Eye on the U

David Thompson isn't the only hitter at UM who can throw a football

Turns out freshman David Thompson isn't the only athlete at the University of Miami who can swing a big bat and fling a football around.

Outfielder Grant Heyman, a three-sport star at Pittsford-Sutherland High School (N.Y.) and 11th round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in June, said Friday he's had discussions with the football staff about going out for football in the fall.

Heyman (6-4 1/2, 205) was an All-State quarterback and said he had offers from Rutgers, Syracuse and Buffalo as well as some Football Championship Subdivision programs. He said UM coaches told him he would come in as an athlete and potentially play "quarterback, receiver, really anywhere."

But right now, Heyman said, he's concentrated on trying to earn a starting spot on the baseball team and not worrying about football. Coach Jim Morris and the baseball Hurricanes held their first official practice of the spring Friday and have three weeks to prepare for the season, which begins at home against Rutgers Feb. 15.

"I guess when I originally came here they said I could play football. That's part of the reason I came, not the biggest reason," Heyman said. "I'm just trying to put on more weight before I go over there."

Heyman, who hit .424 with nine homers in just 18 games his senior year of high school, was the recipient of the Rawlings National High School Gold Glove Award his senior year. He said he was timed at 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash and 6.6 seconds in the 60-yard dash.

Unlike Thompson, whose first love was baseball, Morris said Heyman's first love has always been football. Morris said Heyman is certainly talented enough to play both, but he loves his raw baseball skills. Because he lived in the northeast, though, Heyman just hasn't had as much time as others to focus on baseball.

"He has to progress," Morris said. "He's the highest drafted player on our team to come in here [this season as a freshman]. [In fall practice] he hit balls on the deck [of the parking lot behind the right field wall at Mark Light Field]. He just hasn't had the repetition. So he has a lot of work to do to learn how to play the game. But that guy is going to be a very good player for us.

"He's got great tools. Number 1, the power. He can run. He's 6-5," Morris continued before slipping in a joke. "He's a prototype quarterback -- I mean outfielder."

Time for another beginning: Miami Hurricanes baseball on the horizon with preseason festivities

The Canes baseball season is nearly upon us.

As we reflect on the passing of UM Hurricanes legend Ron Fraser, we also can look forward to the coming season, which begins Feb. 15 with a three-game home series against Rutgers. You know that Coach Fraser loved this time of year, and I'm sure Coach Jim Morris can't wait to begin after a disappointing ending to 2012.

    Today marks the opening of preseason practice for the 2013 season. The season begins Feb. 15, when Rutgers comes to Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field for a three-game series.

    Get your calendars out and mark these dates: 

    *Thursday, Feb. 7 for the First Pitch Banquet

    * Friday, Feb. 8 for the UM Baseball Golf Tournament

    * Saturday, Feb. 9 for the Alumni Game

    The First Pitch Banquet, per UM, will feature a speakers panel comprised of UBaseball alumni Yonder Alonso (San Diego Padres), Jon Jay (St. Louis Cardinals) and Chris Perez (Cleveland Indians). In addition to the panel, there will be an auction featuring memorabilia and other Hurricanes merchandise, a presentation by Morris and a multi-course dinner. The reception, to be held at the multipurpose room inside the fieldhouse adjacent to the BankUnited Center, begins at 6 p.m. To purchase tickets, contact the Hurricane Club at 305-284-6699.

    The golf tourney, presented by the First National Bank of South Miami, will be at the Melreese Country Club. Fans can enjoy a day of golf with the head coach alongside current and former UM players. For more information, contact Celebrity International at 305-255-3500 or email tod@ci-mgt.com.

     The team's annual Fan Fest and Alumni Game will be at A-Rod Park. Pregame festivities start at 4 p.m., including an autograph session with players and coaches, inflatables and face painting for children -- and more. The game begins at 6 p.m. and will be between the 2013 Canes and a team made up of former UM stars. 

     Reminder: 

 Visitation For Ron Fraser will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 27 at Stanfill Funeral Homes in Miami (10545 S. Dixie Highway). A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Mon., Jan. 28 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Southwest Ranches (5601 S. Flamingo Road).

 The burial will be private for the Fraser Family in Ron’s hometown of Nutley, N.J.

 “A Celebration of the Life of Ron Fraser” will be held Sat., Feb. 23 on the University of Miami campus. Details will be announced at a later date. The Fraser Family be in attendance and will receive friends following the program. Afterwards, the celebration will move to Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field for Miami’s baseball game against Milwaukee. The game has been designated as the “Remembering Ron Fraser” game, with game proceeds donated to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund.

  To me, there's nothing like taking in a beautiful South Florida day at The Light and watching college baseball. And if you don't mind the lines, there's always those great shakes! Seriously, I am looking very much looking forward to baseball.

     SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN 

 

 

 

 

Golden talks Coley hiring; plus source tells our Barry Jackson UM may try to settle with NCAA

Here is what UM coach Al Golden had to say in a written statement about the hiring of James Coley as his new offensive coordinator.

“We’re excited about adding James Coley’s leadership, expertise and passion to our staff and Miami Hurricane Football,” Golden said. “I’ve been an admirer of his offenses output and execution, his commitment to student-athlete development as well as his relentless approach to recruiting Dade and Broward counties.

“Coach Coley will be a great asset to the University of Miami and we welcome him, his wife Kenia and their two children back to South Florida."

> Our Barry Jackson spoke to a UM source who told him that after Wednesday's NCAA bombshell the school is considering pushing for a settlement. Here's a link to his blog.

Coley has told FSU he's headed to Miami

James Coley has informed coach Jimbo Fisher and Florida State officials he's leaving to become the University of Miami's next offensive coordinator, multiple sources have told The Miami Herald.

The 39-year-old Miami High and FSU graduate made $390,000 last season to prepare the game plans for the Seminoles before Fisher called plays on game days. He was offered $500,000 to become UM’s next offensive coordinator, a source said. Although FSU matched the offer, Fisher appeared not to be willing to give up the play-calling duties.

Coley, who was offered the offensive coordinator position at Kentucky in December but turned it down, called plays for FIU in Mario Cristobal’s first season as coach in 2007. He then moved to FSU where he has worked as the tight ends coach, recruiting coordinator and most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

The University of Miami has yet to confirm the hire.

Bylaw Blog writer weighs in on UM case after NCAA bombshell drops Wednesday

After Wednesday's bombshell fell from the lips of NCAA President Mark Emmert, I reached out to our friend John Infante, a former compliance officer at NCAA Division I schools who runs the Bylaw Blog.

Infante's expertise has been featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and numerous other media outlets. Keep in mind he isn't privy to the information the NCAA has on Miami. He simply is giving his opinion based on what he's read from published reports and heard today.

Here is the transcript of my 20 minute, one-on-one Q&A with him today:

Q: How does this affect Miami? Most people assume here that the NCAA admitting its made mistakes in the investigation will be positive for Miami. Some think they might even just settle.

"It definitely will be positive. But I think people -- when they think positive -- it's significantly reduced sanctions. To me, that remains to be seen. I know President Emmert said in his press conference that this affected only a small portion of the information in the case. They still have to go through and find out exactly which allegations or specific violations [can't be used]. I don't know how much the NCAA follows the fruit of the [poisonous] tree doctrine -- which basically says if you gather information you wouldn't otherwise have gotten without the use of an improper lead, you can't use that new information either. But anything the NCAA cannot corroborate is helpful for Miami. The fewer student-athletes, the fewer former coaches, the less money, the fewer violations involved the better the case will be [for UM]. The question now is if it is going to better enough to result in a significantly different set of penalties."

Q: A lot of the investigative reports -- including Yahoo!'s -- came from the depositions and information through Shapiro's lawyer Maria Elena Perez. How could the NCAA still have much of a case if you have to wipe out whatever Shapiro's lawyer was involved with?

"Again, you have to wonder if the NCAA could have gotten this another way. It could be they look through their reports -- I don't know who makes this determination the law firm or the NCAA -- but they may say, 'We got this through this [improper] deposition, but then here's the other document we obtained properly that has the same information in it.' So I think you balance it with the idea that they wouldn't try to get subpeona power unless what they got was a game changer or real effective. The extreme [position] that the whole case is going to be gone, the NCAA certainly doesn't sound like the whole case is going to be gone. It sounds like something significant is still there... I think there is a big range -- in the middle -- of what exactly the case was going to look like. Frankly, the other problem is we don't know what the case would have looked like before. We know what Yahoo!'s case would have been and other media outlet's cases would have been. But nobody knows exactly, specifically what the NCAA has been able to corroborate given this abusive power. So, it's tough to know what was knocked out when we aren't even sure what's going to be in there in the first place."

Q: Worst day in NCAA history in terms of them policing themselves?

"As President Emmert said they've had better days. It's certainly up there. It's certainly one of the darkest days in NCAA history in terms of its investigative power. The thing to remember is that in these kind of scandals with the NCAA's investigative process that have come out in the last year -- Todd McNair's defamation case; the Shabazz Muhammad case and now this -- the NCAA has been accused of not following its own rules. One of the responses might be that the NCAA just had some bad seeds and 'we're going to clear out the bad apples that spoil the bunch. We're going to clear out the staff and we're going to have more money to bring in professional investigators and move on from there.' I think the real kind of devastating thing [for the NCAA] is if the courts say you followed procedure to a T and we're still ruling that improper. Then, that calls into question the entire way the NCAA does it's business rather than the idea that investigator or that investigator went rogue. The NCAA is dealing with the same sort of problems athletic departments deal with. There is a violation; now we got to find out what it is and fix it. Did the coach go rogue? Did the investigator go rogue? Did we fail to monitor? I know people are making jokes about it. People have asked me: 'Why would something like this happen?' Coaches are expected to deliver results and they cut corner sometimes. I think in a public case like this --- where the public says 'We had all the facts 15 months ago why isn't Miami punished yet?' -- there is that pressure to get your man, to deliver a result. Well, there would be pressure in that case also for an investigator to cut a corner."

Q: Isn't this unprecedented, the NCAA admitting it made a mistake before a notice of allegations isn't even sent?

"Yes. The leak of info with [UCLA basketball player] Shabazz Muhammad, we found out about that after he had been ruled ineligible and while they were appealing. It was kind of mid-process whereas this is kind of right before [the NOA]. In terms of how it helps Miami, I don't know if procedurally it really does [help] because you would hope that if the NOA went out and then the NCAA [did what it did Wednesday the NOA] would be pulled back and the NCAA would be doing exactly what it is doing now, which is pulling back and seeing what information should be in there and then re-doing the notice of allegations with the info it should have. Really, what it does is it delays [the case], but it doesn't delay it as long [as it could have been] because the NCAA would have had to restart its 90-day timeline. It sounds like the NCAA is fairly confident they can turn this around quickly. They're saying this is a delay of weeks rather than months. In terms of the timing of it, I really don't think its helpful for Miami in terms of what the penalties will be. I think it prevents a really long case from being delayed longer than it is now."

Q: Some people are thinking Miami can pounce here legally and say -- you fired these investigators, you went about this the wrong way, whole thing is a sham -- can Miami do anything here to put pressure on the NCAA that would help solve this case faster and lessen the penalties?

"That's tricky for all the parties involved because you are still down by the cooperative principal. You still have to cooperate with the NCAA's investigation. For Miami [to sue or fight it] that's a very high risk maneuver. Everything in this case has suggested that up until now they're not really putting up a fight. They might be exhausting their options to defend themselves, not digging in their heels to fight it every step of the way. I think the more likely scenario is Miami lets this play out and if the sanctions or the findings that come out of the committee on infractions' final report are excessive, I think that's the point Miami picks up on this and uses [Wednesday's announcement] as grounds for a lawsuit. Miami doesn't look like it's going to fight it like that. They're more likely to appeal anything now. But in terms of suing the NCAA that's always a drastic step. Very few schools have done it. It's generally individuals. As far as the individual coaches, a lot of them are still employed and working. If they had been fired or not working I think they would be much more likely to pounce on this and try to get themselves detached and the case thrown out. But since they're working, I think it's going to be more of a wait and see what their penalties are and if it harms their career. I can almost guarantee there will be a couple lawsuits against the NCAA trying to say this whole thing, none of it is proper."

Q: The NCAA is going to a new enforcement system in August. Can they avoid these similar problems from happening again?

"The new system doesn't really address what happens here. The new system is really more about penalties. It doesn't address how cases get to this point. Depending on the outcome of this external review -- and kudos for the NCAA being up front about it, talking about it publicly let's hope this continues -- I think this leads to a whole new initiative. This is not an isolated issue. This is kind of the third incident. Fool me once shame on you; full me twice shame on me. Three times is a trend. I do think it requires a big change. What that change is it's tough to say. I think the NCAA may take a more serious look at what people are calling them to do which is handing off investigations to third parties or creating an internal affairs unit. If this is a result of public pressure and an underfunded, undermanned enforcement staff, I'm not necessarily sure those things will fix the problem long term other than creating the same type of cycle where schools get caught, clean things up, fall off a little bit and break rules again. The NCAA isn't in a position or the public standing to keep things the same way. They have to come up with something to address this problem long term to sort of regain any public trust."

Q: Gut feeling in the end: Does Miami gets off easier?

"At this point I would be shocked about another post-season ban. I also would be surprised to see crippling scholarship penalties. I do think they will be let off a little easier than they would have been. The biggest challenge now for the NCAA is to explain [to other school] in a way that Miami didn't get a break on a technicality. That won't sit well with people either."

Sources: FSU's Coley weighing whether or not to take Canes' vacant offensive coordinator job

Florida State offensive coordinator James Coley could be on the verge of turning in the garnet and gold for green and orange.

Multiple sources close to Coley told The Miami Herald Wednesday afternoon the 39-year old Miami High and FSU graduate has been in discussions with University of Miami coach Al Golden to fill the Hurricanes' vacant play-caller position. Coley has told several people close to him he's been offered the job and is now weighing the whether to take it or not.

Coley, who makes $390,000 to prepare the game plans for the Seminoles before head coach Jimbo Fisher calls the plays on game days, was offered $500,000 to become UM's next offensive coordinator a source told our Barry Jackson. The source said while FSU matched the offer, Fisher is not willing to give up his play-calling duties.

Coley was offered the offensive coordinator position at Kentucky last month, but turned it down. He's been looking to get the opportunity to call plays on gameday.

Former UM offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch left the team over the weekend for the same position with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Coley called plays for FIU in Mario Cristobal's first season as coach in 2007 and then moved to FSU where he's worked as the tight ends coach, recruiting coordinator and most recently the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. 

Coley has always had strong recruiting ties to South Florida throughout his career and his addition to UM's staff would be a boon two weeks before signing day.

At Miami High from 1998-2000, Coley coached Roscoe Parrish and Andre Johnson. He then served as the offensive coordinator at Miami Norland when Dwyane Bowe and the Vikings won a state title in 2002. He was then a grad assistant at LSU under Nick Saban for two years before moving onto the Dolphins with him for two more years. At FIU, the Golden Panthers finished just 1-11, but were coming off an 0-12 season and were in the process of rebuilding when Coley left for the Seminoles.

NCAA admits wrongdoing in investigation into UM; with audio of Emmert press conference

The NCAA dropped a bombshell Wednesday afternoon, admitting it improperly obtained information through Nevin Shapiro's lawyer for the purposes of its investigation into alleged violations by the University of Miami's football and men's basketball programs.

NCAA President Mark Emmert told reporters in a national teleconference that college sports governing body has hired outside council to investigate its findings and will not move forward with a Notice of Allegations toward UM or any parties involved until it is completed.

Using phrases such as "grossly in appropriate" and "shocking," Emmert said the NCAA must sift through the information improperly obtained and throw it out. He said he hopes that process doesn't take any longer than a week to two weeks.

"We can’t have the NCAA bringing forward allegations collected by processes no one can stand for," Emmert said. "We have to go through all of the evidence to determine what has and has not been appropriately collected and influenced by improper conduct. One of the questions that has to be answered is 'What was the nature of that contractual arrangement [with Nevin Shapiro's lawyer Maria Elena Perez]? What was all the activity that she was involved with? How did this individual engage in these activities on our behalf?"

Because the NCAA does not have subpoena power, Emmert said NCAA investigators improperly used Shapiro's lawyer to depose individuals and question them in Shapiro's bankruptcy case. Emmert said the NCAA didn't learn until recently it had been going about its investigation this way -- despite multiple reports in many publications including The Miami Herald.

How did the NCAA learn investigators had been acting inappropriately? Receipts turned in by investigators for legal work by Perez, Emmert said.

Asked if this could be a mistrial and help Miami, Emmert responded: "It's premature to answer that question... This is a shocking affair."

AUDIO: NCAA PRESIDENT MARK EMMERT TELECONFERENCE

UM President Donna Shalala released the following statement moments ago in reaction to the NCAA's findings. 

“Since the University first alerted the NCAA to the possibility of violations more than two years ago, we have been cooperative and compliant with the NCAA and, I believe, a model for how institutions should partner with NCAA staff during investigations. In addition to encouraging current and former staff members and student-athletes to cooperate with investigators, we have provided thousands of documents to the enforcement staff.

"I am frustrated, disappointed and concerned by President Emmert’s announcement today that the integrity of the investigation may have been compromised by the NCAA staff.

"As we have done since the beginning, we will continue to work with the NCAA and now with their outside investigator hoping for a swift resolution of the investigation and our case.

"I want to thank our community for their continued support and patience. Stand with the U.”

Mike James gets a late invite to Saturday's Senior Bowl

Didn't get a chance to pass this along earlier because I was working the phones, but Canes running back Mike James has been invited as a late addition for Saturday's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

James, replacing injured Clemson running back Andre Ellington on the South roster, will be the 63rd Miami Hurricane to play in the Senior Bowl and the first Canes running back since Cleveland Gary in 1989.

It will be James' second postseason college bowl invite; the Haines City, Fla., native rushed for 21 yards in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl held on Jan. 19 in Carson, Calif.

James started all 12 games at running back for the Hurricanes in 2012, finishing as the team’s second-leading rusher with 642 yards and six touchdowns. He piled up 1,386 rushing yards and 17 TDs, while catching 67 passes for 585 yards and five touchdowns in his career. He was one of 11 FBS players named to the 2012 AFCA Allstate Good Works Team in September.

Kickoff Saturday is set for 4 p.m. The game will be televised on the NFL Network.

COUPLE ITEMS

> Be sure to follow our Michelle Kaufman for all updates on tonight's big Canes-Duke basketball game. Canesport.com reported earlier today that several big time recruits will be attending the game, set for a 7 p.m. tipoff. Among those expected in the crowd: Booker T. Washington linebacker Matthew Thomas, South Plantation running back Alex Collins, Oakland Park Northeast receiver Stacy Coley, Northwestern safety Artie Burns, Southridge safety Jamal Carter and Ely cornerback Rashard Robinson. Yes, there will also be tributes and moments of silence during the game for legendary baseball coach Ron Fraser. 

> Miramar linebacker Jermaine Grace, who was originally set to make his college announcement on Tuesday, will now make it sometime next week according to his coach Damon Cogdell. Louisville, whom Grace visited last weekend, is taking advantage of the extra time with an in-home visit this week. Cogdell said the delay is due to the fact he's working with producers to get Grace's announcement made on television.

Is FSU offensive coordinator James Coley a candidate for Jedd Fisch's old job at UM?

The rumors are spreading: Florida State offensive coordinator James Coley could be Miami's next offensive coordinator. 

Settle down Canes fans. This Coley story is just rumor-driven for now.

Nothing we've heard out of UM today or even FSU suggests Coley is in the running. We're not even sure he's been interviewed or spoken to UM coach Al Golden yet. But be patient. It's not out of the realm of possibility he could be. 

A source close to Coley told me this morning the 39-year old Miami High graduate and former offensive coordinator under Mario Cristobal at FIU in 2007 is definitely interested in getting into a position where he could call plays and make a name for himself. Right now at Florida State, head coach Jimbo Fisher calls play. Coley prepares the game plan all week and then on game days assists Fisher from the press box. 

Although Coley is a Florida State grad, a return home to South Florida for obvious reasons would be appealing. 

"I grew up on Northwest 4th Street and 18th Avenue, about two blocks from the Orange Bowl," Coley told our Susan Miller Degnan in the days leading up to this year's Orange Bowl. "The Orange Bowl was ‑‑ as kids in that community, that was our playground. Hide and seek and running onto the field and throwing the football, getting chased by the security guards, getting out of there, and parking cars. You might have parked at my house if you went to one of the games."

Coley has always had strong recruiting ties to South Florida throughout his career.

At Miami High from 1998-2000 he coached Roscoe Parrish and Andre Johnson. He then served as the offensive coordinator at Miami Norland when Dwyane Bowe and the Vikings won a state title in 2002. He was then a grad assistant at LSU under Nick Saban for two years before moving onto the Dolphins with him for two more years. At FIU, in Cristobal's first season as coach in 2007, the Golden Panthers finished just 1-11. It was Coley's only season as offensive coordinator (FIU was coming off an 0-12 season and terrible). Coley then moved onto FSU where he's worked as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator and now the offensive coordinator.

By taking Coley away from FSU it would also further help Miami's recruiting efforts and hurt the Seminoles, who lost a number of assistants. Is that a reason to hire an offensive coordinator away? No. But it's another reason to give Coley consideration.

Stay tuned to see if this develops into something legit. 

NCAA Bylaw Blog writer John Infante talks positives, negatives for UM with latest developments

With reports surfacing that former basketball coach Frank Haith and football recruiting coordinators Clint Hurtt and Aubrey Hill are expected to be charged with unethical conduct in the NCAA's investigation into wrongdoing done at the University of Miami, I sought the expertise of NCAA Bylaw Blog writer John Infante Tuesday morning to digest what we are hearing and how it might affect the program.

Infante, a former compliance officer at NCAA Division I schools, has been running the Bylaw Blog for over two years and his expertise has been featured on ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and numerous other media outlets. Keep in mind he isn't privy to the information the NCAA has on Miami. He simply is giving his opinion based on what he's read from published reports.

Here is the transcript of my 15 minute one-on-one Q&A with him:

Q: There were reports Monday that about four former basketball coaches and at least two former assistant football coaches will be cited for violating bylaw 10.1 "unethical conduct" in the NCAA's investigation. How does that affect Miami positively or negatively?

"Well, it sounds like nearly all the assistants are being charged with unethical conduct and it also sounds like Frank Haith is going to be charged with failing to create an atmosphere of compliance, which generally only head coaches are charged with. It can be helpful [for Miami]. The biggest thing is when you have that many coaches [charged with unethical conduct] and go in front of the Committee on Infractions there's going to be a lot of people in the room to spread blame around. When you talk about the presentations and the answers given in front of the COI, I think generally the feeling is amongst a lot of people who have gone through that process is that coaches tend not to perform as well as the institution does. In the end for Miami, it all kind of depends what kind of charges the school is facing. We kind of expect in addition to the specific violations the NCAA feels it has evidence of it's pretty much a guarantee there is going to be a failure to monitor charge. I would also be surprised if there is not a lack of institutional control charge as well. If Miami's cooperation is considered better and the coaches don't perform well in the hearing that could lead to the COI sort of finding that in spite of institutional failings by Miami this was more the coaches fault and bring the penalties down on the coaches more than on the institution -- especially considering the two post-season bans the [football program] has already imposed."

Q: How much does Miami taking a two-year ban help its case with football?

"You're probably looking at no more than [two years]. Three years of post-season ban is pretty rare -- given the USC case, which is some of the harshest sanctions. Being already two years, I'm not sure you add a third one to a school that has self-imposed two. In terms of scholarships or recruiting restrictions, I don't know if it will have as big of an impact there. I kind of feel like they took care of that post-season penalty. The COI will impose other penalties they see fit and not go into any further post-season bans. If they did that's something Miami would probably appeal."

Q: We've heard UM has done a good job cooperating with the NCAA. How much does that help?

"I forget where I saw it reported but I have seen more than just cooperation, but exceptional cooperation. One of the things fans see is that schools get rewarded for cooperating, but there is a level of cooperation you have to do to meet your obligation and then there's a level you get extra credit for. [Cooperation is] making sure you get to interview everybody you want. Going and suggesting you should interview this guy as well because he may have information too -- that's when you see something like exceptional cooperation. It could be that [the NCAA is] giving [Miami] a little bit of praise publicly just because it wants to. But it could also mean [Miami is] reaching a certain level of cooperation that has significance in the NCAA investigation where they might get a break on a penalty as a result."

Q: Would exceptional cooperation be telling former athletes that if they didn't cooperate they wouldn't be allowed back on the sidelines? We've heard that and our Barry Jackson reported that last week.

"If they were able to get people who normally wouldn't have replied to the NCAA or allowed themselves to be interviewed by the NCAA and Miami helped make that happen -- especially athletes UM has no jurisdiction over -- that's going above and beyond what the NCAA asks on the case. That may lead to a lessening of penalties. But there is already a high bar for cooperation. You have to go above and beyond that to get any sort of relief from penalties in front of the COI. Having the coaches there especially if Miami is going along with it and agreeing to the findings of the NOA and the coaches aren't the ones fighting, in the end you are dealing with people who are making a judgement call. Being the one that's not fighting and the ones who want to raise a fuss about stuff makes the school look better in comparison."

Q: Former coach Randy Shannon has not linked to any of this. In fact, we've heard stories and its been reported he was telling his players and coaches to stay away from Nevin Shapiro. Does that help Miami's football program in this case considering it appears Haith was involved with Shapiro.

"It certainly does. We've seen Shannon not being named in any of the violations and him not facing any unethical conduct or failing to promote an atmosphere of compliance charges. Because he is the head coach, he is supposed to be the one as the direct link to the administration and what they do in terms of monitoring and applying compliance. If he did that well, that helps show there was a chain of command of monitoring and promoting institutional control and thus the blame falls on the assistant coaches. If that's the case then, we may see kind of a smaller failure to monitor or lack of institutional control that could end up more centered on the basketball violations where it looks like the head coach was involved in some manner. While charges like failure to monitor are institution violations it can get to be more specific than that. It can focus on what sport led to that charge."

Q: Will UM's history play a factor? The school was still under probation for baseball violations through the 2005-2006 academic year.

"It will. It certainly will be brought up by the COI. But I think it's more important if [Miami] is considered a repeat violator in this case. I believe a lot of that depends on how far back the NCAA is able to prove the violations. I believe they had a case [in baseball] in the mid 2000s. If they did in that case -- as Yahoo! reported -- they would definitely be under a repeat violator status. The thing is we haven't seen with that repeat violator status -- outside of the USC case -- that there have been significantly harsher penalties as a result. UCF is one example. UCF was under repeat violator status -- kind of a similar violation as Miami in terms of a booster or third party who is providing benefits on a smaller scale. But again we sort of saw them impose sort of a standard penalty the COI has been imposing, losing scholarships, a one-year post-season ban, recruiting restrictions, going after the individuals and sort of move on. I think the Miami case is probably a little too big for that. But again, I do kind of think in some ways the COI is going through the motions until the new enforcement program starts up in August. There is a little bit of a sense of the current process having a lame duck quality to it. That play in Miami's favor as well."

Q: How is the NCAA's new process different and how does the fact Miami doesn't fall under the new rules help?

"The new rules are going to be harsher, it's going to be a different kind of process and involve different people. We just saw there are eight new people appointed. So, I think because of this reset almost, the NCAA sees there are flaws in this process and as of Aug. 1, 2013 were going to fix it. While the current cases are taken seriously, the fact the same penalties have been applied in the last two or three cases sort of suggests they're not going with the same fire and brimstone as they did with USC. That helps Miami."

PODCAST: Recruiting talk with InsideTheU's David Lake

Herald Sports Writer Manny Navarro talks recruiting with InsideTheU's David Lake after the Hurricanes' big weekend.

Among the players discussed: South Plantation RB Alex Collins, Port St. Lucie Centennial DL Jay-nard Bostwick, Ely CB Rashard Robinson, Booker T. Washington OL Denver Kirkland and LB Matthew Thomas and new commitment Butler (Kan.) JUCO DL Ufomba Kamalu.

PODCAST LINK

NCAA investigation, Canes' recruiting chatter

Long day Monday and I fully expect the rest of the week to be busy now that the NCAA appears ready to hand the University of Miami and others its notice of allegations any day now. 

> Ultimately what I've come to understand through two sources is that the NCAA reached out verbally to the lawyers of the parties involved in the investigation last week (that includes schools where former assistants are now at) to let them know what they will be receiving in the coming week and to be prepared for it. All parties are expected to receive their notice of allegations via email sometime soon (UM should be in the same boat because this is how the process works). All parties then have 90 days to respond in writing to the NCAA before appearing at a hearing in front of the NCAA Infractions Committee in four to six months. So, as has been reported many times, we are far off from the punishment phase. You can look at it as the first half of this 22-month investigation being over.

> A source close to former UM recruiting coordinator and receivers coach Aubrey Hill told me Monday what what CBSSports.com first reported -- that Hill is expected to be cited for "unethical conduct," better known as a violation of Bylaw 10.1. Hill resigned at the University of Florida prior to the 2012 season and had far less interaction with Nevin Shapiro according to my source than Clint Hurtt. But both will reportedly face the music for not being as forthcoming as they should have been when being interviewed by the NCAA.

> A source told me two former UM assistants who are not expected to be hit hard by the NCAA are Alabama's Jeff Stoutland and Joe Pannunzio because they were honest and up front with investigators. Pannunzio is now the director of operations at Alabama; Stoutland the offensive line coach. What they could and most likely will face as punishment for driving recruits to see Shapiro are suspensions and fines, but not the dreaded 10.1. FYI, information on all coaches at non-private schools is public record. So eventually what all former assistants are facing will come out. UM, being a private school, does not have to share its NOA. 

> Don't be surprised in the end if certain individuals who played big roles in the NCAA's investigation are not named in the report and do not face any charges. As we've mentioned in the past, some who cooperated with investigators are granted immunity. In some cases, as I was told by a source interviewed by the NCAA, people who broke rules may only end up being referenced in the report and not face charges. 

> In the meantime, as the NCAA investigation continues to unfold, UM coach Al Golden and his staff are busy recruiting and preparing for National Signing Day. After it's big recruiting weekend UM picked up just one commitment -- from Nigerian-born JUCO defensive tackle Ufomba Kamalu. But another commitment could soon be on the way this week in Miramar outside linebacker Jermaine Grace.

The Rivals.com 4-star recruit visited Louisville this past weekend and was supposed to announce his college choice Tuesday morning, but Miramar coach Damon Cogdell told me yesterday Grace will now wait until Thursday or Friday. Cogdell said he was "working with TV" to have the announcement broadcast. Grace, who has long thought to be a Hurricanes lean, will choose between UM, Louisville and Tennessee.

"He likes them all," Cogdell told me on Monday of Grace's final three. "Louisville is coming off the win against Florida and talking national championship. UM is young, but loaded. Tennessee has a new coach. We're going to sit down tomorrow and figure it out."

I'm fairly confident Grace will elect to stay home. He is close friends with Hurricanes cornerback Tracy Howard, his former Miramar teammate and Miramar's coaches believe he can come in and help UM's defense right away.

> Although the mother of Port St. Lucie Centennial defensive lineman Jaynard Bostwick told Canesport.com Sunday her son's "heart is at The U" and that she thinks he'll end up there, his coach sounded a little less confident Monday it was a complete slam dunk.

"He has a trip to Florida this weekend or next weekend and then he'll make his decision," Centennial coach Ron Parker said. "I think he wants to wait until National Signing Day. I told him if you want to let the coach of the school know ahead of time, that's fine too. But he'll make the announcement on Signing Day. It's between Miami, Alabama and Florida."

Bostwick, 6-3, 305-pounds according to Parker, is the cousin of UM linebacker Thurston Armbrister and has a sister that lives in Broward County. Parker said UM coach Al Golden already did an in-home visit with Bostwick last week. He finished his senior season as a third team all-state selection, registering 60 tackles, two sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss while also being a big-time run blocker at tight end.

"He's a moose -- strong, explosive," Parker said. "We had him mostly on the edge. His junior year he had a better year because he had better players around him. This year we had nobody of that caliber. We moved him around inside and out. If he gets a little more flexible he can play on the edge at the next level."

Parker said Bostwick maxed out at 353 pounds on the bench press and squated 535 pounds. "He's just a big kid -- not fat at all," Parker said. "He's only the third kid I've had to play all four years at the varsity level in my 23 years of coaching."

Parker said Bostwick still has some work to do in the classroom. He said Bostwick, rated a 4-star recruit by both Rivals.com, 247Sports and ESPN, has a 2.3 GPA and scored a 20 on his ACT.

"We don't want him to be close; we want him to have everything he needs," Parker said. "I want him to take on online class to replace some D's he made his freshman and sophomore year. By doing that he'll bring his GPA up."

> Rivals.com recruiting analyst Robert Cassidy said of the three JUCO recruits UM has in its class tight end Beau Sandland is clearly the best and the most ready to contribute right away. Sandland was rated the No. 1 JUCO tight end by 247Sports.com after catching 24 passes for 267 yards and 3 TDs at Los Angeles Pierce College this past season.

"There's going to be some work with [outside linebacker] Devante Bond and Kamalu, but Sandland is more of a slam dunk," Cassidy said. "He's a major Division 1 football player right now. All the tools are there. Good hands. He shines with blocking too, not afraid of laying a guy on his back. He's one of my favorite JUCO players in the country."

Cassidy said he's a bit surprised Sandland ended up at Miami, even though Sandland liked UM's tradition at tight end and sees himself as sort of Jeremy Shockey-type.

"Every school in the country was recruiting him. He had a bunch of offers. But he basically had to ruled out the entire SEC because they don't take online math he took as credit," Cassidy explained. "He really liked Florida. He was all geeked to visit Florida. But it ended up coming down to Miami, Arizona State and Nebraska and he felt like he could make the bigger impact at Miami."

> As far as UM's vacant offensive coordinator position goes, I haven't heard anything serious yet. Some have wondered if Mario Cristobal would do it. That's not happening. Cristobal isn't a play-caller. He's a great recruiter and very good offensive line coach.

Funeral Arrangements Set for Ron Fraser, the "Wizard of College Baseball."

Hello Canes fans,

    Here is the release we just received from University of Miami re: Ron Fraser's funeral arrangements. May he rest in peace.

Funeral Arrangements Set for Ron Fraser

 

“Wizard of College Baseball” died Sunday at age 79

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Funeral arrangements for Ron Fraser, nicknamed the “Wizard of College Baseball”, who guided the Miami Hurricanes baseball program for 30 seasons, have been set by the Fraser family.

 Visitation will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 27 at Stanfill Funeral Homes in Miami (10545 S. Dixie Highway). A funeral mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Mon., Jan. 28 at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in Southwest Ranches (5601 S. Flamingo Road).

 The burial will be private for the Fraser Family in Ron’s hometown of Nutley, N.J.

 “A Celebration of the Life of Ron Fraser” will be held Sat., Feb. 23 on the University of Miami campus. Details will be announced at a later date. The Fraser Family be in attendance and will receive friends following the program. Afterwards, the celebration will move to Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field for Miami’s baseball game against Milwaukee. The game has been designated as the “Remembering Ron Fraser” game, with game proceeds donated to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund.

 Fraser, who led the Hurricanes to the 1982 and 1985 College World Series titles, coached Miami from 1963-92, amassing a 1,271-438-9 record and ended his career as the third-winningest coach in NCAA history. He was the NCAA Coach of the Year four times while at the helm at ‘The U’. He was named World Amateur Coach of the Year for leading the U.S. to its only World Amateur Championship in 1973.

 Fraser led Miami to 20 consecutive NCAA Regional berths and 12 College World Series appearances. More than 100 of his former players went on to play professionally in Major League Baseball.  In 1990, he was named “Coach of the Decade” for the 1980s by Collegiate Baseball. Fraser also enjoyed international success in leading the U.S. National Team to a Silver Medal at the 1971 and 1987 Pan American Games. He also served as head coach of the first U.S. Olympic baseball team in 1992. He led the Netherlands to three European Baseball Championships in 1960, 1962 and 1973. He is a member of 10 different halls of fame, including both the University of Miami and Florida State.

 RON FRASER WIZARD FUND

In lieu of flowers, the Fraser Family has requested that contributions be made to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund. 

Established by the University of Miami in recognition of his lifetime of accomplishments and a distinguished legacy of helping others, the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund will honor the Hall of Fame coach with a bronze statue to be placed at Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, and help maintain the Hurricane Baseball program as the nation’s finest.

Friends and fans of the man nicknamed “The Wizard of College Baseball” can make contributions to the Ron Fraser Wizard Fund by clicking here. All gifts are tax-deductible. For more information or to make a donation by check, contact Rick Remmert, UM's Director of Alumni Programs, at 305-284-9517, or by e-mail at r.remmert@miami.edu.

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

 

8:13 a.m. Tuesday: statement by Frank Haith's lawyer reaffirming what he told us last night. Still hasn't gotten notice of allegations

 

   Michael L. Buckner, an attorney on former University of Miami and current Missouri head men’s basketball coach Frank Haith’s legal team, issued the following statement just now in response to CBSSports.com’s January 21, 2013, report:

“Until my client, Frank Haith, receives a notice of allegations from the NCAA, the CBSSports.com report is premature. The NCAA’s investigation in the University of Miami enforcement case is ongoing. Thus, if the NCAA had completed its inquiry, then Coach Haith would have received a notice of allegations. However, as of the morning of January 22, 2013, Coach Haith has not received the notice of allegations. Any speculation or information attributed to anonymous sources cannot be relied on until the NCAA makes a final decision on the evidence and issues the notice to the University of Miami and any other persons at-risk in the case. It is unfortunate that CBSSports.com’s unnamed source believed violating the NCAA confidentiality rules was worthwhile. The report did not advance anyone’s interests (except the source’s) and is making a mockery of what is supposed to be a fair process. Nevertheless, based on the testimony of my client, the media reports of other persons’ statements and the voluminous records we shared with the NCAA, any allegations asserted by Nevin Shapiro against my client cannot be supported.”

 

 

Reports on Haith, two UM assistants begin NCAA whirlwind

New reports emerged on Monday pertaining to the ongoing NCAA investigation and the University of Miami's men's basketball program and football team.

The first report -- courtesy of CBSSports.com's sources -- revolves around former basketball coach Frank Haith potentially facing charges of unethical conduct when he receives his notice of allegations soon. The source also told CBSSports.com that former Haith assistants Jake Morton, Jorge Fernandez and Michael Schwartz will each be charged with unethical conduct.

The other -- according to the Associated Press' sources -- involves two former assistant coaches being told they will be charged with unethical conduct for not cooperating with the investigation when UM receives its notice of allegations.

Haith's attorney has already told The Miami Herald the CBSSports.com story is "premature."

Canes land commitment from Nigerian-born JUCO defensive lineman

A handful of Canes recruiting websites reported that UM landed its 14th commitment on Sunday morning from Nigerian-born Junior College defensive end Ufomba Kamalu.

Listed at 6-6, 280 pounds, Kamalu led Butler Community College (Kan.) with 7.5 sacks and finished the 2012 season with 54 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. He is the third JUCO player the Hurricanes have netted in their 2013 class, joining highly-touted 6-6, 260-pound tight end Beau Sandland (he's already signed and in school) and outside linebacker Devante Bond (6-3, 230).

Robert Cassidy, who covers JUCO football for Rivals.com, saw Kamalu play this season.

"Butler had the best defense in the country JUCO wise," Cassidy said. "They had a lot of good players on that roster. [Kamalu is] a really big kid, very raw because he's only been playing football a few years. He relies a little bit on bull rushes. He just runs kids over. He's one of those kids who is going to need some coaching. If the staff at Miami can mold him into a football player, he has the potential to be a great player. There is definitely some technique that he needs to work on."

Kamalu, rated a 2-star prospect by Rivals.com and a three-star by ESPN, will reportedly cancel planned visits to West Virginia and Auburn now that he's committed to UM. Canesport.com reported Kamalu could play defensive end, tackle or tight end at Miami - coaches will put him at the position where he can get on the field quickest.

This weekend was a big recruiting weekend for the Hurricanes, who hosted prized South Plantation tailback Alex Collins, Miami Booker T. Washington offensive lineman Denver Kirkland and Port St. Lucie defensive tackle Jaynard Bostwick. Several commitments including running back Ray Lewis III, quarterback Kevin Olsen and defensive backs Artie Burns and Jamal Carter also took their official visits to Coral Gables this weekend.

Stay tuned for recruiting updates as they come. Twitter will always have the news first.

Kevin Olsen's father says the four-star quarterback is "absolutely'' not wavering on his commitment to Miami Hurricanes

I just spoke to the father of Miami Hurricanes four-star quarterback recruit Kevin Olsen, who is in Coral Gables this weekend with his parents for his official recruiting trip.

Chris Olsen, who just retired as the Wayne Hills (N.J.) High School football coach after a storied 26-season career, said Kevin will "absolutely" still attend the University of Miami, despite today's announcement that offensive coordinator Jedd Fish has left to become the Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive coordinator.

"Al Golden is the main guy,'' Chris said of UM's head coach. "We certainly had a good relationship with Jedd and really liked him. And we certainly anticipate the next guy being very similar -- whoever it may be.

  "We weren't expecting this, but it's a great opportunity for Jedd and everybody has to do what's best for them. Jedd had a great opportunity and he was the perfect person for the job. To be a coordinator in the NFL, those opportunities don't come around very often. There's never a good time, but if that's something to which you aspire, if it comes around you've got to take it.''

  Chris Olsen, who is in South Florida with his wife, Sue, said Kevin had "a great day today and a great day Friday'' during his visit, and that he was taking a nap.

  Concluded Olsen: "I think things will fall in place. I'm sure Al Golden has a plan.''

  SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Al Golden and Jedd Fisch statements regarding Jedd leaving the Miami Hurricanes

Jedd Fisch statement:

“I want to thank President [Donna] Shalala, Athletic Director Blake James, Coach [Al] Golden, the coaching staff and all of the incredible student-athletes that I have come in contact with since joining the program [in] January 2011.  There are 32 NFL Offensive Coordinator jobs and the opportunity to become the Jacksonville Jaguars Offensive Coordinator this year was based on all of the successes our program has had in the past two years.  I am so excited to watch the Miami Hurricane and Jacksonville Jaguar football teams compete for and win championships this year and the years to come.  There is no doubt that this program is one of the premiere in the country and I am grateful that I can always say I am part of the Hurricane Family.”

 

Al Golden statement:

"It's been a great week for the University of Miami and the NFL as evidenced by the hires of Marc Trestman (Chicago Bears) and Rob Chudzinski (Cleveland Browns) as head coaches, having the most former players participating in the conference championship games Sunday and now the hiring of Jedd Fisch as the offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars.  We are happy for Jedd and his family.  Jedd has done a great job for us here at the University of Miami and we are proud of the contributions he made to our program over the past two seasons.  We wish him and amber and the Jacksonville Jaguars the best of luck for years to come."

 

Unfortunate news for the Miami Hurricanes: OC Jedd Fisch leaves UM for same position at Jacksonville Jaguars

We all knew this would happen eventually.

I, for one, was hoping it wouldn't happen this season, but, naturally, not convinced that it wouldn't.

Hurricanes offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch, all-around good person, smart person, great communicator and teacher -- not to mention well-loved by his present and former players -- has left the University of Miami to become an offensive coordinator with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Great hire by the Jaguars. Big loss for the Hurricanes.

The breaking news, first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter, came on the same day Miami quarterback of the future Kevin Olsen is visiting the Coral Gables campus with his parents. Kevin really likes Jedd Fisch, as well as Coach Al Golden, and repeatedly has said the coaches are a big reason he's strongly committed to the Canes.

Fisch did wonders with Stephen Morris, and former quarterback Jacory Harris for that matter. But we all had a strong feeling he wanted to return one day to the NFL. 

So now, in between hosting recruits today and dealing with the NCAA issues, Golden has to find an offensive coordinator that will make everyone feel willing to keep their commitment.

Hurricanes fans must feel like punching bags by now.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Former Canes CB Finnie, headed to court Thursday, expected to end up in pretrial diversion program

The lawyer for former Hurricanes cornerback Thomas Finnie expects him to end up in a pretrial diversion program after he makes a court appearance Thursday morning court appearance to face grand theft charges.

Attorney Ken Swartz said because Finnie is a first-time offender he should be able to wrap up his run-in with the law rather easily. The former Miami Central standout was arrested and charged with grand theft and burglary Dec. 11 for his role in a laptop theft on UM's campus the week prior. 

UM suspended Finnie indefinitely then dismissed him from the program earlier this month. Should Finnie complete the pretrial diversion (a four-hour class), all charges would be dismissed.

A family friend told The Miami Herald Finnie will likely end up playing at Bethune-Cookman next season.

Finnie started the first six games of the season for UM and finished with 30 tackles and one interception.

Alex Collins wants to see if he can envision himself as a Hurricane on his official visit

Alex Collins has been down to the University of Miami at least a handful of times since the Hurricanes became the first major FBS program to offer him a scholarship last year when he was a junior.

But those unofficial visits down to Coral Gables, Collins explained Wednesday, were usually just trips to have fun. Friday, Collins will head back down to UM with a different mindset -- to see if playing for coach Al Golden and the Hurricanes is something he can really envision himself doing.

"When I went there before I didn't go there with the mindset of 'Can I be here for the next four years of my life? Is this a school I can see myself at? Am I comfortable here?,' " said Collins, rated the No. 1 all-purpose running back in the country by 247Sports.com.

"I always would go down there and was just sort of happy to be there, like 'This is a nice place. I'm happy to see the coaches, players.' I never went there to envision 'Is this my future?' "

Collins (5-11, 200) hopes to figure that out soon. Once committed to the Hurricanes for almost a year until he decided in November to pull back and look at all of his options, Collins said he's still mulling over a top five or six with three weeks to go before National Signing Day.

So why has it taken Collins so long to narrow things down? Well, as his coach Doug Gatewood explained Wednesday, "it's hard for Alex to tell anybody 'No.'"

"I like to make everyone happy," said Collins, who ran for 1,276 yards and 14 touchdowns in 11 games his senior season. "It's always hard to make everyone happy. But to tell coaches no thank you makes you feel like you're missing out on an opportunity.'

"My worst fear is that after I make my decision I say 'Dang I made a mistake.' That's why I've tried to take every visit so I don't have a doubt in my mind."

AUDIO OF COLLINS INTERVIEW WITH MANNY NAVARRO

Collins, who already visited Florida, Wisconsin and Florida State, did say 'No' to somebody on Wednesday: Louisville assistant coach Clint Hurtt, who visited South Plantation in hopes of trying to sway him to take a visit there before Signing Day.

As it stands, the Hurricanes are a bit fortunate to be getting a visit from Collins this weekend. The University of Texas, who began recruiting Collins after he went out to California and played in the Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl in California, was pushing for Collins to take a visit to Austin this weekend instead of Coral Gables. But in the end, Collins decided to stick with his original plan.

Next week, though, Collins will take his last official visit to Arkansas, where former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema and assistant Charlie Partridge are trying hard to sway him.

Collins, who at one point had a top three of Miami, Florida State and Wisconsin, explained Wednesday how coaching changes at FSU and Wisconsin really shook up the big picture for him. At one point after de-committing from Miami, Florida State was Collins' leader. But once FSU running backs coach Eddie Gran left to become the offensive coordinator at Cincinnati last month, that changed everything.

"Now as it sit down and think about it I don't have a leader," Collins aid. "Everybody is level. Everybody has the same opportunity."

As far as the Hurricanes are concerned, Collins said looming NCAA sanctions are no longer a serious negative for him because the program decided to self-impose a second bowl ban and is "starting to punish themselves" so the NCAA's sanctions "shouldn't be as harsh."

Ultimately, Collins said, reaching a decision on where to sign will not be easy. He said he's already tried sitting down and making lists of positive factors and negative factors for each school. "It's hard to go by a list," Collins said.

He's studied rosters; which majors are available at each school (he wants to study either criminal justice, broadcasting or sports medicine) and is listening to his mother (who is pushing UM because she wants him close to home) and his coach (a Hurricanes fan who wants Collins to make the best decision for himself in the end). Collins said ultimately it will probably just come down to where he feels most comfortable.

In terms of personnel at the respective schools and the way these programs utilize running backs, Gatewood said Collins "wants to be at a program that more of a featured back than a back by committee."

"That's what he always liked at Wisconsin," Gatewood said. "Even though they used three running backs, Montee Ball was the running back. Whenever he needed a break, they brought James White in. Whereas Florida and Florida State use the back by committee approach. Arkansas has the same staff as Wisconsin so you assume they'll do the same thing as Wisconsin.

"Miami is hard to tell because depth was an issue. They really couldn't do back by committee because there wasn't enough of a committee. Florida isn't going to change. They're going to be the same as they've always been. Florida State is going to be same. Jimbo [Fisher] is not going to change because Eddie [Gran] left."

The Hurricanes are looking for a bigger back like Collins to compliment ACC Freshman of the Year Duke Johnson, who will have senior Eduardo Clements and redshirt freshman Danny Dillard backing him up in 2013. Collins, who maintains a friendship with Johnson on Facebook and talks to him occasionally, said Wednesday he feels like there is an opportunity to play at Miami and that he can "come in and perform and get playing time as a freshman."

Said Collins of Johnson: "I would hate to go down there and take his spot."

Gatewood, who has maintained long-term friendships with Bielema, Gran and Partridge through recruiting in his time as a coach in South Florida, said anyone who gets the idea he wants Collins to leave South Florida "is off base." He said he would love to see Collins play at Miami, but is staying out of the decision-making process.

"In the end, I'm just hoping to get an answer after these next two visits," Collins said. "It's not going to be easy. I'm going to have say 'No' to a few people on Feb. 6.'"

> Miami Northwestern safety Artie Burns, who received a visit at school Wednesday from LSU coach Les Miles, said he and fellow UM commitments Jamal Carter and Kevin Olsen will take officials visits to Miami this weekend to help solidify this year's signing class. 

"We got a few guys like Alex Collins, Denver Kirkland and others we want to make sure become Hurricanes," Burns said. "Coach Golden has a good thing going. We're turning things around."

PODCAST: The latest on Canes' big recruiting weekend with InsideTheU's David Lake

The Miami Hurricanes have three visit weekends left before National Signing Day, but this next one will be a big one for Al Golden and his coaching staff.

Three four-star South Florida recruits -- South Plantation running back Alex Collins, Booker T. Washington offensive lineman Denver Kirkland and Port St. Lucie Centennial defensive tackle Jay-Nard Bostwick -- will be visiting Coral Gables this weekend. 

The Hurricanes, who currently have one player signed and 12 other commitments as part of its 2013 class, have another five to six spots they could end up filling (thank Thomas Finnie and Gionni Paul for the extra slots) by Feb. 6. Golden told WQAM last week the Canes were willing to wait until the end to land some big-time kids late. We'll see if the gamble pays off. 

I caught up with InsideTheU staff writer David Lake, who covers Canes recruiting about as deeply as anyone, on Tuesday to discuss the latest on the Canes recruiting front and this big weekend.  If you've got about 12-13 minutes tune in.

EYE ON THE U PODCAST

COLLINS UPDATE

As for Collins, considered the nation's No. 1 running back according to 247Sports.com, South Plantation High coach Doug Gatewood told me this afternoon the former UM commitment is really undecided with what he'll do. Miami, Florida State, Wisconsin, Florida and Arkansas are all in the picture.

Texas, Gatewood told me, is trying to make push to get Collins' last official visit next weekend. He's currently scheduled to visit Arkansas.

"I asked Alex today to try and give me some sort of idea of what he's really looking for to separate the school and he really couldn't. He has no idea," Gatewood said.

"As far as he's concerned the education, the campus, weight rooms, facilities, all that stuff is pretty equal in his eyes. You talk about playing time, Miami has Duke Johnson. Florida State has the kid from Central [Devonta Freeman]. Wisconsin has James White coming back. Arkansas has kids. Florida has quite a few coming back. He's been to Miami about five or six times on unofficial visits. Hopefully this weekend helps clear some things up for him."

Former UM Canes WR coach George McDonald leaving Arkansas already?

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is reporting that "recently-hired Arkansas coach George McDonald will leave the Razorbacks for an offensive coordinator position at another school,'' according to the paper's sources.

The paper reported that SportingLIfe Arkansas.com columnist Jim Harris reported McDonald is leaving for Syracuse.

Wild.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2013/jan/15/sources-ua-assistant-mcdonald-leaving/

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

UM Canes football news: new quarterback you likely don't know -- and OT Henderson, DT Porter and G Linder staying for senior seasons.

First of all, great news for the Hurricanes that OT Seantrel Henderson, DT Curtis Porter and G Brandon Linder -- all of whom will be extremely vital for this team next season -- are returning for their senior years. More of that later, after the press conference later this morning.

In other UM news, a new quarterback is expected to be on the Miami Hurricanes football roster soon enough.

And actually, he's a baseball player -- or was a baseball player.

Garrison Lassiter, 23, of High Point, N.C., has enrolled at the University of Miami and is expected to be added to the football team, if he hasn't been already.

Lassiter, listed in various places as 6-1 or 6-2 and 185 pounds, was drafted as an 18-year-old by the New York Yankees in the 27th round of the 2008 MLB Draft. He played five seasons as an infielder (mostly as a shortstop and third baseman) in the minor leagues for the Yankees organization, ending 2012 in the Florida State League.

Lassiter, whose younger brother Landon is a freshman baseball player at UNC, played his final two years of sports at West Forsyth High in Clemmons, N.C., a suburb of Winston-Salem. In those final two years he only played baseball.

He played football his first two years, according to his former baseball coach, at Ledford High in North Carolina. He said he was a quarterback there, although I still haven't found out a whole lot about that part of his career. 

"His baseball career, evidently, didn't work out to his liking so he decided he wanted to go back to school and get his degree, which is commendable,''  West Forsyth High (N.C.) baseball coach, Randy Pope, told The Miami Herald this morning.

Pope said he sent Lassiter's transcripts to Miami.

"He said, 'I'm not really done with competing,' got back into training for football and I guess hooked up with Miami,'' Pope said.

 "I coached Garrison for two years. Great kid, great guy. Works hard and is real focused. Very mature for his age when he was here.''

 Lassiter originally committed to the UNC Tar Heels, which some reports say caused him to drop in the baseball draft. He reportedly signed with the Yankees for $675,000, which at that time was commensurate with one of the top three rounds.

 Garrison's Yankees contract reportedly stated that his college education after his pro baseball career would be paid for by the Yankees. So it sounds like he will be listed as a walk-on. But I'm not sure about that part.

He is not eligible to play college baseball. Bet he's already made friends with David Thompson, a UM quarterback who also will play for the Hurricanes baseball team.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Latest NCAA infractions involving UM similar to what happened in another Canes' case in the late 1970s

Unless you were completely zeroed in on the NFL playoffs or sleeping all day Saturday you know by now the arrival of the Letter of Allegations from the NCAA is imminent. 

A source interviewed in the investigation I spoke to Saturday told me that several former assistant coaches from UM have been told to wait by the phone Monday to hear from the NCAA, who will be sending them their own letter of allegations as it pertains to them. That's the sign the investigation is wrapped up and UM will be notified itself of what's in store. 

Does that mean we will know what penalties UM is facing this week? Absolutely not. That comes later, much later, likely May or June. But at least this long drawn out investigation will be over. UM could ultimately tell us absolutely nothing pertaining to the letter it receives this week because it is a private institution. We suspect, though, some information will be released and the rest will drip-drop out (as usual for UM).

As for the program, this will be the fourth time the football
team comes under NCAA scrutiny for breaking major rules (1954, 1981, 1995) and the sixth time overall the school is cited for major infractions (1964 men's basketball, 2003 baseball). Part of my job here in preparation for all this has been reviewing past cases against The U. Although most of you remember the pell grant scandal of 1995, I was only three years old when UM got hit in Nov. 1981 for major violations involving the team.

I was surprised to see just how similar today's allegations involving jailed booster Nevin Shapiro and former UM assistants are to what the school faced back when Howard Schnellenberger was building Miami into a winner. From 1976 to 1980, boosters and assistant coaches were found to wreak all kinds of havoc in terms of giving improper benefits to players and recruits. In fact, it almost seems like what the Canes were accused of doing back then was worse. You can find every NCAA investigation into major infractions here on the NCAA's Legislative Services Database (just type in the University of Miami to do a search on the Canes and the cases).

Again, I don't bring this up to rub salt on the wound of Canes fans. I've applauded Al Golden and the school with how they've handled this mess, skipping two post-seasons to show the NCAA they take these allegations seriously and want to move forward. But you can always learn something new from history. Here is a short summary of the 1981 case with information provided from the NCAA.

THIRD NCAA CASE OF INFRACTIONS AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

> Ruling date: Nov. 3, 1981

> Sports involved: Football

> Summary of Violations: All violations took place from 1976-80. Improper financial aid and extra benefits (booster gave cash gifts to a player for his good play; down payment for a car); out-of-season practice conducted by the staff (couple times including once involving a recruit); improper recruiting contact (12 cited cases involving staff and impermissible off-campus contact), employment (multiple examples of boosters and assistant coaches hiring a recruit prior to the completion of their senior year of high school to help in the recruiting process), entertainment (boosters, assistant coaches and one former head coach provided recruits and family members with food, drinks, "improper entertainment," tickets to pro games, a party on a yacht), inducements (booster offers to pay airfare for parents, plus provide spending cash; assistant lends his car to a recruit; recruits given free t-shirts, jerseys, equipment; free housing to two recruits on campus for five-to-six weeks), lodging (booster and assistant coach provided some on a few occasions), publicity (contact with media at the time a prospective student-athlete signed a National Letter of Intent with the university), transportation (17-related incidents); tryouts; improper administration of financial aid; certification of compliance.

> Summary of NCAA penalties: Two years probation; no bowl game following the 1981 season (UM finished 9-2 and ranked 8th in the Associated Press poll); reduction of scholarships from 30 to 20 for the 1982-83 season; reprimand an assistant coach for lying in reporting facts relating to a violation. UM did not appeal the findings or penalties. The committee found violations of NCAA legislation related to the principles governing extra benefits to student-athletes, financial aid, practice seasons, various recruiting regulations and certification of compliance with NCAA legislation.

Again, for a complete detailed look at previous UM cases and all cases involving major violations and other programs click on the link above to visit the NCAA website. It's all there. 

Seantrel, Linder, Porter to announce intentions on whether to go pro or stay on Monday

Hurricanes juniors Seantrel Henderson, Brandon Linder and Curtis Porter will announce their intentions on whether they will declare for the 2013 NFL Draft or return to the University of Miami for their senior seasons during a press conference Monday at 11 a.m.

My guess? None of them will be going anywhere but back to the weight room and film room.

None of the players are projected to be first or second day picks in April's draft.

According to NFLDraftScout.com, Henderson (6-8, 340) is listed as the 11th best offensive tackle at his position in the Class of 2014 -- the highest of any junior on UM's roster. But that translates to being a 6th or 7th round pick in April at best if he leaves early.

Linder (6-5, 312) earned All-ACC honorable mention and is the most accomplished of the three. But he ranks 29th at his position in the Class of 2014.

Porter, whose career has been marred by injury, isn't even in the database for NFLDraftScout.com.

College football players who completed high school at least three years prior have until Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, to declare their intention to forgo their remaining collegiate eligibility and enter the draft.

Golden talks Cristobal hire, recruiting, Gionni Paul, NCAA cloud

UM coach Al Golden spoke with WQAM's Joe Rose Friday morning on a number of subjects including how he was one of the first people to call Mario Cristobal the day he was fired from FIU last month.

""My first thought was 'How did he get let go? Look at the Colts. Any coach is a quarterback away from having that type of year," said Golden, who said he was recruiting in New Jersey when he first heard the news. "I thought he deserved an opportunity to continue despite not performing up to his standards."

Golden didn't have a job to offer Cristobal at first, but one became open when former receivers coach George McDonald left for Arkansas about two weeks late. Golden told Rose he interviewed some other candidates, but "ultimately came back to Mario."

"The one thing he brings right off the bat is head coaching experience," Golden said before making the point that offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch will still oversee the offense and make play calls. "Mario is somebody I can count on for some of the ancillary head coaching things and see the big picture a little bit better. His expertise as a tight end coach; o-line coach; a guy that has coached many positions and cultivated talent and recruited talent in this are was too good a package to pass up."

Ultimately, Cristobal should help UM out immensely with recruiting Golden said -- from the northeast during his time at Rutgers to South Florida.

"We're kind of kindred spirits," Golden said. We both took over programs that were absolutely abysmal and kind of turned them around. We have mutual respect from the outside..."

"I didn't know what direction he wanted to go in his career, but when I knew he wanted to be a part of the University of Miami and obviously the love he has for this place and the passion he's going to bring, I just think we improved our football program and our coaching staff yesterday."

> Golden said he's excited about the job UM has done in recruiting thus far alluded to how the program is waiting on a few top local prospects to make a late decision before National Signing Day.

There's a curse and blessing about recruiting in South Florida. The blessing is a lot of the high-end talent is here. The curse is that a lot of guys don't decide until late because they are so highly sought after... You got to be patient and we've done that I believe. I think we've demonstrated to a lot of young men that we're willing to wait for them. We're committed to them and their high school coaches. I think we're going to finish strong here."

> As for linebacker and third-leading tackler Gionni Paul, who mutually parted ways with the program last week, Golden said: "It wasn't going in the right direction. We've decided a change would be best. Right now we're trying to find Gionni a new home and get a fresh start and move forward."

Golden said he doesn't have a lot of rules in place and doesn't want to "micro manage."

"It's always the two percent, three percent that take up the headlines," Golden said. "I walk into a team meeting room Sunday night and there 90 guys there that don't know what the rules are because they do things right. If you got to continue to micro manage those five to eight guys, if you can't trust them, that leads to total control. I don't want to do that to Stephen Morris, Brandon Linder, Allen Hurns, Phillip Dorsett, Anthony Chickillo. I don't want to do that because guys can't follow basic principals."

> Golden said running back Duke Johnson will be joining receiver Phillip Dorsett on UM's track team Monday. Golden said he would eventually like to "see a 4x100 relay team made up of Miami Hurricanes." He alluded to a few recruits in his next class who he thinks will also run track.

Golden said football players who participate in track will continue to lift and participate in drills. "But if they can help our track team out and make us faster or more explosive, I'm all for it," Golden said.

> Golden said he has no idea when the NCAA will finally send its letter of allegations, but feels the program has acted like "a beacon in terms of how you should operate if something occurs. Hopefully we'll be a model of how you self impose and how you make restitution to move a program forward."

"The way I feel is we're having a junior day on Sunday and having some kids coming down. That's going to be the third class I've had to deal with this. People want to talk about probation. We've been on probation. This has been probation, this has been recruiting probation; PR probation. I think we've exhibited class in terms of being open and honest and reaching resolution. We're ready to move on, there's no question about it. We've got great kids on this team. Our graduation rates were tied for first in the ACC."

> Golden said he's done a lot of out of state recruiting in the past and will close in on Florida, specifically South Florida over the final three weeks leading up to National Signing Day.

Cristobal ready to hit the ground running with the Canes

Mario Cristobal was about as shocked as the rest of the college football world was last month when he was fired as the head coach at FIU.

The sting still doesn't look like it has worn off -- even five weeks later. But the 42-year old former Hurricane, who turned FIU from arguably the worst program in the country and built it into a conference champion, made it clear Friday he's ready to move on and happy to be in familiar colors again.

Cristobal, hired on Thursday to become UM's new tight ends coach and the program's new associate head coach, met with the media Friday and expressed his gratitude to coach Al Golden, who was one of the first people to call him on Dec. 5, the day FIU athletic director Pete Garcia dumped him.

"I appreciate the opportunity here, the opportunity provided by coach [Al] Golden, President [Donna] Shalala and the University of Miami," he said. "It's always been an honor to be part of this family. It's a tremendous honor to be back."

"Moments like that aren't the most fun for a family [getting fired]. But the support always was strong [from UM]. What coach Golden has always done around his family is what he's doing right now. He's doing things the right way -- a true care factor which always goes far when you're a teacher. As coaches, that's what you are, a teacher. You're teaching these young men how to be better at everything, not just football. Just knowing what he is about, what he wants for this program, those things aligns pretty well. So when the opportunity was presented, I was thrilled."

Cristobal, who coached with UM defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio at Rutgers in 2001 and 2002, said he didn't get to know Golden until around 2004, 2005. He said their relationship strengthened over time, especially when Cristobal and FIU's coaches were invited to come and watch UM practices over the last couple years.

"He's an intense, relentless worker with a vision," Cristobal said of Golden. "That's the most important thing. A goal without a plan is a wish. You're looking at a man that set a goal, a regimented plan, a very specific, goal-oriented plan. I don't think coach Golden and the staff has got enough credit for putting UM back on track like it is right now. I know the excitement is strong. People can see that this young crop of players is talented and more are on their way and being developed and that's just as important as anything else. It's okay to come in with talent but you have to leave better than you come in. The plan from top to bottom is impressive. It's one that I'm blown away by it. I've learned a lot in a day and a half."

Here is a transcript of what else Cristobal was talking about Friday:

Q: What's it like to be back?
"The last day-and-a-half has been pretty hectic with all the stuff going on. It's an incredible feeling. I think everyone knows how I feel about the University of Miami. I'm excited about getting back here and working and getting to work right away. When I was a player here it's embedded in your mind about being relentless about everything you do. Now joining on a staff in the same way, shape and form is incredible. It's hit the ground running, assisting the staff anyway I can.

Q: Is it awkward going from a head coach to being an assistant?
"Well I was the same person as a GA, less gray hair. I was the same person as an assistant as a head coach. I don't think that changes. You are what you are when you wake up in the morning, when you go to bed at night. I don't think that changes. If it does you were probably raised the wrong way. I'm ready to accept and excel at each and every role I'm assigned to so we can do whatever possible to make sure we flat out win at everything we do -- football, classroom."

Q: When you left here did you envision a scenario where you'd be back here?
"The way it turned out I don't think anyone can ever envision stuff like that. You have to understand how special this place is. I think people in this room do. The focus is on the now. Everything is about the vision coach has set for this program. The way the culture is continually cultivated more and more toward just becoming a champion, a very aggressive mentality in a positive way of making sure good isn't good enough and when great gets here it's not good enough either. It's demanding in the right ways. When you're part of a staff like that it's a tremendous situation."

Q: What does associate head coach mean, your responsibilities?
"A trick question right away [laughter]. To me what it means is I'm part of a great staff. That's how I want to be viewed. That's how I want to approach it. I'm part of the staff. I'm an assistant coach with some duties that go with it."

Q: Do you remember your last practice as a UM assistant in 2006? Randy Shannon said you were deliberating if you should go to FIU or not.
"When you play here, I think I'm speaking the truth, you're kind of trained to be very, very different. You're trained to be something special. There's something special within these walls that's not seen outside of here, not relent for anything. It's persistence to the core. That's a tough decision. In this profession that's the one thing I've learned - it's an unforgiving profession. At certain times some decisions the outside world will never know how painful they are, but when they take place it's done for what someone thinks is the right reason. I've grown tremendously from it, learned a bunch by it. You can't ever learn enough in this profession or life. Those are things that can apply daily in my new position."

Q: With recruiting, how involved are you in that already? Is Brennan Carroll still the recruiting coordinator?
"All of that stuff is going to be settled. The entire staff works on recruiting. There's always a recruiting coordinator title. Not everyone can sit in recruiting meetings, but you'd be amazed the detail and work that goes into it. The short time I've been here, it's been awesome. You look at a group of guys that are detailed in every single facet of what it is to be a recruiter on top of your assistant coach duties. Everyone's involved 24/7. And that's the way it should be. You see the overhaul of the roster. To me with three weeks to go in recruiting it's about attack mode. Wherever I need to go, where I need be sent, need to accomplish in 2014 and 2015, let's go. There is no time to rest. The contact period is on and we're rolling."

Q: How different is the program now vs. when you left it?
"Completely different. The facilities different as well and they're changing. Until you sit there with coach Golden, go step by step with the plan in detail, the expectations he has for himself, assistant coaches; players as well; it's a legitimate program built to win championships, it's not just football. When development on the human side goes hand-in-hand with the human side that's when you build a locker room full of winners. That's certainly what the goal. It's getting done."

Q: What's it like to have to not move anywhere?
"When you're in this profession you may as well live on the moon. The only time you see your kids is when they wake up at 3 a.m. and play wrestlemania on you. It's home, you know. It's a tremendous honor."

Q: How surprised were you that you were fired by FIU?
"It's surprising. Like I said `It is what it is and the focus is on the now.' To me, for those assistant coaches and taking what was considered the worst program in America to a conference title and a bowl game, every year sending guys to the NFL, all the kudos to the assistant coaches and the players. That's really about it in terms of what I have to say about it."

Q: Did coaching and knowing defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio from Rutgers help in the transition?
"He's on the road today, but we worked together over there in a different scenario. That was one of the tougher situations in America. We were under the same professor in coach [Greg] Schiano at the time. All those bits and pieces show up again. He's a great man, great coach, great father. As you walk down the hallway you'll find the same similarities in all the men that are on this staff."

Q: Rob Chudzinski was named the Browns coach. You worked with him. How happy are you for him?
"Very proud of him. He's obviously a great football coach. He got himself a great shot. I know everybody is excited for him. He's been working for a long time. You always have to applaud a guy who probably didn't come in as a the highest ranked player in the class, but somehow, someway he's starting the Orange Bowl against Oklahoma. You know his pathway through here. Not only is it well deserved, he'll do extremely well."



Q: How much have you seen your current tight ends on tape?
"Not enough yet. I watched a bunch of games last night. Everyone reports on Sunday, so that's critical to establish relationships, establish standards as well. They understand what's expected. It's another semester now under the program, the off-season program, which is very demanding."

Q: Are there certain areas of the state you'll recruit?"I don't know yet. I'm still trying to focus on how to long on; get my phone number still."

Q: Is there some overlap in recruiting at FIU to now at UM - it's a different recruiting pool, but you have relationships with coaches and things like that.
"Always. You're looking at - it starts as the same pool, ends up being a different pool. But that's okay, there are relationships formed. We'll work at it hard. We take a tremendous amount of pride in it. One of the gifts I thought I received here was learning how to work, learning how to really work and get after it. When you do that you can't help come across people you form relationships with. Sometimes it's a great get or an assist in getting a guy. All those things are being looked at to the max to help out in any way I can."

Q: You have two sons -- 3 and 1 1/2 years old. How are they?
"I feel like being a father has helped me as a coach. My mantra is treat every player like they are your own son. But until that little coconut head popped out, it just wasn't the same. As a coach, you are a teacher."

ACC announces Hurricanes' opponents in 2013 -- plus UM's nonconference opponents

Here's the release from the ACC everyone:

Basically, know that Pittsburgh is joining Coastal Division for next season, and Syracuse is joining the Atlantic.

Also, Miami will be at Duke, home vs. Ga Tech, at UNC, at Pitt, home vs. UVA, home vs. Virginia Tech, at FSU and home vs. Wake Forest next season. 

Miami's nonconference games, per UM, are FAU, UF, Savannah State and at USF.

The complete 2013 ACC football schedule, including specific dates, will likely be announced in early February.

THE RELEASE

ACC Announces 2013 Conference Football Opponents

Pittsburgh, Syracuse Join Coastal, Atlantic Divisions

Balanced Eight-Game League Schedule Allows for

One Primary and One Rotating Crossover Opponent 

 

Release: http://theacc.co/13FB-opponents-0111

Graphic: http://theacc.co/13FB-opponents-pdf

 

      Greensboro, N.C.—The Atlantic Coast Conference Friday announced the football conference opponents and sites for the 2013 season incorporating new members Pittsburgh and Syracuse into the 14-team league. As the conference did in its previous expansion schedule model in 2006, this year’s schedule of league football opponents is entirely a new scheduling model that is not based off the previous schedule.    

 

      The complete 2013 ACC Football Schedule, including specific dates, is expected to be announced in early February.

 

      Each ACC team will play eight conference games in football (four home and four away), six games within their division (three home, three away) and two games (one home, one away) with crossover opponents from the opposite division. In 2013, all Atlantic Division members will host their primary crossover opponent while Coastal Division members will host a rotating crossover opponent.

 

      Each school’s primary crossover opponent does not change, while its rotating crossover opponent will change each year. With the exception of Pittsburgh and Syracuse, all schools will be playing their rotating crossover opponent for the first time since 2009. Pittsburgh joins the Coastal Division while Syracuse will compete in the Atlantic Division and the two schools will play each other annually as primary crossovers. The other primary crossovers will stay consistent. The primary crossovers are:

 

      Atlantic Division………………  Coastal Division

      Boston College…………………  Virginia Tech

      Clemson………………………..  Georgia Tech

      Florida State……………………  Miami

      Maryland……………………….  Virginia          

      NC State………………………..  North Carolina

      Syracuse………………………..  Pittsburgh

      Wake Forest……………………  Duke

 

      Also, as in 2006, the new model of conference opponents will result in repeat site games in order to balance home and away schedules. This year, taking into account the existing schedule, there will be a total of just six repeat site games, all limited to the 2013 football season.

 

The games with opponents traveling to the same site as in 2012 are: Duke at Wake Forest; Duke at Virginia Tech; Miami at Duke; Georgia Tech at Clemson; Virginia Tech at Boston College; and Virginia Tech at Miami.

 

      Though the conference is releasing just the 2013 ACC opponents at this time, this schedule model may be used as the basis for a full, multi-year schedule in the future.

 

      Below are the 2013 conference football opponents for each ACC school. The games are listed with divisional games first in alphabetical order, followed by primary crossover (pc) and then rotating crossover (rc) games:

 

Atlantic Division

Boston College           Clemson                     Florida State              Maryland                  

at Clemson                  Boston College            at Boston College        Boston College

Florida State                Florida State                at Clemson                  Clemson

at Maryland                 at Maryland                 Maryland                     at Florida State

NC State                      at NC State                  NC State                      at NC State                 

at Syracuse                  at Syracuse                  Syracuse                      Syracuse

Wake Forest                Wake Forest                at Wake Forest            at Wake Forest

Virginia Tech (pc)       Georgia Tech (pc)       Miami  (pc)                  Virginia (pc)

at North Carolina (rc)  at Virginia (rc)             at Pittsburgh (rc)          at Virginia Tech (rc)

 

NC State                     Syracuse                     Wake Forest

at Boston College        Boston College            at Boston College

Clemson                      Clemson                      at Clemson     

at Florida State            at Florida State            Florida State

Maryland                     at Maryland                 Maryland

Syracuse                      at NC State                  NC State

at Wake Forest            Wake Forest                at Syracuse

North Carolina (pc)     Pittsburgh (pc)             Duke (pc)

at Duke (rc)                 at Georgia Tech (rc)    at Miami (rc)

 

Coastal Division

Duke                           Georgia Tech             Miami                         North Carolina

Georgia Tech              at Duke                        at Duke                        Duke  

Miami                          at Miami                      Georgia Tech              at Georgia Tech

at North Carolina         North Carolina            at North Carolina         Miami

Pittsburgh                    Pittsburgh                    at Pittsburgh                at Pittsburgh

at Virginia                   at Virginia                   Virginia                       Virginia                      

at Virginia Tech          Virginia Tech              Virginia Tech              at Virginia Tech

at Wake Forest (pc)     at Clemson (pc)           at Florida State (pc)     at NC State (pc)

NC State (rc)               Syracuse (rc)               Wake Forest (rc)          Boston College (rc)

 

Pittsburgh                  Virginia                      Virginia Tech

at Duke                        Duke                           Duke

at Georgia Tech           Georgia Tech              at Georgia Tech

Miami                          at Miami                      at Miami

North Carolina            at North Carolina         North Carolina

Virginia                       at Pittsburgh                Pittsburgh

at Virginia Tech          Virginia Tech              at Virginia

at Syracuse (pc)           at Maryland (pc)          at Boston College (pc)

Florida State (rc)          Clemson (rc)                Maryland (rc) 

 

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN 

 

Al Golden upholding the legacy: Mario Cristobal hiring is a hit with JJ, former Miami Hurricanes

UM Hurricanes football coach Al Golden always reminds his players to "uphold the legacy.''

Al is doing a pretty good job of it himself.

Bringing in Mario Cristobal as an assistant coach and associate head coach makes him the third former Hurricanes player to serve as one of the main assistants.

The others, of course, are linebackers coach Micheal Barrow and offensive line coach Art Kehoe.

Former UM players are thrilled. I spoke to a couple of them who were coached by Mario when he was a graduate assistant. Both were on the offensive line and started on the 2001 national championship team -- right tackle Joaquin Gonzalez and right guard Martin Bibla.

"I think Mario is a great hire because of his personality and attitude,'' Gonzalez told me. "He’s a winner. I was shocked when FIU let him go. It will be hard to find anybody that is filled with more passion to win. He’s ready to rock ‘n roll… that’s why he’s so good at recruiting.

 "If Mario has to drive 18 straight hours to talk to a recruit, you bet your ass he’ll do it. He won’t wait for the plane. His intensity to work and be a winner is second to none. 

 "When he was a graduate assistant, Mario would be breaking down film from two years prior, and he’d stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning doing it. He really wanted to win. You Have to admire a guy who’s willing to work that hard. If you’re a lazy person, he’s not for you.

"I was never the biggest, the strongest or the fastest,'' concluded Gonzalez, "but I really worked my ass off to get where I got to at UM, in the pros, my whole career, and Mario did it the exact same way.''

Also happy to hear the news: former guard Bibla.

    “That’s outstanding,’’ said Bibla, now a state trooper in Pennsylvania. “He’s a phenomenal guy. I’d go to bat for him no matter what. Art Kehoe was my coach, but if I couldn’t get a hold of Art I had total confidence in Mario. He’s a wealth of knowledge.’’

    Bibla said Cristobal goes out of his way to help players progress.

    “He’ll bend over backwards to help players better themselves,’’ Bibla said. “He puts a different spin on things. It seems like he’s up on coaching techniques and whatever you’re doing that’s relevant to the game.

    “He evolves with the game.

    “If I was 17 again and trying to find a college to play ball at, I’d look at him as a good father figure. And if I was the father, I’d trust him to cultivate my son into not only a good football player but an outstanding person.’’

     Former UM coach Jimmy Johnson, who had Mario for one year, told me he first met Cristobal in his Miami home when he was recruiting his older brother Luis – a guard at UM. “Not only will he help the coaching and enthusiasm,’’ Johnson said of Cristobal, “he’ll be an outstanding recruiter as well.

    “He’ll do a great job. I’m really happy [coach] Al [Golden] got him.’’

  SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN  

 

Mario is back in green and orange with his alma mater, the Miami Hurricanes.

 

   He's baaaack.

   Mario Cristobal is returning to where it all began for him in college.

    Cristobal, who has long been discussed as a potential head coach at UM should Al Golden ever leave, was fired last month as head football coach of FIU, and will be the University of Miami’s new tight ends coach, according to a source close to the situation.

    Cristobal played at UM from 1988 through 1992, and won two national titles there. He coached at UM as a graduate assistant from 1998 through 2000, then as an assistant from 2004 through 2006.

   Brennan Carroll, who has been the tight ends coach at UM, will shift to wide receivers coach.

    Cristobal, who led FIU to its only two bowl games, was dismissed from FIU on Dec. 5 after coaching there for six seasons. He finished 3-9 with the Panthers in 2012 and 27-47 overall.

    Cristobal is replacing former UM wide receivers coach George McDonald, who left UM for the same position at Arkansas.

    Cristobal grew up in Miami and was an offensive lineman for the Hurricanes.  

    He is a good recruiter and knows the area as well as anyone.

    His whole family is here, and this is the place he really wanted to stay. How do you all feel about him coming back to UM?

   SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Cristobal's return to Miami surprising, but a very good thing

Although no one at the University of Miami has announced it as official yet, Mario Cristobal has been hired as the program's new tight ends coach and associate head coach.

For Cristobal, who was fired as FIU coach last month, it's yet another Hurricane homecoming. This will be his fourth stint with the program. He won two national championships as an offensive lineman in 1989 and 1991; was a graduate assistant at Miami from 1998 through 2000; and returned as an assistant coach from 2004 through 2006.

Smart move for the Canes? Absolutely. With pending NCAA sanctions hanging over head and the possibility that coach Al Golden could always bolt if the right job opens up, Miami has hired someone who loves the program beyond belief and will not only step in as coach should Golden leave, but help the Canes battle through the rough times.

Cristobal's addition will instantly be a major help for Miami in recruiting, particularly in South Florida. He's always had strong ties to all of the region's top high school programs, and recruited all parts of talent-rich Florida extensively when he was at FIU.

Are some surprised he took this job? Yes. According to someone close to Cristobal, he was seriously considering taking an assistant NFL job with Greg Schiano and the Tampa Bay Bucs. While the UM job had been discussed for more than a week I've been told, some one close to him believed Cristobal was leaning toward the NFL.

Ultimately, Golden, who always had a good relationship with Cristobal, did enough to convince him to join the staff at Miami. Defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio, who coached with Cristobal at Rutgers (2001-02), also had to have played a role making Cristobal feel comfortable. D'Onofrio has the title of assistant head coach at Miami.

Finnie latest Hurricane to part ways with the football program

There's another scholarship available for use at the University of Miami.

Cornerback Thomas Finnie, suspended indefinitely last month after surrendering to police and admitting he was involved in a laptop theft on campus, is no longer a member of the Hurricanes football, a UM spokesman confirmed Sunday.

Friday, the team mutually parted ways with linebacker Gionni Paul, who was the team's third leading tackler and a starter for seven games.

Finnie, a former standout at Miami Central, is coming off a sophomore season in which he played in 12 games and made 30 tackles, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He started UM’s first six games.

According to Finnie’s arrest affidavit, on Dec. 4 the 21-year-old cornerback entered a nearby dormitory room on campus and took the laptop while “there were two human beings [victim] and roommate in the structure.”

The laptop belonged to former walk-on defensive back Robert Wright, who was with the team in 2011 but not 2012.

Finnie has a hearing set for Jan. 10 in Miami-Dade County court. No word yet on where he might be headed.

Canes land big commitment at U.S. Army All-American game

The Miami Hurricanes picked up a huge commitment Saturday afternoon at the U.S. Army All-American game when defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, a standout at Don Bosco Prep (N.J.), announced he'll be heading to Coral Gables.

Tabbed the fourth-best weakside linebacker in the country by Rivals.com and the 97th-best prospect regardless of position, Muhammad (6-4, 225) had a sack and a forced a fumble he recovered in the first half of Saturday's all-star game in San Antonio. He picked up a second sack in the second half.

Rivals.com's Mike Farrell calls Muhammad that "a tremendous edge rusher" who "can stand up, work in space." Muhammad chose the Hurricanes over Rutgers, Notre Dame and Alabama.

"They showed a lot of support, they were hungry," Muhammad said during the NBC broadcast. "I went to the University of Miami and I visited. They came to see me and they showed a lot of commitment."

UM signed JUCO tight end Beau Sandland (6-6, 260) last month. He's considered the team's top recruit according to 247sports.com. Muhammad, the team's 12th, non-binding oral commitment, is considered the second-best commitment behind quarterback Kevin Olsen.

Olsen played six series and went 5-of-13 for 21 yards and no interceptions in Friday night's sixth annual Under Armour All-American game in St. Petersburg.

Defenses reportedly dominated the nationally televised game as offenses had difficulty earning first downs and quarterbacks were afforded very little time in the pocket. Olsen's two teammates on Team White combined for four interceptions. Receivers dropped a lot of catchable balls.

Gionni Paul, Hurricanes part ways "mutually" spokesman says

The University of Miami said good-bye to linebacker Gionni Paul Friday, a decision that was mutual according to a school spokesman.

The sophomore from Lakeland, Fla., who finished third on the team with 61 tackles and started seven of the 10 games he played in, posted the news earlier in the day on his Facebook page.

"Not playing for UM next year. I thank all of UM fans for their support & wish UM the best," Paul posted.

A two-time ACC Linebacker of the Week, Paul (6-0, 230) was suspended twice throughout the season for unspecified reasons.

Paul was listed as the backup at outside linebacker to Denzel Perryman on the team's final depth chart. UM has nine scholarship linebackers left on its roster.

Another member (or former member) of the UM Hurricanes family snagged by Arkansas's Bielema

Bret Bielema, the new coach at Arkansas, has hired former UM head coach Randy Shannon as his linebackers coach.

Bielema recently hired George McDonald -- UM's wide receivers coach -- as his receivers coach.

We're still waiting on McDonald's replacement, but I suspect Al Golden will make it a good hire.

As for Shannon, he moves to the premier conference in college football following his most recent job as linebackers coach at TCU.

The press release that Arkansas sent out about Shannon being hired is extremely long. It gushes about the former UM head coach and defensive coordinator -- as well as former UM linebacker.

"Randy Shannon is a great coach and a great person,'' said Bielema. "He has been a part of multiple national championship teams, and more importantly, he changed the lives of numerous young men. He has spent nearly his entire coaching career at Miami, and his defenses consistently ranked inside the top 10 nationally. I think a lot of people know Randy got a lot of great things done at Miami and most recently at TCU. He is a disciplinarian who has high standards, and he is skillful at relating to his players. He is a coach players turn to for guidance, and his players have always been prepared and played with intensity and desire.''

Hard to believe another year is upon us. Hope you all close this one out safely.

I think we all can say that this will be the year the Hurricanes meet their NCAA fate. The sooner they get it over with, the better for everyone.

Have a happy and healthy New Year. 

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

His name is Sunny, he's very large, he's from Nigeria and he's a future Hurricane

The Hurricanes are full of players with cool stories.

As of February, it appears we'll add one more to the stockpile.

Nigerian native Sunny Odogwu, 6-8 and listed by various websites as anywhere from 300 to 315 pounds, told recruiting services on Friday that he has committed to coach Al Golden and the University of Miami.

An offensive tackle, Odogwu played last season at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. He arrived in the United States when he was 16, and first played basketball at Huntington Prep in West Virginia.

Odogwu told CaneSport, which first reported his commitment, that he expects to arrive on campus in January to be there in time for spring practice.

"His willingness to want to learn is without comparison, St. Frances Academy (Maryland) football coach Messay Hailemariam told the Clarion-Ledger. "I've never seen anything like it. I've never seen the hunger I've seen in him. When you look at him he absolutely passes the eye test, but his desire to work actually exceeds that.''

If he ends up excelling at tackle, what a coup for the Hurricanes. But he's obviously raw. His story sounds amazing.

After transferring from Huntington Prep to Baltimore St. Frances, he played football for the first time there as a senior.

"I came to Maryland and began playing football because people said I was too aggressive for basketball,'' Odogwu told CaneSport. "I love football. You can hit and nobody will call fouls, so it's awesome.''

According to CaneSport, Odogwu grew up in Africa "sharing a 12x12 room with 10 family members. With one bed pushed up against a wall for his parents, there was no room for him to sleep inside. So he'd take a wooden mat, lay it outside the front door and go to sleep.''

Looking forward to the big guy's arrival, and our first interview.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

Five former Hurricanes who left early for NFL keeping the faith (and Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you!)

Their decisions -- at least most of their decisions -- weren't very popular among University of Miami football fans.

The UM football underclassmen caravan one year ago began with receiver Tommy Streeter, and continued with defensive tackle Marcus Forston, running back Lamar Miller, offensive lineman Brandon Washington and defensive end Olivier Vernon.

UM coach Al Golden was admittedly shocked that so many departed even before waiting to receive their projected draft status from the NFL Draft Advisory Board, which can be requested by any underclassman eligible to leave early.

Some of those players were equally shocked during draft weekend. Washington was drafted 200th overall by the Eagles -- the 30th pick in the sixth round -- and didn't make the team. He's now on the practice squad with the St. Louis Rams.

Forston wasn't drafted, earned his way onto the Patriots roster as an undrafted free agent, then was released after three games and subsequently named to the Pats' practice squad.

Streeter was taken 198th overall by the Ravens and signed a four-year, $2.19-million contract, with a signing bonus of $94,500. He broke his left foot in the final preseason game and was placed on injured reserve for the season.

Olivier Vernon was the 72nd overall pick (third round) by the Dolphins and signed a four-year contract reportedly worth $2.84 million, with a $638,000 signing bonus.

Miller went 97th overall (fourth round) to the Dolphins and signed a four-year contract reportedly worth $2.58 million, with a $486,000 signing bonus.

I talked extensively to four of the five players, and to Tommy Streeter's dad.

All said they're happy they made the decision they did (Streeter's dad would have liked him to return for his senior season, but said Tommy is happy), although I'm figuring Brandon Washington, Marcus Forston and Streeter had their doubts after the draft.  

Washington was quoted last spring as telling ProCanes.com that if he knew he was going to be drafted that low, he would have stayed in school.

He told me that he really likes St. Louis, that sometimes he does get lonesome, but that he's just waiting for his moment. 

Streeter and Marcus Forston earned their college degrees while at UM. The others did not earn their degrees.

When asked if he'd make the same decision again, Washington told me, "Yeah, I would. I have my personal reasons. I think I made the best decision for me. I try not to look back.''

Streeter's dad, Tommy Sr., told me he feels Tommy "could have gotten better at his craft, and that putting together another great season like he had would have looked really good. But I wasn't disappointed because he did what I asked him to do. He went to college and got his degree.''

Marcus Forston told me he has become very close with former Cane defensive tackle Vince Wilfork, now an NFL star with the Patriots. HIs mother, Pearline Simmons, is spending Christmas with him in Foxboro.

"I have built a great relationship with Vince,'' Forston said. "I really feel like he's going to bring my game to the next level. Being around him, his attitude on the field and off the field, and even around his family - he's an all-around great guy.''

Forston and Vernon talked about how tough it was having three different defensive coordinators while they were at UM. Vernon admitted that it was tough having a new coach as well, and getting used to his ways. 

Forston respectfully declined talking about what effect the new coaching staff had on his decision. But he did say he never intended to be at UM for five years. Injuries took their toll on him, and he said he was ready to leave when he did.

Lamar and Vernon are very satisfied, and realize how fortunate they are to have landed in their backyards  in Miami -- where they grew up and have played their entire careers.

Here's the link to the story I wrote for today's paper about the five Canes who left early. http://hrld.us/Y6yBIZ   By the way, they said they all keep in touch with each other.

Everyone have a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and holidays. 

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

UM Canes point guard Shane Larkin named to Bob Cousy Award watch list

 

THIS WAS JUST RELEASED BY UM:

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – University of Miami sophomore point guard Shane Larkin has been named to the 2013 Bob Cousy Award watch list, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Thursday.

Larkin is one of seven ACC point guards on the watch list. The Cousy Award, named for Hall of Famer and former Boston Celtics great Bob Cousy, recognizes the top point guard in men’s college basketball.

More than 80 candidates were nominated for the 2013 Bob Cousy Award. Through eight games, Larkin is averaging 14.8 points and 4.1 assists in 35.4 minutes, while shooting 55 percent from the floor (44-of-80), 51.7 percent from 3-point range (15-of-29) and 83.3 percent from the free throw line (15-of-18).

The watch list of candidates will be narrowed down over the next three months; the final 20 is slated to be announced Jan. 1, while the final 10 will be unveiled Feb. 1. The final five Cousy Award candidates will be announced by March 1.

A premier selection committee has been appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the final five candidates in contention for the nation’s top collegiate point guard award.

  Riding a six-game win streak, the Miami Hurricanes resume play Saturday at the 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic in Honolulu. Miami (7-1) opens against host Hawai`i on ESPNU at 12:30 a.m. ET (Dec. 23)/7:30 p.m. HST (Dec. 22).

McDonald takes WR job at Arkansas

• p>George McDonald, who spent the last two years as UM's receivers coach, accepted the same position at Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema announced Wednesday.

• "George McDonald has a reputation as a top recruiter as well as a great teacher and technician," Bielema said in a statement released by the school. "In his heart, he has always wanted to be a college coach because he believes in recruiting young men and being a part of helping them develop for four years. He will be a positive influence on our wide receivers as they grow and learn under his guidance. His track record of developing NFL-ready receivers and his first-hand experience as a position coach in the league will be attractive to our student-athletes and future Razorback receivers. He knows what it takes to be an NFL receiver and has the ability to teach our players how to be a pro in every aspect so they can maximize their potential in college and set themselves up for a career on the next level."

• McDonald is the first assistant coach to leave UM since Al Golden took over as coach. No word on who Golden is considering as a replacement just yet.

UM announces the signing of junior college tight end Beau Sandland -- he chooses the Canes over Arizona State and Nebraska

Highly recruited Woodland Hills, Calif., Pierce Community College tight end Beau Sandland has signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Miami and will play for the Miami Hurricanes.

UM announced the news Wednesday afternoon.

Sandland is counted toward the 2013 signing class -- the newest class. The rest of the class signs in February.

Sandland is rated by Rivals.com as a four-star player, and is listed as 6-6 and 250 pounds. He chose the Hurricanes over finalists Arizona State and Nebraska. Sandland is ranked the No. 6 overall junior college player and No. 1 tight end prospect by 247Sports.com.

In eight games as a sophomore in 2012, Sandland caught 24 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns, earning first-team All-Pacific Conference honors. As a freshman, he had 20 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns.

Sandland had about 25 offers, including Southeastern Conference schools Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Texas A&M, MIssissippi and LSU. But he eliminated the SEC in early October, saying he needed to take an online math class in order to graduate early in December and arrive at a new school in time to compete in spring practice. The SEC, he said, requires that student-athletes must take their online math (and/or English) classes through the school they will attend.

"There's no way I'm not leaving in December,'' he told ESPN in October. "I feel that it's really crucial to enroll early and go through spring ball. That's been my plan since day one, since I was still in high school talking to the PIerce coaches.''

 His official visit to UM was Dec. 1, and he told reporters he loved it. Wednesday, in a ceremony at his school, he cited the coaching staff, tight end tradition, returning UM quarterback and academics among the reasons he chose the Hurricanes, according to recruiting services.

The Hurricanes have been aching for a tight end who makes a major impact. It's been far too long without one.

 SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

G Bishop Daniels leaves UM

Redshirt freshman guard Bishop Daniels has left the University of Miami men’s basketball program and the University, Coach Jim Larranaga announced Friday afternoon.

Daniels redshirted his freshman year and averaged 5.0 points, 2.0 steals and 1.0 assists in three games this season.

Confirmed: UM Canes DC Mark D'Onofrio has withdrawn his name from consideration for Temple head-coaching job

Mark D'Onofrio is staying.

I just got it confirmed from someone close to the situation. D'Onofrio has pulled his name from consideration for the head-coaching job at Temple.

So, it appears that if reports about D'Onofrio and other finalist Matt Rhule are correct, Rhule would be the favorite to replace departed Temple coach Steve Addazio, who left Temple to take the job at Boston College.

The UM staff, it seems, will be in tact for 2013 -- unless news materializes in the next few weeks or after the NFL season.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

Reports: UM Canes DC D'Onofrio is finalist for Temple head-coaching job

    The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing "several sources,'' is reporting today that Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio is one of two finalists for the Temple head-coaching job.

    The other finalist: New York Giants assistant offensive line coach Matt Rhule, who reportedly interviewed Thursday night with incoming Temple president Neil D. Theobald, according to OwlScoop.

    D'Onofrio was the Temple defensive coordinator from 2006 to 2010, when current UM coach Al Golden was the head coach at Temple. Rhule also was an assistant under Golden.

   The Enquirer said D'Onofrio will meet with Theobald today.

   From OwlScoop: "Rhule's Giants are 8-5 and atop the NFC East standings. In two seasons as offensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009, Temple had 17 wins and a bowl appearance and a program single-season rushing yardage record in 2009. Rhule served as the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach under Addazio before he was hired by Giants head coach Tom Coughlin last March.

    Rhule and D'Onofrio played their college football at Penn State, and both played linebacker for the late Joe Paterno."

   SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Tweeting up a storm: one tweet and its aftermath

Someone told me today that Al Golden is tired of refuting the coaching rumors.

I would be, too.

But refute it he did on Thursday, even if it was privately to University of Miami interim athletic director Blake James. 

The tweet that started the online frenzy: "Al Golden, a favorite of Barry Alvarez, has emerged heavily at Wisconsin. Source says Golden mulling a decision today.’’

Alvarez is the Wisconsin athletic director.

The tweet came from a respected journalist, former New York Times sports writer Pete Thamel, now at Sports Illustrated. Pete has more than 69,000 followers on Twitter, so he has an impressive audience.

About a half-hour later, Thamel posted this tweet: “Just got word that Al Golden is flattered by Alvarez's interest but staying at Miami.’’

Ouch!

I guess the "mulling" didn't take long.

Anyway, UM associate athletic director for communications and marketing Chris Freet said UM interim athletic director Blake James chatted with Golden about it.

“Al isn’t going anywhere,’’ Freet said. “He’s 100 percent committed here.’’

I have to admit, I had a few heart palpitations when I saw the tweet. Didn't want to think about the prospect of a coaching search and what that would mean for the Hurricanes during this precarious period.

Glad it got resolved quickly. Scary how powerful Twitter has become.

Susan Miller Degnan

 

McGee accepts invite to East-West Shrine Game

Hurricanes cornerback Brandon McGee, who concluded his career with 24 consecutive starts and graduated Thursday from UM with a bachelor's degree in sports administration and a minor in entrepreneurship, has accepted an invitation to play in the 88th East-West Shrine Game.

The game will be held Jan. 19, 2013, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

McGee, a former All-Broward First Team selection at Plantation High will be the 44th Miami Hurricane to play in the East-West Shrine Game and first UM defensive back since Al Blades in 2001. As a senior in 2012, he started all 12 games at defensive back and finished tied for sixth on the team with 54 tackles. He snagged a team-high-tying two interceptions and also notched four tackles-for-loss.

McGee is currently rated the 33rd best cornerback available in the 2013 NFL Draft. He is projected to be a seventh round pick/free agent signee according to NFLDraftScout.com.

Canes CB Thomas Finnie released from jail; hearing set for Jan. 10

Suspended Hurricanes cornerback Thomas Finnie was released from jail Wednesday and is scheduled to go to court for an arraignment hearing at 9 a.m. on Jan 10, Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts records show.

The 21-year old sophomore, charged with a pair of felonies (burglary and third degree grand theft) after admitting to police he stole a laptop computer from a former teammate on campus last week, was released under a pretrial service program court records show. His bond was originally set at $17,500, but he didn't have to pay it per the pretrial service program.

The arrest was Finnie's second as an adult. He was arrested this past July with misdemeanor marijuana possession. He completed a pre-trial diversion program on Nov. 30. 

Finnie's high school coach Telly Lockette said Tuesday night he was disappointed to hear his former cornerback had run into trouble.

"He has a mother and a father he didn't need to do what he did," Lockette said. "I don't know if he was pressed. But I know he has a mom and a dad that love him. He's young, but you have to know right from wrong. Sometimes kids think they are invincible and it catches up with you. I try to tell them all the time one mistake can cost you everything. I hope that isn't the case for him."

Finnie suspended indefinitely after arrest in laptop theft

University of Miami cornerback Thomas Finnie has been suspended indefinitely after being arrested Tuesday morning in connection to a laptop theft on campus last week.

Here is the press release I received from Coral Gables police: "After further investigation by detectives with the University of Miami Police, it was determined that Thomas Finnie, a University of Miami student, was involved in the theft of the laptop computer from a dorm room on campus. Thomas Finnie was arrested today, December 11, 2012, and has been charged with Occupied Burglary and Grand Theft. He has been transported to the Dade County Jail by University of Miami Police personnel."

Finnie is coming off a sophomore season in which he played in 12 games and made 30 tackles, three pass breakups and one fumble recovery. He started UM's first six games.

According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Finnie has two previous arrests. He was charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession on July 20 of this year. He also was arrested with third degree grand theft by Hialeah police back in Nov. 2008.

Here is a statement from UM associate athletic director for communications and marketing Chris Freet: "Following the arrest for his involvement in the theft of a laptop computer, UM sophomore football student-athlete Thomas Finnie has been immediately suspended from all University of Miami athletic activities."

Finnie enrolled at UM in Jan. 2011. He was a three-star prospect according to Rivals.com. He helped lead Miami Central to the Class 6A state title in December 2010.

In an interview in June 2011 with UM's sports information department Finnie said he secretly wished he "could wake up 20 years from now and be in a big mansion." He went on to say, "I really want to be the one to bring my family up to par; I want to be the one who makes it out. I want to make my mother so proud and that's what I really want to do. I never quit, I never want to give up, because I really want to try to get there."

Mark D'Onofrio reportedly interviews at Temple; Duke adds to treasure trove; and Knighton commits

With the football coaching carousel in full swing, one of Miami's own is reportedly checking out the prospect of going for a ride.

The Philadephia Inquirer, OwlScoop.com (Rivals) and CBSSports.com reported (citing unnamed sources) that Miami Hurricanes defensive coordinator Mark D'Onofrio already interviewed for the head-coaching vacancy left by Steve Addazio.

Addazio departed Philadelphia last Tuesday to become head coach of Boston College.

D'Onofrio, UM's defensive coordinator and assistant head coach, was the Temple defensive coordinator from 2006-2010, when his close friend Golden (and former Penn State teammate) was head coach. D'Onofrio was supposedly offered the head-coaching job that Golden vacated to come to Miami. But D'Onofrio chose to accompany Golden.

It has been a rough year for D'Onofrio, whose defense ranks among the worst nationally in almost every category: 117th in total defense (of 120 teams ranked in the Football Bowl Subdivision), 113th in rushing defense, 82nd in scoring defense, 101st in pass defense, 112th in sacks, 102nd in tackles for loss.

I looked up UM's defensive stats from 2011, D'Onofrio's first season at Miami, and here's how the Canes ranked: 45th in total defense, 68th in rushing defense, 21st in scoring defense, 28th in pass defense, 56th in sacks, 50th in tackles for loss.

Last year Miami finished 6-6; This season, 7-5.

Former Hurricane/Hurricanes assistant coach Mario Cristobal, recently fired by FIU, also interviewed for the head-coaching job at Temple, Miami Herald FIU beat writer David Neal reported, citing sources.

The Inquirer listed New York Giants offensive line coach Matt Ruhle, Temple defensive coordinator Chuck Heater and Ohio State receivers coach Stan Drayton as others who interviewed.

CBSSports.com and OwlScoop reported that Notre Dame defensive coordinator Bob Diaco was also scheduled to interview for the Temple job, with the Inquirer reporting that Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was set to interview Monday night.

So, how would you feel if D'Onofrio left and the door opened for a new UM defensive coordinator?  Either way, the pressure is big-time for this defense to start going in the right direction. With Stephen Morris and UM's offense poised for a bright future, they need the defense to hold its own.

DUKE OF MIAMI HONORED AGAIN

Running back/return specialist Duke Johnson was named a second-team Freshman All-America by CollegeFootballNews.com. Also named a second-teamer: safety Deon Bush.

Duke Johnson and linebacker Eddie Johnson were named to the CBSSports.com All-Freshman Team.

Johnson, a second-team Walter Camp All-America, is the ACC Rookie of the Year after amassing 2,060 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns and rushing for a UM freshman-record 947 yards.

Bush played in 10 games, starting six. He had 34 tackles, three pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

Eddie Johnson had 59 tackles and a team-leading 7.5 tackles-for-loss in 10 games, with eight starts. He finished second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting.

KNIGHTON COMMITS TO CANES

Canesport.com and InsidetheU.com have reported that 6-5, 265-pound DL/OL Hunter Knighton of the Hun School, in Princeton, committed tonight to play football at Miami.

Knighton, rated as a three-star player, told CaneSport that UM recruited him as an offensive lineman, but that "if things don't work out they said I can definitely play defense.''

He said he is trying to enroll early, so he could participate in spring practice.

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

 

 

Mike James earns MVP honors at team banquet

The Miami Hurricanes held their annual end-of-season banquet Sunday afternoon inside the Treetop Ballroom at Jungle Island.

Running back Mike James was the recipient of the 2012 Jack Harding Team Most Valuable Player Award.

Other winners included:

Hard Hitter Award – Jon Feliciano
Mariutto Family Scholar-Athlete Award – Chris Dunckel
Community Service Man of the Year Award – Mike James
Strength Training Athlete of the Year – Andrew Swasey
Albert Bentley Most Valuable Walk-On Award – Nantambu Fentress and Paul Kelly
Nick Chickillo Most Improved Player Award – Davon Johnson
Walt Kichefski Hurricane Award – Jake Wieclaw
University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame Unsung Hero Award – Maurice Hagens
Training Room Comeback Player of the Year – Ben Jones
Hurricane Media “Good Guy” Award – Dalton Botts
Captain’s Award – Shayon Green, Mike James, Brandon McGee and Stephen Morris
Plumer Award for Leadership, Motivation & Spirit – Brandon McGee
Melching Leadership Award – Mike James
U Respect Award – Jeremy Lewis
Scout Team Player of the Year – Akil Craig and Eduardo Lopez
Newcomer of the Year Award – Deon Bush
Defensive Most Valuable Player – Shayon Green
Offensive Most Valuable Player – Stephen Morris
Special Teams Most Valuable Player – Duke Johnson