped me along the way. I have asked him. But he's not the type of guy to call me every five minutes and start telling me what I should do. It's not his style. These players here are like his kids and he's close to them all. I guarantee you he's going to watch the game."
Golden, meanwhile, has been "very supportive" and Stoutland said he talks to him everyday.
"He shoots me a text or an email," Stoutland said. "He's very good about giving me a couple words of encouragement, motivation and stuff. He's pretty much kind of stayed away, let us finish things up. I respect him for that. But I do talk to him every day, most of it pertaining to recruiting."
The Hurricanes, who currently have six players orally committed to the 2011 class, have a lot of catching up to do on recruiting when the dead period officially ends Jan. 3. As tired or worn out as he might be, Stoutland is ready to tackle that challenge as well.
"The minute I land in Miami, my whole brain is going to flip and it's going to be a mad scramble for four or five weeks," Stoutland said. "I'll be excited about that too. It will be very, very challenging to build a great class together here in a short period of time. I think the coaches understand that and they're looking forward to that."
A FEW MORE NUGGETS...
> Don't underestimate the emotional lift sophomore tailback Mike James could provide the Canes. James, who left the team shortly after his mother died in a car accident Dec. 20, was scheduled to rejoin the team Thursday afternoon after being stuck in the northeast while visiting family. His mother's funeral is Friday morning -- the same time the Canes will be taking on the Irish.
"We're all looking forward to seeing him, embracing him," Stoutland said. "His words were 'All I want to do is play.' He was nervous he hadn't been here and maybe we wouldn't play him. I told him 'Mike, you practiced all the way up until the final day.'
"Mike [James] coming in today we'll bring us even closer together. He's a special kid. Some of you guys know Mike. His work ethic and his seriousness about the game, his leadership qualities, he brings a lot to our team."
> Stoutland has been telling reporters all week how focused and ready Jacory Harris has looked in practice, which is why it was no surprise he was named the starting quarterback Thursday.
But how different is Harris really? According to Stoutland, Harris is more confident than he's ever seen him. In fact, Harris caught Stoutland walking onto the field Wednesday -- instead of jogging -- and gave him a little lip for it.
"I was walking on the field and he ran by me and slapped me and said 'Hey coach are you ready for practice today?' I said 'I'm absolutely ready.' He said 'You don't look like you are.' I started chuckling. I said 'This guy, his confidence right now is different than it has been.'
"I think his decision making -- which is the key ingredient for a quarterback -- right now is at his best. Coach Whipple feels that way. We think he's a different player right now. We'll find out. We're going to see here in a couple hours."
Harris of course threw a boatload of interceptions last season -- including one late in the season finale when UM was driving for the winning score against USF, a game the Canes eventually lost in overtime.
"I think Jacory right now is really focused to me," Stoutland said. "He's a straight line right now. He's not up and down. He's excited, not too crazy. I think he's looking forward to the opportunity. To me, he's been really sharp. I've been saying that all week. His read and reaction stuff has been right on point. That guy is the conductor of the band. If that guy makes good decisions we got a really good chance here."
> Stoutland said he doesn't expect for the Hurricanes to look rusty at all Friday despite the long layoff or the altitude and conditions in El Paso. He said while the team struggled with the altitude a bit during their first practice, he's "run it out of them."
"That's why you have all these practices," he said. "I don't think anybody is rusty. We've been real competitive. Even though we don't run the same defense Notre Dame does, the speed factor, the ones against the ones, very important. Sometimes we'll go against each other and not even worry about the scheme."
> As mentioned earlier today, freshman All-American Seantrel Henderson will not start Friday, but will play. Jermaine Johnson will start in his place at right tackle. Henderson missed several bowl practices because of the flu and his conditioning isn't up to par.
"He's not totally [back] yet," Stoutland said. "He's made progress, but conditioning is the factor for me. We're in a different altitude as well. I think that's the fair thing to do. I have to assess it. I have to be fair to all players. The great thing about him is he'll be the first one to grab Jermaine Johnson, give him a head butt or give him a hug, I'll be right there for you."
> Expect to see an increased role for freshman tailback Storm Johnson. "He's put himself in position where you just can't look away from him," Stoutland said. "Every day in practice, he's making a play."
> As for the challenge of facing Notre Dame's defense, which has given up only 22 combined points in its last three wins over Utah, Army and USC, Stoutland said: "The front seven to me, especially the nose tackle -- that's where the defense really starts," Stoutland said. "Just the whole front seven. You can't negate the back end of it either. Those guys will come up and slam you -- very aggressive players. That's why we have to be able to establish the run and take a shot over the top because we do have some speed to get behind you."
EL PASO -- If the Hurricanes needed some bulletin board material heading into Friday's Sun Bowl showdown with Notre Dame they can thank ESPN College GameDay Final analysts Mark May and former Irish coach Lou Holtz for providing it.
Both analysts are not only picking Notre Dame to win Friday they also believe the Irish will rise back to prominence faster than the Canes.
"I think if you look at both teams right now, Miami has better overall talent," May said on a conference call Thursday. "Randy Shannon did a great job recruiting Miami, getting some great pieces in place. I just don't know if Al Golden is the guy to take them to the next level.
"If you look at Notre Dame in my opinion, I think Brian Kelly struggled early, then they got their quarterback hurt and were able to come in with Tommy Rees, put some good efforts together at the end of the season, strung together some nice impressive victories. I think they're going in the right direction.
"This is a football team in which every one has bought into the program under Brian Kelly. I look forward to them getting better in their future. They're 7-5 right now, coming in on a three-game win streak. I think Notre Dame will be better down the road. And what impressed me late in the season is Notre Dame played better on defense. The last couple years they were atrocious on defense. But the last couple games they've been a lot better defensively."
Holtz thinks the biggest advantage Notre Dame has over UM at the moment is at quarterback.
"I do believe it will be Notre Dame for several reasons -- No. 1, they have an established quarterback -- two of them. [Dayne] Crist has been injured. But the young freshman [Tommy Rees] has done an excellent job," Holtz said. "Kelly will going to be in the second year of this program. Recruiting is going good.
"As far as Miami they don't even know who their quarterback is going to be. Is it going to be the freshman? Is it going to be [Jacory] Harris? I think the big thing is they both have the potential to get back. I don't think there is anything that keeps them from being an outstanding football program like they were in the 1980s and 1990s. Its nice to see them get back, nice to see them playing again. They both should get back. It just depends on the leadership of the head coaching position."
EL PASO -- A couple of quick notes from Thursday's press conference with UM interim coach Jeff Stoutland.
> As expected, Jacory Harris will start at quarterback, but freshman Stephen Morris will be available to play. Stoutland said he was waiting to see what happened with Morris' left ankle, which he injured during practice Tuesday. Either way, consider this a big opportunity for Harris. He needs to play well to have any shot of trying to convince Al Golden to give him a chance to start next year. Stoutland said Harris has been "extremely sharp in practice."
Harris played in nine games this season, starting the first eight before a concussion sidelined him for the better part of a month. On the year, he has completed 144-of-263 attempts for 1,756 yards with 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Morris, who played in five games and started Miami’s last four games, completed 60-of-120 attempts this year for 958 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions.
> All-American freshman Seantrel Henderson will not start for the Hurricanes at right tackle; redshirt freshman Jermaine Johnson will. Stoutland said Henderson's conditioning is the key factor. Henderson missed a number of practices while he was out with the flu. Henderson will play, however, Stoutland said.
> Sophomore running back Mike James, whose mother died Dec. 20 in a car accident, is supposed to join the team today at 1:15 p.m. local time. Stoutland said James was on his way in on a flight from Chicago. Stoutland said he's assured James he will play because he practiced with the team everyday before they left South Florida.
> Expect to see more of freshman running back Storm Johnson in Friday's game. Stoutland said Johnson has earned more playing time with the way he's practiced. "Everytime you are ready to turn away, he does something to keep your attention," Stoutland said.
Redshirt freshman requests release to play closer to home.
Coral Gables, Fla… Redshirt freshman Donnavan Kirk of the University of Miami men’s basketball team has been granted a release in order to play for a program closer to his Michigan home due to personal reasons.
“I want to thank Donnavan for all of his hard work,” said Miami head coach Frank Haith. “We will do whatever we can to help Donnavan as he moves forward and wish him nothing but the best.”
A native of Pontiac, Mich., Kirk made three starts and appeared in all 13 games for the Hurricanes this season, averaging 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds per game.
The 10-3 Hurricanes, winners of eight of their last nine games, return to the hardwood on Thurs., Dec. 30, versus Pepperdine at 6 p.m. at the BankUnited Center.
At the press conference this morning, this is one of the things I asked coach John Lovett, UM's defensive coordinator who was fired by Al Golden and will end his career at UM Friday in the Sun Bowl. Also leaving on the defensive staff are defensive line coach Rick Petri and defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff.
UM, by the way, finished 16th overall in the nation in defense, and second in the nation in pass defense. I believe they are 81st in run defense, however. As Coach Lovett pointed out, it doesn't matter what you're ranked in any category if you don't win enough.
Here are my questions about this subject and his answers. He makes some powerful points.
Can you talk about the commitment that you’ve made to continue follow through with all of this and how you are all together and how frustrating it is that you’ve done a good job and know you won’t be coming back?
It’s part of the business. When you’re in this business, it’s a people business and it’s driven by a lot of different people. It’s not necessarily the guys in the room, the guys on the field. There are a lot of things that go on: T.V. revenue, fans, whoever. People make decisions on how things are going to be and they go on with it. When you make a change, for whatever reasons you make a change. Bottom line was that we didn’t win enough games to keep people happy around here. The statistical part of it really doesn’t make much difference. We could be 116th in the country or we could be 1 in the country -- if we don’t win enough games to keep the right people happy, then change is made for whatever reason.
Has it been emotional for you and the team?
I think for the players. You make bonds with kids and that part is always tough. You get friendly with coaches and you’re used to being around them and that’s always difficult. You understand coming in. I remember reading a book by George Allen, “Merry Christmas, you’re fired” was one of his famous lines in there and you understand that when you get into this business. It’s a rough business, it’s a people business. You all out there, when you write, you sit there and say we’ve got to do this, this and this. Well, we do need to do this, this and this in order to keep our jobs.
If I did this, this and this I may be walking in there and saying “I’ll see ya.” I may be going somewhere else because somebody wants to do something else for me that the University of Miami may not want to do. That’s all part of the business and we’ve all been there. Head coaches come and go. A head coach will get hired and when they do, they bring their staffs or people they are comfortable with in. That’s kinda what’s happened here. I know Al Golden very well and I have no animosity toward him at all and I have no ill feelings toward the University at all. I knew when I came here, I knew what this place was and what the expectations were and didn’t think anything short of this would happen with what happened this year at the end of the year. I’m just going to leave it at that because I don’t want to get into anything else. It’s a tough business and it’s toughest on the families. We just move forward as we go.
I asked UM offensive coordinator Mark Whipple today if he knows his job status and if he's staying. He never gave a definite answer, but it's seems more likely than not that he won't be returning -- unless Al Golden all of a sudden decides to publicly announce he's keeping him. Here's his answer. The ... represent where he just stopped talking, then continued with the other stuff.
Whipple's reply:
"I don't know. The most we said when this whole thing happened was that we were going to do the best things we can, for the players, the kids, that's what it's all about. That's what you're in it for. So, that's all we're doing, focusing on today's practice and tomorrow we'll get them mentally ready and we'll play the game on Friday.''
And as far as you guys knowing if you're going to be here after the season? "I don't... that's irrelevant at this point. One way or the other... Randy put a great staff together. We have great people. That's always... but it's part of the deal, it's part of it sometimes. When you win, you know, big games and everything else and championships the staff breaks, and sometimes when you don't win the staff breaks.
"But the relationships are really what... With John [Lovett] and all the other guys on offense and defense and then, but mostly with the players and the things that way. And I think this group of people and the coaching staff -- and obviously Stout has done a great job -- and I really... It hit home maybe a little bit more when [UTEP coach] Mike Price, an old friend, a great friend, said at practice the other day, 'Jeez, I was really surprised at your enthusiasm and the way the guys competed;' not surprised, but, he said 'Hey, you don't know what's going to happen in this situation.' And I think that's a tribute to the staff and Stout and what everybody has done. The relationship this group of men has with the players, and hopefully it will just continue today and then through Friday.''
UM offensive coordinator Mark Whipple spoke to the media at a news conference this morning and talked briefly on injured quarterback Stephen Morris, who hurt his left ankle during yesterday's practice.
When asked if Morris would practice today, Whipple said, "I don't know. We'll see. You know, he rolled his ankle. He was walking around pretty good. It was a lot better last night. So, we'll just see where he's at in the whole thing. I don't think it was bad as they originally thought.
"I quickly saw him this morning so we'll just see what that's like.''
UM will practice later this morning (it's two hours earlier here than in Florida). The practice will be closed, but we will be able to talk to interim coach Jeff Stoutland.
More from Whipple:
With starting job open at qb, how has that impacted Jacory and Stephen's performance in practice as far as competition?
"They both have gotten a lot better. Obviously Jacory is healthy, both physically and mentally, coming off of that kind of a violent concussion. Those guys have been tremendous. We said, 'Her's what we're going to do, and pretty much even the reps.' Obviously Jacory got a lot more [reps] yesterday but I feel really good about that position going into the game -- the best I've felt at any time. Now we'll see where Stephen is at.
"So it's been a positive. They've handled it really well, gotten a lot of reps and we practiced more than we did last year, so it's been really good.''
Moving forward, do you feel like both of those guys, having someone to push each other, is going to help them? "I don't think competition is ever a bad thing. They're talking all the time and they always [did]. When Stephen played, Jacory was on the sideline helping him out with some things. They'd be there together -- and Spence -- 'Hey, you see this coverage,' or 'Look at this corner,' or 'Look at this safety and what he's doing..., all the things we talk about in meetings, and it carries over to the field. That has always been there. That's kind of why we said, when Randy and I talked, 'Hey, it's important that Jacory went to the Georgia Tech game,' or on the road. He wasn't going to play, but it was important that he was there as another kind of coach.''
We always talk about we've got a real good [meeting] room. Those guys are respectful of one another and have a great relationship.''
Practice is ending soon, and I'll get back to you all on Miami quarterback Stephen Morris' status. All we know is that on his second snap of this morning's practice in El Paso, Morris went down. He lay on his back, while UM assistants rushed to his side.
They then helped him off the field, and he could not touch his left foot to the ground as he was being carried off.
They examined him on a table, kept feeling his left ankle, and then gave him crutches. We (reporters) were asked to leave the practice field.
Very sad, considering UM has had a great bowl week so far. They're about to end and I have to go. I'll be back later.
ADDENDUM: We still don't know Morris' diagnosis, but at the end of practice he was seen wearing what appeared to be an inflatable boot. Practice will now be closed tomorrow. Coach Jeff Stoutland will talk to reporters afterward.
Coach Stoutland said he still wouldn't rule Morris out until he knew his exact injury. However, it appears pretty clear that Jacory Harris will start. We all would be pretty shocked to learn otherwise, although depending on the injury and what they could do to stabilize the ankle (along with painkillers), we still don't know if Stephen could somehow come into the game if needed.
Stoutland said third-stringer Spencer Whipple shared the reps with Jacory today.
In other news, receiver Aldarius Johnson will not play in the bowl game because of a knee injury sustained before UM arrived in El Paso, Stoutland said. Johnson was in street clothes and had his right knee heavily bandaged Tuesday.
UM interim coach Jeff Stoutland just spoke at a Sun Bowl news conference at the Hawthorn Suites in El Paso.
He was asked, as he has been asked continually, who is going to start at quarterback for the Hurricanes. Will it be junior Jacory Harris or will it be freshman Stephen Morris? Someone asked if he had told the team.
Stoutland: "I get asked that question about five times a day. I’ll get there with this thing. We are not going to announce that today or maybe even tomorrow.. There are still a couple of practices left. And when I tell you it's close, it’s real close. We’re monitoring a lot of the thing we just talked about. There might be times in the game where we might play both players based on what we’re doing schematically.
We have not announced that to the team – no, we have not announced that."
Is it important for the team to know?
"Not really," Stoutland said, "because if you notice you guys are out there and everyday they are rotating with the ones, with the twos. There really has been no one guy playing with the ones all the time. I think the only person sometimes who knows is the center."
Stoutland also said running back Mike James, whose mother died in a car accident last week, has not arrived because of the snow storms in the Northeast, where James had to go regarding family matters.
"He’s stuck in a snow bank,'' Stoutland said. "Really, I’m not joking. He’s in New Jersey. He had to go with family to New York. I talked to him last night and he literally can’t get a plane out. Those airports were closed down. So, we’re trying to get him on anything here. He should be here, if not today, tomorrow for sure."
Also, Stoutland said that all the coaches on the UM staff know their job status as far as if they will be retained by new UM coach Al Golden. He said he didn't know what had been formally released, because he said he doesn't read the papers.
"I just know there are three coaches who have been asked to stay,'' he said, referring to himself, receivers coach Aubrey Hill and linebackers coach Micheal Barrow.
Nothing has been announced regarding offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Joe Pannunzio and running backs coach Mike Cassano, so suffice it to say that it appears their UM coaching career will be over after this bowl.
"It has been an emotional week for the coaches,'' Stoutland said.
I'll be back after practice with any updates or news...
UM right tackle Seantrel Henderson -- the 6-8, 360-pound monster on the field and thoroughly nice and low-keyed guy off it -- missed almost all the bowl practices in Coral Gables because of a wicked stomach virus that depleted him of fluids and had him quite sick.
He came back to practice the day before UM's final session back home, but missed the last one because he hadn't fully recuperated. Most of us were wondering when (and possibly if) he'd be back healthy enough for the bowl game.
But Seantrel is back, despite a snow storm in his home of Minneapolis that caused his plane reservations to be rebooked. I bumped into him last night in the El Paso Airport after he arrived. He seemed really happy to be here and said he was all better.
Hopefully, the time missed won't affect his stamina. But he has today and Tuesday to get into the grind, before tapering off Wednesday.
UM needs him for sure.
Addendum: Just watched the first part of practice and Seantrel was practicing at second team, with Jermaine Johnson at first team. Makes sense. Seantrel has been away from practice for a long time. Not sure what will happen in game. We'll talk to Jeff Stoutland in about an hour.
Also: Jacory Harris was taking the first-team snaps today in practice at a local high school in El Paso. Coach Stoutland informed a UM spokesman that he will not announce the starting quarterback today after practice. It seems that it will be Jacory, but we have not been told anything yet.
I've been to many bowl games, but the greeting the Canes (and Irish) got Sunday afternoon was the nicest I've seen (them, too).
There were mariachi musicians and festively-dressed dancers and even the Sun Bowl queen and her court of princesses showed up to honor the players.
The Sun Bowl officials -- Bernie Olivas and John Folmer among them -- are some of the nicest bowl people we've ever dealt with. They made it a point to publicly welcome the Hurricanes "to the second oldest bowl game in the country'' with warmth and sincerity.
The players went to a team barbecue Sunday night at Sunland Park Race Track & Casino. There's a photo in the local paper here of Jacory Harris ladling barbecue sauce over his food. The Canes (including Lamar Miler and Jacory) posed for pictures with children and adults who flashed the "U.''
Today, selected players will visit the pediatric unit of a hospital. Then, the whole gang will go on a Lucchese Boots shopping trip. El Paso is famous for its cowboy boots.
Practice is at 10:15 a.m. at a local high school. Remember, it's two hours earlier here than in Florida.
Anyway, it is very nice to see the players truly enjoying themselves and feeling appreciated. It's been a really tough season for them. Putting it together on the field would go a long way in closing the door on the negativity of this season and opening a new one.
As you probably know by now, UM running back Mike James' 47-year-old mother, Elgusta James, died last Monday morning, Dec. 20th, in a car accident in Haines City.
James immediately left UM with his uncle to drive to Haines City when he learned the news after practice last Monday. His sister, who was driving the car, and her 5-year-old son survived.
We learned from UM this morning that Elgusta James' funeral will be the exact day and time of the Hyundai Sun Bowl kickoff in El Paso, Texas, where the Canes are heading this afternoon and where they will meet Notre Dame at 2 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Dec. 31.
UM said Mike has chosen to play in the game because that's what his mother would have wanted him to do. What a painful decision that had to be. I'm saying my prayers for Mike, who could probably use them right now.
Mike is expected to join the team Monday in El Paso, according to UM spokesman Chris Freet.
Tailback Eduardo Clements said last week that he texted James.
"I told him that I love him and anything he needs, I'm here for him, " Clements said last week. "He texted me back and said, 'I love you, too, bro. Thank you.'''
UM said that anyone who wants to send flowers in memory of Mike's mom should send them to Holmes Funeral Home in Haines City. For more information, call (863) 419-2700.
> I'm in the Dallas airport now and have to go board my connecting flight to El Paso. We'll talk to coach Jeff Stoutland later.
At one point during his coaching tenure at the University of Miami, Don Soldinger had an office full of future NFL running backs fighting to carry the ball in the Hurricanes backfield.
"I got pictures now that if you saw them, you would just shake your head," said Soldinger, who spent 16 years at UM as a linebackers/tight ends coach from 1984 to 1988 and running backs coach/special teams coordinator from 1995 to 2006.
"At one point or another in my office, I had [James] Jackson, EJ [Edgerrin James], [Clinton] Portis, [Jarrett] Payton, [Najeh] Davenport, [Willis] McGahee and Frank [Gore]. I'd love to start another round like that again."
Soldinger, now 66, has spent the last five years since being let go by Larry Coker working as a strength training and speed development coach. He's spent the last two years serving that role at Miami-Dade Community College, training the national championship winning softball team, Steve Hertz's baseball team and most recently the men's and women's basketball teams. He's also traveled the country working special camps and coaching running backs. The bug inside him for coaching at the University of Miami? That remains as strong as ever.
New Canes coach Al Golden hired his fourth new assistant coach Wednesday when it was announced Brennan Carroll, the 31-year old son of former USC coach Pete Carroll would become the team's new tight end coach and national recruiting coordinator. But the offensive coordinator spot along with running backs coach and special teams coordinator remains open. Soldinger? He's interested in the latter.
"I hope does enough research just to talk to me," Soldinger said Saturday at the Citrus Bowl as he watched Miami Central play Orlando Dr. Phillips in the Class 6A state championship game. "Whether he comes up to me or not, I think I can help him. I know so many people in the state, still have a little bit of coaching left. The way it all ended wasn't good. I had a great career and I like to finish it off on the right note.
"[Golden] seems to want to want to have some sort of tie to the old players and tradition whereas I think Randy [Shannon] kind of made a mistake that way, turning a few people off that way. I love Randy because I coached him. But I think he kind of pushed some guys away.
"We'll see what happens. I've kept my hands in football in case something happens. I actually did a clinic for Butch [Davis] recently, went up to North Carolina, met with their staff for a few hours. I did a high school clinic for them. He really doesn't have anything there yet. But this is the first time I thought about leaving Miami. I haven't wanted to because my wife does real good in real estate. But if something came open I'd certaily like to help out."
Soldinger said the talent he sees in UM's backfield now "is probably the best group they've had since I've been gone."
"It's similar to the guys I had sitting in my room just a few years ago," Soldinger said. "[Mike] James, [Storm] Johnson, [Lamar] Miller, the kid from Booker T. Washington [Eduardo Clements] those guys all have it. They just need to be patient, stay positive and not worry about who is the man. All of the guys I had before were like that. They didn't like it back then. But they like it now. They're all making a ton of money."
The Miami Hurricanes have themselves a new assistant coach with a famous last name.
Brennan Carroll, the 31-year old son of former USC coach Pete Carroll, has joined Al Golden's new staff where he will be tight ends coach and national recruiting coordinator.
Carroll was on the USC staff from 2002 to 2009 and is a former tight end at Pittsburgh.
In 2007, he coached Fred Davis, who won the John Mackey Award, honoring the nation's top tight end. This past season, Carroll worked in private business in Los Angeles.
"Great hire for UM," WQAM and Miami Herald recruiting analyst Larry Blustein said. "He and Jethro Franklin will get a lot of West Coast kids. Brennan is very good, works hard, just like his dad."
Tom Lemming, national recruiting analyst for MaxPreps and CBSSports, said he's liked what Golden has done in building UM's staff early on.
"Everyone on that staff is a good recruiter," Lemming said. "I'm glad he kept [Micheal] Barrow, that will really help with the guys locally, act as a bridge."
CANES WORKING HARD TO FIND QBS: Now that Teddy Bridgewater has moved on to Louisville, the Hurricanes have picked up the intensity in finding a quarterback for their 2011 class.
The most appealing and perhaps most realistic shot the Hurricanes have of finding a quarterback is at national perrenial power Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) with 6-2, 210-pound signal caller Gary Nova, who recently de-committed from Pittsburgh.
"I’m looking for a chance to play at a stable place; that’s what I had at Pittsburgh and that’s why I’m disappointed that it didn’t work out," Nova told NorthJersey.com. "I want to be at a place that is close so my parents can see me. That all factors into my decision."
Most believe that close place could be Rutgers, who recently hired a former Pitt assistant. But Nova, who went 24-0 in two years as the starter for Don Bosco, could end up giving the Hurricanes a serious look.
"Growing up I wanted to play for Miami," Nova told Canesport.com. "I committed early to Pitt, never got a chance to look there. As soon as I heard [Dave] Wannstedt got fired, Miami was the first school I wanted to look at."
Nova threw 23 touchdowns and 3 INTs this season at Bosco. Lemming believes Nova would be a great fit at UM.
"I've liked him from the get-go," Lemming said. "He's the No. 1 QB in New Jersey. He's a real good guy if they can land him. He has tremendous potential, decent height. He's not there yet. But those coaches at Miami can make them a real good one."
> Golden told WQAM on Monday he would like to recruit two quarterbacks in his next class. Who the other QB could potentially end up being isn't clear right now.
The Hurricanes have been in hot pursuit of St. Thomas Aquinas quarterback Jake Rudock, a long-time commitment to Iowa, since Shannon was fired. But a couple of sources have told me it appears Rudock will probably stick to his guns and stay with the Hawkeyes. It also just isn't in Aquinas coach George Smith's nature to allow his players to switch schools once they've made a commitment.
Lemming said Miami is looking at quarterbacks in California and a couple others in the Southeast currently committed to other programs.
> Two defensive backs the Hurricanes have stepped up their local recruiting efforts for recently, Southridge's Gerrod Holliman and Andrew Johnson, de-committed from Ole Miss on Tuesday night.
Holliman, an Under Armour All-American safety who along with Johnson grew up a huge Canes fan, said the Hurricanes' recent pursuit played a factor but not as big as UM fans might hope.
"As of now, I just wanted to open up my options again and see how everything plays out from there," Holliman said Wednesday afternoon. "I know Ole Miss already recruited four safeties and three coming back. I just wanted to open my options to other schools with less players on depth chart.
"In a way, UM has played a role. But they took so long to start recruiting us. Now they have to play catchup with all the other schools, ones we've already narrowed it down to."
Holliman said he's scheduled to visit Ole Miss, Cincinnati and Louisville in January. Will the Hurricanes receive a visit?"I don't know," Holliman said. "Until recently, the only thing they've ever talked to me about was stopping by practice on my own time. But I haven't spoken to coach Golden yet. Maybe things will change."
Sad news trickled out of the University of Miami this afternoon when it was learned that the mother of sophomore running back Mike James died in a fatal car accident Monday morning.
UM canceled all afternoon activities after learning of the tragedy. James’ sister and nephew were also involved in the car accident and are currently hospitalized. James, who is from Haines City, Fla., left the Coral Gables campus Monday afternoon to attend to his family.
“He is a member of our family,” interim head coach Jeff Stoutland said in a statement released by the school. “He grieves and we grieve. He hurts and we hurt. We are all here to support Mike and his family in any way possible.”
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to Mike and his family,” UM athletic director Kirby Hocutt said. “Family is the foundation of our football program, and today the entire Hurricane family is grieving with Mike."
For those of you who would like to send Mike your thoughts and prayers here is a link to UM's Facebook page.
Teddy Bridgewater is taking his talents to Louisville, Ky.
The nation's No. 2 dual threat quarterback and a top recruiting priority for the University of Miami before Randy Shannon was fired decided over the weekend according to his mother he will be following his Miami Northwestern teammate and favroite receiver Eli Rogers to Cardinals Country. Both players were recruited by former UM recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt.
"Man, more than anything it came down to playing time," Bridgewater told Scout.com "With me enrolling early I can come in and compete for a starting spot. When I visited I had nothing but love from all the coaches but especially coach Hurtt and coach [Charlie] Strong."
Bridgewater was committed to UM until about a week after Shannon was fired. His mother, Rose Murphy, was unhappy with the way Hurricanes fans reacted to her son de-committing from UM. "Every kid has to look out for what is best for them," Murphy said. "Teddy is a great kid, hardworking kid. He doesn't deserve all that hate."
Bridgewater was once considered the centerpiece to UM's 2011 signing class. But the Hurricanes may not end up signing a quarterback in this class at all. Most of the best ones have long been committed to other programs.
> The Hurricanes picked up their first commitment under new coach Al Golden over the weekend when 6-6, 280-pound prep school defensive lineman Olsen Pierre announced he was going to be part of the class.
Pierre, a former Temple commitment at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, visited UM over the weekend with three other players: Brockton, Mass. cornerback Albert-Louis Jean, Vero Beach High offensive guard Marcus Jackson and Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic High punter Spencer Roth.
"I had the best time of my life," Pierre told Canesport.com of his visit. "[Golden] recruited me to Temple, and I'm the only one from Temple that he's taking with him here. He's been recruiting me since my freshman year [at Rahway High School in New Jersey], saw me grow."
Louis-Jean's father said his son will announce his final decision at a press conference at school on Jan. 5. Jackson's recruiting coordinator Pete LeDuke said last week he would make his final decision at the Under Armour All-American Game in St. Petersburg on Jan. 5.
Canes fans, It's official: Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, linebackers coach Micheal Barrow and receivers coach Aubrey Hill will be part of new UM head coach Al Golden's new Hurricanes coaching staff.
Below is the news release just put out by the university:
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head football coach Al Golden has announced that assistant coaches Micheal Barrow, Aubrey Hill and Jeff Stoutland have joined his first Hurricanes’ staff.
Barrow will coach linebackers, Hill will serve as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator while Stoutland will coach the offensive line.
The announcement of Barrow, Hill and Stoutland being added Golden’s staff does not necessarily rule out the possibility of other current Miami assistants joining his staff at a later date.
On Dec. 16, Golden announced his first three assistant hires in Mark D’Onofrio (defensive coordinator), Jethro Franklin (defensive line) and Paul Williams (defensive backs).
Barrow has served as a defensive coach at Miami since 2007, serving as linebackers coach in 2007, 2008 and 2010 and as a defensive assistant in 2009. Barrow, who also works with Miami’s special teams, has played an important role in the development of Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy, both of whom have already reached the 100-tackle mark this season. He has also been instrumental in the development of several linebackers that are currently playing in the NFL – Tavares Gooden of the Ravens, Darryl Sharpton of the Texans and Spencer Adkins of the Falcons. As a player, Barrow earned All-America honors at Miami in 1992, winning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year while finishing seventh in Heisman Trophy voting and second in the Butkus Award voting. From 1989-92, Barrow tallied 423 tackles – the fourth-most in school history. He went on to play 13 seasons in the NFL, recording 1,133 tackles and 43 sacks in 173 career games with five different teams.
Hill has coached Miami’s receivers the last three seasons and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator for the last year. Since 2008, Hill has guided one of the top receiving corps in the nation at Miami. Headlined by All-America senior Leonard Hankerson, Hill’s top three receivers combined for 2,178 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2010. Hankerson recorded arguably the most productive season for a wide receiver in school history in 2010, catching a school-record 12 touchdowns while becoming the first player in school history to record 2,000 receiving yards in a career and 1,000 yards in a single season. Hill has also overseen the development of Travis Benjamin, who recorded 293 yards as a freshman, 501 as a sophomore and 699 so far this year as a junior. Before arriving in Coral Gables, he spent three years on the University of Pittsburgh coaching staff, where he tutored first-team All-Big East performers Greg Lee in 2005 and the tandem of Derek Kinder and freshman All-American Oderick Turner in 2006.
Stoutland has served as Miami’s interim head coach since Nov. 28, 2010 and has coached the Hurricanes’ offensive line the last four years. As one of the nation's most respected line coaches, his lines at Miami, Michigan State and Syracuse are well known for their outstanding run-blocking. In 2010, his offensive linemen earned All-ACC weekly honors five times, while the 'Canes have rushed for more than 200 yards in five of Miami's last seven games. Stoutland has overseen the development of numerous All-ACC players in his tenure in Coral Gables, including current Detroit Lion Jason Fox, as well as Brandon Washington and Seantrel Henderson, among others. Prior to joining the Miami staff, Stoutland spent seven seasons as the offensive line coach at Michigan State, following three years as an assistant coach at Syracuse and four years at Cornell.
Miami will take on Notre Dame in the Hyundai Sun Bowl on Dec. 31 at Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Stoutland will continue to serve as the team’s interim head coach up to and during the game.
George Richards here LIVE! from the BankAtlantic Center in scenic Sunrise.
It's a little chilly in here, but that's what happens sometimes when hockey meets the hardwood.
The Panthers ice is covered up and there's a basketball court. Hopefully some fans will join us. If not, we're here for you.
The first game of this Orange Bowl double-dip features Miami against the upstart UCF Knights. UCF hasn't played too many tough teams, but they did knock off the Gators. The Gator plays Frank Martin's Kansas State squad in the second game.
Anyway, the LIVE! chat is below. Just click on the play button to see the posts. If you have a question or comment, submit it and I'll approve it (as long as it's clean). That process may take a moment or two so be patient.
UM officially announced the hiring of former Temple defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio, defensive line coach Jethro Franklin and defensive backs coach Paul Williams Thursday afternoon. The trio will be allowed to recruit this week thanks to an NCAA waiver.
The three new coaches will not be allowed to partake in coaching activities until after UM's bowl game on Dec. 31.
D'Onofrio, 41, Franklin, 45, and Williams, 39, led an Owls defense that was the best in the MAC and ranked 17th nationally in total defense during the 2010 campaign. The defense also ranked 14th nationally in pass defense, 15th in pass efficiency defense and 16th in scoring defense.
Williams brings 15 years of collegiate coaching experience to the Hurricane staff and has been with Golden and D'Onofrio since the inception at Temple. Under his guidance, Temple defensive backs earned All-MAC honors on four occasions, including two-time honoree and 2010 senior Jaiquawn Jarrett.
Franklin, a 19-year coaching veteran, joins UM after successful stints with three teams in the NFL (Houston Texans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers) as well as stops at USC and Temple over the last decade. While at USC in 2005, defensive ends Lawrence Jackson and Frostee Rucker were All-Pac-10 first teamers, while Rucker (third round) and LaJuan Ramsay (sixth round) were NFL draft picks.
"We are very fortunate to announce the addition of these three coaches," Golden said in a statement released by the school. "Their passion and desire for excellence matches that of the Miami fan base, alumni and stakeholders. I felt it was important that they be able to hit the ground running and start recruiting immediately. The NCAA waiver gave us that opportunity and should be tremendous benefit.
"On a personal note, they are great friends and coaches that I respect tremendously. They know the type of program we want to run - on and off the field - and could not be more excited about joining the proud tradition at The U."
Current Miami assistant coaches Rick Petri (defensive line), Wesley McGriff (defensive backs) and John Lovett (defensive coordinator) will remain in a coaching capacity through the 2010 Hyundai Sun Bowl against Notre Dame on Dec. 31, but none of the three will be retained after the bowl game.
According to the statement released by UM, Golden has not made any other formal decisions on his 2011 coaching staff at this point.
Golden also announced the hiring of Tom Deahn to the role of Director of Football Operations and Ryan McNamee to the role of Director of Player Development. Deahn and McNamee both filled the same role with Golden at Temple.
Corey Bell and Cindy Abraham-Garcia both departed from the UM staff after serving in the operational capacities the last four years.
Four Hurricanes have been named to the Rivals.com ACC All-Freshman Team -- running back Lamar Miller, tight end Asante Cleveland, offensive lineman Brandon Linder and right tackle Seantrel Henderson, who was also selected as a Sporting News Freshman All-American on offense.
> Henderson (6-8, 330) started the last nine game games of the regular season for UM at right tackle. He was tabbed a third team selection on Phil Steele's All-ACC Team. Henderson helped pave the way for Miami to rank atop the ACC in total offense (422.6 yards per game) and third in rushing offense (190.4 yards per game). Last week, he was named Miami's Newcomer of the Year at the annual UM football awards banquet.
> Miller, a 5-11, 210-pound redshirt freshman out of Miami Killian, finished the regular season second on the team in rushing with 633 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns. Miller has also caught nine catches out of the backfield for 64 yards and returned a kickoff for a touchdown against Ohio State.
> Cleveland (6-5, 245) saw action in seven of the final eight games on the year, picking up a start against North Carolina. Cleveland pulled in seven catches for 95 yards (13.6 per catch) - with his best game coming in a start against the Tar Heels, where he reeled in two passes for 34 yards, and a long of 25, setting up a touchdown on the drive.
> Linder, a 6-6, 300-pound true freshman out of St. Thomas Aquinas, saw action in 10 games for Miami, including five starts - suiting up as a starter in three of the last four contests. Linder combined with Henderson along the front line that paved the way for the `Canes to rank first in the league for total offense. He also helped protect quarterbacks Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris which led to UM ranking second in the league in sacks against. Miami finished the regular season with 19 touchdowns on the ground, adding another 19 through the air.
Al Golden didn't officially become cleared to begin recruiting until around 5 or 6 p.m. Tuesday. But since he's been given the green light, UM's new football coach and recruiting coordinator Aubrey Hill have been pounding the recruiting trail.
> Goal No. 1: Pursue the players who plan to enroll in January and have been strongly considering the Canes -- whether they're uncommitted or have de-comitted. > Goal No. 2: Phone as many coaches in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties as possible and let them know the Canes are eager to build friendships and get some players.
Golden started the day by visiting with Vero Beach offensive linemen Marcus Jackson at his high school, then followed him home to meet with his mother after school. How did it go?
"He said it went well -- and that's pretty much all he said," said Pete LeDuke, assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator at Vero Beach. "I didn't get to talk to Marcus too long because the coach from Georgia Tech was coming in to talk to him tonight. But Coach Golden and Marcus talked, the and mom talked to Coach Golden and pretty much that was it."
Jackson, who is trying to complete an online course while studying for finals, is declining all interview requests. But what Golden set out to do, he achieved. LeDuke said Jackson told him he is planning to go through with visiting UM this weekend. Jackson (6-2, 315) is considered the 13th best guard in the country by Rivals.com. He was committed to UM until two weeks ago when former coach Randy Shannon was fired.
LeDuke said Jackson will make his announcement Jan. 5 at the Under Armour All-American Game in Tampa -- the same place where Monsignor Pace defensive back Jabari Gorman, considered the 10th-best safety in the country by Rivals, plans to announce his decision as well (We'll get to him later).
"Marcus hasn't said where he's leaning to and all that," said LeDuke, who said Jackson visited Michigan State, Georgia Tech and Tennessee twice (once unofficially).
"The visit to Miami will be huge. But I think coach Golden did a great job. I was very impressed with him. I thought Miami did a great job hiring him. He's very personable, very easy to talk to. We talked about families. Obviously, he's a family man. So am I. I like what he was talking about. He talked about how we want football players. I liked how he talked. He was very easy to talk to like I've known him forever. He's a former linemen. We had a bond there. I think he had the same bond with Marcus."
Golden's next scheduled stop Wednesday night was Boston where he was set to meet with another Canes de-commitment, cornerback Albert Louis-Jean, rated 12th best at his position by Rivals. No word yet on how that meeting has gone, but Louis-Jean's father told me Monday night his son was coming down this weekend to visit UM.
The big question that remains is if Miami Northwestern quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will be joining Jackson and Louis-Jean as the only other guests at UM this coming weekend.
According to a source, Bridgewater, who visited the University of South Florida officially on Tuesday, told UM coaches last night he would be making the trip. But UM is still waiting for a final confirmation.
Bridgewater (6-3, 185) has and continues to be the No. 1 recruiting target for the Hurricanes according to the source and was set to receive an in-home visit from Golden on Tuesday night until it was learned he was in Tampa. The hope now is UM coaches will be able to visit Bridgewater on Thursday night and try to convince the No. 2-ranked dual threat quarterback in the country according to Rivals to jump back on board at UM.
It will definitely take some convincing. His mother, Rose Murphy, wasn't happy with the way UM fans reacted when her son de-committed last week, telling me, "nobody reacted this way when those other boys de-committed. They should be happy he's looking for a great education, be respectful."
OTHERS WAITING FOR A CALL: While some recruits and coaches have received phone calls from Golden and Miami assistants, others are still waiting patiently.
Miami Belen defensive end Nick Menocal (one of four commitments along with Tampa Alonso defensive end Anthony Chickillo, St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Phillip Dorsett and Milford Prep cornerback Jeremy Davis) said Wednesday afternoon he had still not heard from Golden. But Menocal said was he told by defensive line coach Rick Petri on Monday to expect a call from UM's new coach soon. Menocal said he's hoping to be invited to come see the Hurricanes practice for their bowl game.
"I am still committed," Menocal said. "I look forward to seeing what Coach Golden has to tell me and who is going to bring in and hopefully I can go to UM and do big things."
Menocal (6-3, 235) is ranked as the 58th best outside linebacker by Rivals. He said he plans on visiting UM in January, somewhere between visits to Georgia Tech, Virginia and possibly North Carolina, which still hasn't offered Menocal but has been after him harder of late.
> Coral Gables High linebacker Denzel Perryman, a longtime target of the Hurricanes rated, met with UM coach Aubrey Hill on Wednesday and spoke to Golden by phone in the morning.
"I talked with him to touch base," Perryman said. "It was a regular conversation. He's going to touch base with all the recruits. I'm looking forward to talking to him in person. Everything is still up in the air. But I still feel good about UM."
Perryman (5-11, 217) rated the 23rd best middle linebacker in the country by Rivals said he has plans to visit Florida State, Florida, USC and LSU in January, but wants to squeeze in an official to UM as he gets to know the new Canes coaches better. He said he planned to be out at practice on Friday.
What could end up being huge for Perryman is if linebackers coach Micheal Barrow sticks around. "I hope he does, I really do," Perryman said. "It's a big factor. We've had a little bond since my freshman year. I don't want to lose that."
> Monsignor Pace defensive back Jabari Gorman (5-11, 170) cut his list down to Ohio State, Miami and Florida earlier this month before Randy Shannon was fired and Urban Meyer stepped down in Gainesville. He said Wednesday night while Ohio State still leads, the Hurricanes and Gators remain in the hunt. Gorman said he plans to announce his choice at the Under Armour All-American Game on Jan. 5.
"I'm sure I'm going to talk to him soon, talk to him this week and have a meeting so I can get a feel for him," Gorman said of Golden. "I'm hearing great news about him. I like the fact of how he turned Temple's program around. That means the coach knows what he's doing. You want to be around a coach like that."
Gorman said even if he picks a school at the UA game, he will still visit UM in mid-January and could end up changing his mind by National Signing Day.
"Nothing is final until signing day," Gorman said. "I've been feeling OSU. But I've been having doubts about it too. You know how Miami is, they come at you hard. Coach Hill has been on me.
"Stephen Morris is recruiting me as hard as the coaches the do. Me and Stephen have always been real close since my ninth grade year. We always talk. Me and him always used to be together as far as doing the right things on the field. I know what he tells me at Miami is no lies. I can trust him."
> While Golden was in the Northeast Wednesday night, Hill was visiting with Oakland Park Northeast defensive end BJ Dubose at his home. Dubose is one of several local players UM plans to make hard efforts to get in the coming weeks.
Others include Perryman, Gorman, Palm Beach Dwyer tight end Nick O'Leary and Miami Southridge defensive back Gerrod Holliman. Golden is expected to also make a push for Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Ishaq Williams (6-6, 220), considered the second best defensive end in the country.
New Hurricanes coach Al Golden made quite an impression when he had his 50 minute conversation with players Monday night before his press conference.
Jordan Futch, Marcus Forston, Adewale Ojomo, Jacory Harris and Lamar Miller said they were all impressed with the strong message Golden delivered about winning national championships and taking this program to the next level.
One player who also enjoyed his meeting with Golden was cornerback Brandon Harris, who unlike the rest of UM's underclassmen is the most likely to bolt early for the NFL. So did Golden's first impression leave Harris feeling better about possibly coming back to UM?
"Leaving the room and after talking to a couple of the upcoming seniors and having a good time with those guys and talking about it and planning things out and where we can get better at, how we can make this team better, I really felt at home. I felt good about it."
So when will he make a real decision on coming back or going pro?
"After the bowl game that's when its really going to set in. Right now it's still kind of all talk. To me, I still can't believe its an opportunity," Harris said. "After the bowl game, the decision will really have to be made. I haven't given much thought to it, fantasizing about it of course because you want to play in the NFL. But serious thought? I never really thought about it. I never thought I would be in this position as a junior to leave early. It's definitely exciting. I know after the bowl game a lot of things are going to pick up, a lot of phone calls will be made. We'll just go from there."
Will he talk to other juniors on the team about it and will their decisions affect him? "We kind of talk about it every now and then," Harris said. "We understand at this level everybody has to make the best decision for themselves. Everybody comes from different situations and different backgrounds. Everybody has different morals on the decisions they're making. Each guy is different. But we do talk about it and do voice our opinions. They'll definitely have a say-so in my opinion and hopefully my opinion matters to them."
Either way, Harris said he will be sending a request into the NFL to see where he could end up going. What will he weigh?
"Ultimately, its going to be about if I feel the opportunity presents itself to be a top NFL pick or coming back, maturing my game a little bit, playing with my teammates for another year. It obviously wouldn't hurt. It would help me," Harris said. "If It's something you can't turn away from, then obviously it's a different situation. Everything is up in the air and in the wind. I definitely want to be here, I want to continue playing here and I don't have a problem with it.
"If your not going to be a guaranteed first round pick, I don't think I would consider leaving at all. I would love to come back and play for another year. If it's not a guarantee, sure thing I wouldn't even think about it. Even if it isn't guaranteed, it's still something I'm going to weigh my options on coming back and maturing myself a little more as a player and as a person. Either way it goes, I'm still going to look into it, weigh the pros and cons of it and talk to a couple guys who have been in the situation and made the decision and see what they say."
Will the future of his father, Tim Harris, who is currently on the staff, affect his decision?
"Not at all. It's a business. We both understand that," Harris said. "By him being here obviously its great having him here. It would be different with him not here. But he's still not my coach at this level. He's not my position coach. Having him around the building is fine. He brings a little relaxation to the whole room and to the team and all that. But that definitely won't have no impact on my decision at all."
According to a report by the Philadelphia Sports Daily, Temple defensive coordinator Mark D’Onofrio has turned down Temple's head coaching job and will follow his best friend Al Golden to the University of Miami.
According to the report, D’Onofrio is expected to become UM's defensive coordinator under Golden, though the source, who requested anonymity because of the nature of the situation, could not confirm that was the job he would have with the Hurricanes.
D'Onofrio was Al Golden’s teammate at Penn State before becoming an assistant with him at Virginia. After serving as the Owls’ defensive coordinator for two seasons, D’Onofrio was promoted by Golden to assistant head coach/defensive coordinator in the spring of 2008. D'Onofrio, who played professionally with the Green Bay Packers, has 10 seasons of college coaching experience.
As a player, the North Bergen (N.J.) native played at Penn State, where he starred at both inside and outside linebacker from 1988-91. He led the Nittany Lions in sacks (11) as a sophomore and tackles (71) as a junior. As a senior, he was elected captain and finished second in total tackles despite missing six games with an injury. He set the Penn State school record for causing the most fumbles in one season (five) and finished his career ranked in the top 10 in sacks with 15.
His defense at Temple ranked 18th against the run, 32nd in total defense, 39th in scoring defense and 74th in pass defense during a 9-4 season in 2009. The Owls also ranked 23rd in sacks. This season, Temple ranked 14th in pass defense, 16th in scoring defense and 17th in total defense. The run defense ranked 45th.
Golden said Monday after his introductory press conference he was going to first focus his efforts on recruiting before the dead period (which begins Sunday) and then will turn his attention toward building a staff. If D'Onofrio becomes his coordinator, it would be the least bit surprising considering how close the two are.
CHICKILLO TALKS WITH GOLDEN: With his wife looking for a new home for the family, Al Golden spent his second day in South Florida Tuesday working the phones and calling recruits.
One happy person to receive a phone call late Tuesday night was Tampa Alonso defensive end and Under-Armour All-American Anthony Chickillo, who said he spoke with Golden for 35 to 40 minutes and came away impressed. The first thing Golden told him: "I want to win championships."
"We had a great talk," Chickillo said. "He's a real proud speaker. He was real enthusiastic about the direction he thinks he can take the University of Miami program. He said I'm a No. 1 priority right now, that I'm real important to the recruiting class and he knows about my family history and he says I'm very very important to the program. He wants me to be a Hurricane."
Did the talk change his opinion of Golden? "I never had a bad opinion of him because I never spoke to him," Chickillo said. "He had success at a Temple program that hadn't had a lot of success. Everywhere he's been he's had success. I think he's one of the best up and coming coaches right now. He really surprised me. I have a lot of love for UM. His passion surprised me. I think he's going to do a great job."
Chickillo said Golden wants to meet him and his family and build a relationship as soon as he can finalize his coaching staff. Chickillo said he will still take his other visits, but is planning on visiting UM in January.
On Sunday, Chickillo said he was a little worried about the defensive scheme UM would employ. But that changed after talking to Golden. "He said it's going to be a 4-3," Chickillo said. "You know all teams run different packages and stuff.
"He just said he watched my film and loved it and all the passion and how hard I play. He said guys like me can help the U return to where he wants it to be. He says there are so many great players in the program right now. He said it's not about them, it's not about me, it's not about him, it's about us. He said it's what we can do to bring Miami back to the glory days. I liked that. He seems like he has a little swagger to him."
Chickillo said Golden's recruiting approach is very different from the way former coach Randy Shannon handled things.
"Coach Shannon is a great guy, but he kept to himself a little bit more," Chickillo said. "I don't know how to really explain it except that he really didn't like to talk on the phone. You know what I mean? Coach Shannon preferred to talk in person. Coach Golden wanted to talk to me for a long time. He gave me his cell phone number and said to call whatever time it is. I didn't know coach Golden that well, but I can tell you now I like him."
Despite reports to the contrary, Chickillo said he never de-committed from Miami and has just been talking to schools more. "When I told coach I would take all my visits, he understood," Chickillo said.
As for how Golden stacked up against new Florida coach Will Muschamp, who called Chickillo on Sunday: "They are both great coaches. I would say Coach Golden got me a little more pumped. Coach Muschamp had me pumped up too. He's a very enthusiastic speaker too.
"All I know right now is I'm going to take all my trips. After that, I really don't know when I will make a final decision. But I'm still committed to Miami."
> Chickillo said he saw former Hurricanes commitment and Miami Northwestern star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater Tuesday at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
"I went over there to hang out like I always do," Chickillo said. "I'm real close with Coach Patrick. Teddy was there on an official. I just said hi to him. He seemed tired and was going back to the hotel."
Reaction from Monday night's press conference introducing Al Golden as the Hurricanes next football coach. Plus, Al Golden spends 20 minutes with the UM media.
Al Golden will meet with reporters Monday night when he will officially be introduced as the University of Miami's next football coach. But he'll begin working for the Canes well before he even says hello to South Florida.
Golden's first task: start piecing together UM's next recruiting class. And he doesn't have a whole lot of time to waste.
The Hurricanes lost three commitments in the aftermath of coach Randy Shannon's firing -- including star quarterback Teddy Bridgewater of Miami Northwestern -- and have only four players who have remained committed: Under-Armour All-American DE Anthony Chickillo (Tampa Alonso High); Milford Prep School cornerback Jeremy Davis; St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Phillip Dorsett; and Miami Belen linebacker Nick Menocal.
Golden is expected to reach out to all seven right away and even host his first group of weekend visitors on Friday and Saturday. Currently on that weekend visitor list: Bridgewater, Vero Beach offensive lineman Marcus Jackson and Brockton, Mass. cornerback Albert Louis-Jean. Those would be the three de-commitments. Only Louis-Jean confirmed he was still going to visit UM. Bridgewater and Jackson didn't answer their cell phones Sunday night.
"I don't know if excited would be the right word to describe how we feel," said Albert Louis-Jean Sr. of UM's coaching hire.
"I'm just waiting to see what the rest of the staff looks like. I don't know if Mr. Golden has done anything in his career that you can look at and necessarily get excited about.
"He's a younger guy, that's exciting. Younger coaches usually mesh with players better. We don't know too much about him yet. Everything is going to come out about him now. So far, I hear he is a high-caliber type coach, high on discipline, no nonsense. That's always a positive thing. We're going to go down and meet him, see how Albert feels and if he likes him. We'll go from there with his decision. He loves Miami. He loves the school. The school is a really, really good school. But the people and the coaches have a lot to do with your experience. We'll see at this point how it goes."
Chickillo, who committed earlier this season to UM in the hopes of becoming a third-generation Hurricane, said he received a call from new Florida coach Will Muschamp Sunday night, just an hour after hearing the news about Golden at UM.
"It was the first time I talked to him," Chickillo said of Muschamp. "He seems like a cool guy, said he watched my film and fell in love with me. I had a good relationship with Meyer and McCarney at Florida. Talking with that head coach, I have a better feel for him. He seems like a real powerful speaker.
"I haven't decommitted. But seeing all the other guys decommitted, I pretty much think everybody is decommitted. It makes me kind of sad. I wanted to come in with a great class. Teddy, Marcus, those two guys are early grads. I don't know what's going to happen."
As for Golden, Chickillo said he doesn't know how to feel.
"I've never heard of him before," Chickillo said. "I don't really know what to think at this point.I don't know what kind of staff he'll have or what kind of defense he'll have. I'm hoping to get a call from him tonight or early tomorrow. I'm sure he has a couple other things on his mind.
"I just know when I talked to Mr. Kirby [Hocutt] he told me [the coach] was going to be a big name hire. I don't know what type of personality Golden had. I love the University of Miami, but at the same time I have to find what is best for me and reach all my goals.
"What I've heard so far is the whole staff is going to be gone. Just talking with Coach Hill and Coach Pannunzio, it doesn't sound like they're going to be there. I'm just waiting to talk to them. Then, hopefully, Golden is going to come to my house, meet with my parents sometime this week. We'll see what happens after we talk."
CBS Sports national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming thinks Golden can be a superstar recruiter at Miami. Last year, Lemming named Golden the top recruiter in the country for the work he did at Temple.
"The pressure was enormous for [Kirby Hocutt] to come up with a good guy," Lemming said. "Now, you have Jimbo Fisher at Florida State and Florida, who replaced Urban Meyer with a great choice in Muschamp. Miami needed a good recruiter and could have really suffered, but they hit a home run.
"With Al Golden, I believe he's as good as Nick Saban, Urban Meyer. Pete Carroll, Mack Brown and Jim Tressell, who I consider the top five recruiters in the country. He's as good as those five, he just never had the platform like he will at Miami.
"I'd be shocked if he doesn't get [Teddy Bridgewater] and others back. I think he'll turn it around pretty quickly and he'll have a good class. And next year they'll have a great class with a full year to do it. I don't have any doubt he'll have a great class next year. He'll be right up there with Florida and Florida State like they always were. This year, he'll have a quality class, just not as good because most kids are already committed. But if anybody can get them back to the glory days of the 1980s and 1990s where talent was oozing out the door, it's Al Golden."
CORAL GABLES — University of Miami Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt has announced the hiring of Al Golden as the new head football coach at the University of Miami.
Golden is the 22nd head coach in program history and leaves a resurrected Temple program to take the helm at Miami.
“From the beginning of this process, one candidate stood above the rest as the right fit for the University of Miami,” said Director of Athletics Kirby Hocutt. “We are proud to welcome Al Golden to The U. His desire, leadership, communications skills and preparedness stood above the rest and he is the right man to meet the championship expectations of this program.”
Golden will be officially introduced to the Miami Hurricane fans during a press conference on Monday. HurricaneSports.com will have free live video of his formal introduction, as well as UStream coverage and a live chat where fans can interact directly with Miami athletics staff.
Over five seasons at Temple, Golden took the Owls to unprecedented heights. Before his arrival, TU had just two winning seasons over its 100-plus year history and had only won 22 percent of its games over the previous 30 years.
After taking over the Owls, who went 0-11 the season prior to his arrival, Golden has led his team to a 17-5 record over the last 22 regular season games, including a 2010 defeat of BIG EAST champion and Fiesta Bowl participant Connecticut.
The 41-year-old owns a 27-34 career record, which includes a 9-4 mark in 2009, and an 8-4 mark in 2010. He was able to lead the Owls to two winning seasons, which is exactly half of their all-time total since the inception of football at the Philadelphia-based school in 1894.
Golden has not only infused life into the win column at Temple, but he has done wonders in the academic area. The Owls had an APR score of 858 four years ago and that has sky-rocketed to 926. He also has spiked the Graduation Success Rate from a low of 47 percent to the current high total of 56 percent.
Wow, you can already feel the difference at UM football practice.
It was wonderful being out there at practice this morning on Greentree Field. Beautiful day. Nobody seemed paranoid, and we were allowed to watch at least 30 minutes. Of course, depending on who gets the head coaching job, that could change. We shall see.
Freshman RT Seantrel Henderson not only no longer is wearing a boot on his left foot, he looks as lean and mean as a 6-8, 355-pound young man can look. That is the weight it says for Henderson on the roster. He might have lost weight since then. You should have seen Seantrel sprinting during running drills. He looked great.
A.J. Highsmith is no longer wearing orange. The former quarterback, a sophomore, now wears a white jersey and has officially been converted to a defensive back -- he said he's trying cornerback. But those things sometimes change. I'm happy for A.J. At least he gets to use this year as a redshirt year, and he'll have three more years of eligibility to develop into his new role. He has sacrificed a lot for this team, working very hard to learn the offense without ever really getting a chance to run it. I do think he's a team guy first. And he's smart, with obvious athletic talent. I hope he does well.
Players looked very spirited today, led by another spirited person: interim coach Jeff Stoutland, a great guy and really fine coach.
One super play today, which drew "oohs" and "ahhs" from spectators: Receiver Travis Benjamin leaped sky-high over Brandon Harris for a gorgeous catch in the end zone. If only he can do the same in the Sun Bowl...
Also: linebacker Jordan Futch is wearing an orange jersey now, as he has requested to play tight end. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple said he deserves to be given a chance, and will play that position in the bowl game.
Miami Northwestern quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, one of the stars in the University of Miami's 2011 recruiting class before Randy Shannon was fired hours after the team's loss to South Florida on Nov. 27, said Monday he's no longer committed to the Hurricanes.
"I'm just going to keep my options open, see who the next coach is," said Bridgewater, a U.S. Army All-American who is considered the second-best dual-threat quarterback in the country by Rivals.com.
"I can't tell you what he's going to do," Bridgewater's mother, Rose Murphy, told The Miami Herald Monday night. "because I don't think he knows what he's going to do."
Murphy told The Miami Herald her son got a visit from UM assistants Wesley McGriff and Tim Harris Sr. last week. Murphy said she believes that's when her son told UM he was planning to take official trips to other schools and was going to re-open his recruitment.
Bridgewater, who threw for 2,606 yards and 22 touchdowns in 12 games this season, has become the third UM player since Shannon's firing to de-commit from the program. Albert Louis-Jean, a standout in Brockton, Mass. considered the 12th-best corner in the country by Rivals, and Vero Beach High offensive guard Marcus Jackson, considered 13th best at his position nationally by the same publication, were the first two players to de-commit after Shannon was fired.
The Hurricanes have four remaining commitments: Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas receiver Phillip Dorsett; Tampa Alonso High defensive end Anthony Chickillo; Miami Belen linebacker Nick Menocal and Milford Prep School (N.Y.) defensive back Jeremy Davis.
UM athletic director Kirby Hocutt said the day after Shannon was fired he would honor the seven commitments. UM is only expected to have between 15 and 16 scholarships available in its next signing class.
The Hurricanes canceled their first recruiting weekend scheduled for Dec. 10-11, but still have not canceled the following weekend. Several top-tier players including Rivals' No. 1-rated receiver George Farmer (Gardena, Calif.) and No. 2-rated offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio were supposed to visit UM this weekend. Those trips to Miami have yet to be rescheduled for later dates.
The day after Shannon was fired, Chickillo, an Under-Armour Army All-American, said he had 50 phone calls and text messages from other programs trying to scoop him up. He said he remains committed to UM, but wants to see who the Hurricanes hire as coach.
"I'm still committed," Dorsett said last Friday. "It's tough. But Miami has always been my dream school. They've always been loyal to me and I'll always be loyal to them. I'm a Hurricane at heart."
Several University of Miami football players discovered a present from former Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon when they opened their lockers in the past few days.
Inside: a postcard with the "U'' on one side and a handwritten message on the other.
“It was the nicest thing he ever said to me since I’ve been here,” senior left tackle Orlando Franklin said Monday. “He was just telling me to keep my head up and don’t get sidetracked.
“I’m going to actually rewrap it and put it under my Christmas tree so I can open it on Christmas Day. I felt real nice when I [saw] it in my locker."
Senior cornerback Ryan Hill also got a letter, and was equally touched. He said he has talked to "probably 20'' players who got the notes. He suspects many more received them.
Shannon's message to Hill: "Just keep working," Hill said. "Keep going, keep pushing, you're going to have a great career. [He said] it was fun and that he loves me.
"I was surprised. ...For him to take time to sit there [and write], just shows not only his compassion but the character of him. I really appreciate it."
Hill said he believes Shannon "has a sense he kind of let us down. But I'm going to tell him, ‘Hey listen, you didn't let anybody down. If anything, you put us in a better position to better ourselves."
> Interim coach Jeff Stoutland addressed the media Monday to talk about the Notre Dame matchup a bit. He said the Hurricanes "had a little workout this morning and we'll have a meeting this afternoon."
Stoutland called it "a breath of fresh air to get back outside, move around. It was a little chilly. It was nice. I guess it was 37 degrees in El Paso, and 47 here. We're getting closer. It was a good workout, a lot of enthusiasm and really that's just what I was monitoring."
> Stoutland said there was some individual work -- "the skill positions did a seven-on-seven session and the offensive and defensive lines primarily had all individual [work]. It was great to be able to teach and go back to the fundamentals of football."
The Canes will concentrate on final exams this week, while still doing limited work in the morning. They will practice Saturday and Sunday and "will be very similar practices to spring football,'' Stoutland said.
The coach said practices will continue daily after this weekend -- 9 a.m. meetings followed by 10:15 a.m. on the field.
The Canes will leave on a charter for El Paso and the Hyundai Sun Bowl the afternoon of Dec. 26th.
> Tim Harris Sr., the father of cornerback Brandon Harris and an assistant to Shannon when he was here, has been elevated to an assistant coach for the bowl game. Harris is able to recruit, according to Stoutland, and will work with the UM secondary to prepare for Notre Dame. Once practice begins he'll run the scout team defensive backfield.
> Stoutland said freshman right tackle Seantrel Henderson, who wore a boot on his left foot last week for a sprained Achilles' tendon and said he would be OK for the bowl game, "is fine, really fine. He'll be 100 percent."
> Freshman receiver Allen Hurns' right arm is in a sling.
TICKET UPDATE: The UM ticket office sold 2,000 tickets over the lunch hour today and is currently on pace to sell its entire allotment (8,000) before the end of business on Tuesday. Fans that want the best-priced tickets, $40, and also want to sit with fellow Hurricanes fans are encouraged to purchase ASAP. As of Monday afternoon, tickets were already appearing on secondary market sites for as much as $309.
The stars needed to align -- and it appears they have.
Barring a major surprise, it looks like the University of Miami will get to play Notre Dame for the first time since 1990 in the Dec. 31 Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.
Sun Bowl officials said earlier this week it would love to have a Canes-Irish showdown, but needed a few things to fall into place.
For starters, no Pac-10 teams had to be available. That basically happened Saturday when Oregon knocked off Oregon State (making the Beavers 5-7 and ineligible for the post-season). Now, with Oregon (BCS Championship) and Stanford (Orange) headed to BCS Bowl games, only two other Pac-10 teams (Arizona and Washington) are bowl eligible. The Alamo Bowl and Holiday Bowl will take them, leaving the door open for the Sun Bowl to take a Big East team or Notre Dame (if the Irish are available).
But for the Irish to become available to the Sun Bowl, a few other things needed to happen Saturday. West Virginia had to beat Rutgers to finish 9-3, and UConn had to knock off South Florida to win the Big East title and earn a BCS birth. The Mountaineers rolled and UConn rallied to beat USF. The Champs Sports Bowl has first crack at the Irish. But having just signed a four year contract with the Big East to replace the Big Ten, bowl officials might be hard pressed to skip over a 9-3 West Virginia for 7-5 Notre Dame.
Champs Sports officials met Saturday night to vote, with their intention of keeping their team selections a secret until 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. But for all intent and purposes, it looks like the dream matchup between UM-Notre Dame will take place on the outskirts of a US-Mexican border.
The Hurricanes (7-5) were already scheduled to renew their rivalry with the Irish in 2012 at Soldier Field in Chicago with two other games (at South Bend in 2016 and in Miami in 2017) to follow. This will only whet the appetite.
The question is: Will UM win? The Hurricanes are still looking for their next coach having fired Randy Shannon a week ago. Players have said its been tough getting over it. Will UM be mentally ready for a showdown with an old-time rival?
First year coach Brian Kelly has the Irish playing good football of late. They finished the month of November with three straight wins over Utah, Army and USC. The 28-3 win over Utah was especially impressive. And the 20-16 win was at USC was as well. Offensively, Notre Dame ranks 97th in rushing, 63rd in total offense and 73rd in scoring. Defensively, their run defense ranks 57th, but they rank 29th in scoring defense and 26th in pass efficiency defense.
Numbers aside, there is plenty of great history between the Canes and Irish. Miami and Notre Dame met 19 times from 1971 to 1990. The Hurricanes won six of the last nine meetings from 1981 to 1990 when the teams were both in the national championship hunt. After the Hurricanes won a national title in 1991, only UM has played for a title again, winning in 2001 and losing to Ohio State in 2002. The Hurricanes haven't been to the BCS since 2003. Notre Dame played in the Sugar Bowl in 2006 and the Fiesta Bowl in 2005.
Notre Dame won the last meeting in South Bend, Ind. 29-20. The teams have never faced each other in a bowl game.
Here are links to a few UM-Notre Dame videos on YouTube.
> The 1988 meeting between No. 1 UM and No. 4 Notre Dame in South Bend.
The Miami Hurricanes met as a football team for the first time since Sunday, the day they were informed as a team by athletic director Kirby Hocutt that Randy Shannon had been fired as coach. Although internet reports surfaced saying the team meeting Thursday might be for players to meet their new coach, it wasn't.
"We just had a meeting to go over academics, make sure the guys get their stuff done academically," sophomore cornerback Brandon McGee said. "Emotionally it's been tough. When you take a guy like coach Shannon away from the program, away from kind of what he built, it's not easy. It's been emotional but I feel like our coaches prepared us for moments like this and we're able to prepare for what's next."
Next for the Canes? Final exams and a whole lot of studying. The team won't practice again at Greentree until Dec. 11. In the meantime, McGee said, players have been working out and trying to refocus after a 7-5 season. Oh yeah, and they've been hearing plenty of rumors about who their next coach might be, too.
"We don't really pay attention to it too much. I think the fans feed into it much more than we do," McGee said. "Everyday we hear a different name.
"The only name I kept hearing was Jon Gruden. I was like 12 years old when he won the Super Bowl with Tampa Bay. I'm pretty much open to anything. Whatever coach they bring in, I'm sure they'll bring in the best guy to win."
The news shocked at least one Hurricane -- defensive end Adewale Ojomo. "Wow," Ojomo said. "I was thinking coach Gruden might come in. Nobody told us that in here. But those were the rumors."
For the most part, players said they really don't care who among the current candidates gets hired. They just want a good coach.
"A coach that cares about his players," defensive end Olivier Vernon said of what he would like.
"Just a good coach who is going to come in and know the great tradition of Miami," Ojomo said. "Experience is the best teacher."
"It doesn't matter to me as long as its a coach who gets the job done," freshman tackle Seantrel Henderson said. "I love being a Cane, the family feeling as far as the team."
> Henderson walked out of Thursday's meeting with a black boot on his left foot. He's had it for over week. The 6-8, 350-pound right tackle has a sprained achilles, but said he won't miss UM's bowl game.
> Miami Northwestern High quarterback Teddy Bridgewater -- one of six remaining Hurricanes commitments -- hasn't wanted to talk about recruiting lately. But I spoke to his mother, Rose Murphy by phone Thursday, who told me Bridgewater is still continuing to mull over what do since Shannon's firing.
"It's been crazy," Murphy said. "But we're taking it one day at a time. And like he says, when the time comes he'll let everybody know.
"Everytime I think it's one school or when I think he's made a decision on UM, LSU or whatever, I really don't know. When I talked to him today he said, 'Mama, I haven't decided.' So, I really don't know. I try to stay out of it and tell him whatever decision he makes I support him. I know where I would want him. But he has to make his own decision. I just want what's best for him. If he goes away, I'm fine with it. But if he stays home and plays in Miami I'm fine with it. I just want him to do what he wants to do -- and get a free education."
Murphy said UM and LSU remain at the top of her son's list, but Florida and other schools remain in hot pursuit. "It's been a lot for him to deal with," Murphy said. "They come to the house, talk to him, call him. I can't really say Manny what he's feeling."
The Hurricanes lost one commitment since Shannon's firing -- four-star cornerback Albert Louis-Jean of Brockton, Mass. UM already canceled its first recruiting weekend Dec. 10-11 and is hoping to have a coach in place so it can host recruits Dec. 17-18. When Larry Coker was fired, it took UM a little more than two weeks to find a replacement.
Thoughts and observations from Wednesday as the search for a football coach at the University of Miami shifts from Jon Gruden to other candidates:
> Missing out on Gruden really is not a big deal for the Hurricanes. As I wrote in my previous blog, I never really thought a guy who has spent the last 19 years in the NFL (as broadcaster, head coach and assistant) would want to handle or be able to handle all of the intricate details of being a college coach. It's a lot more responsibility than being an NFL coach.
Wednesday, I spoke to former Bucs QB Shaun King, who played for Gruden, and he told me flatly the Hurricanes were crazy for wanting him. King just didn't think it was a good mix at all. In the end, I think Gruden was not as interested as many of us were first led to believe. But the fact athletic director Kirby Hocutt went after him shows me at least UM is serious about finding a big name, quality coach.
> Most believe the next name on UM's list is Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, who was supposed to be in town today to visit a recruit. Mullen didn't end up making the trip because he's battling the flu. But I've heard through a third party who spoke with one of Mullen's assistants that the former Gators offensive coordinator believes he already has a better job. He's coaching in the SEC and the school's facilities are better than UM's. As of Wednesday night, we had not heard that Mullen spoke to anyone from UM involved in the hiring process. But that may happen today as Hocutt and his Chuck Neinas continue to make their rounds.
> As it stands, I don't think we're going to see a resolution to this job very quickly. Since Gruden didn't surprise us and agree to taking the job today, I think this search will continue well into next week. The Hurricanes have already called off their first recruiting weekend Dec. 10 and 11. I think the target date to really find a coach is before the second recruiting weekend (Dec. 17 and 18) so that a new coach/staff can be in place to court those players. When Larry Coker was fired a day after the end of the 2006 regular season, it took UM a little more than two weeks to hire Shannon as their next coach.
> As for Shannon, he apparently is very interested in becoming the new coach at the University of Minnesota. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman said he spoke with Shannon Tuesday, and wrote Shannon would love to stay in college coaching because “you can make a difference in young people’s lives.” A few weeks ago, before Shannon was obviously fired, there was an a strange internet report that Shannon might be interested in going to Minnesota. You have to wonder if he knew what was coming and was already planning his next move. By the way, Colorado and Vanderbilt are two other schools reportedly interested in Shannon.
> Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, who is looking for a job, got a ringing endorsement from Donald Trump Wednesday. Trump sent a written message to UM President Donna Shalala praising Leach on the front page of a Palm Beach Post Sports Section. Leach took to the airwaves Wednesday on ESPN radio and then sent his own message.
"I think it is a great opportunity for anybody," Leach said of the UM job. "They have got a great tradition and all the rest. A great recruiting base and you could do big things at Miami.
"I have had success everywhere else, you know and I think it just has to do with everybody doing their role. See Texas Tech started out in the border conference, which was a really soft conference, then Texas Tech went to the Southwest Conference, which was a pretty good conference, then they went to the Big XII, which was a great conference, but in that ten years that me and my staff were in the Big XII we won more bowl games than all of the years that Tech had the rest of the years combined. You know so we have got a pretty good team and a good plan."
> Leach isn't the only guy who wants the job. I've heard from reliable sources current Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville would be very interested in the job.
> The Sun Bowl might not be as interested as they once were in taking the Hurricanes. We're hearing Boston College could end up taking the spot. It all likely depends on the opponent. The Sun Bowl would love for a UM-Notre Dame showdown. But at this point, it's more likely Notre Dame goes to the Champs Sports Bowl (had the Canes beat USF they would be there). Now if Notre Dame doesn't end up at the Sun Bowl, UM could slip down the pecking order. As it stands, the Sun Bowl could also be short on Pac-10 teams and take a Big East school as a potential replacement.
> The Hurricanes lost their first recruit since the firing on Wednesday when Brockton, Mass. cornerback Albert Louis-Jean decommitted from the Hurricanes. UM is down to six commitments now.
