Podcast: Canes’ AD search has been perfectly Miami, but that doesn’t mean it’s a ‘mess’
Blake James has been out for more than two weeks, the regular season has been over for almost a week and the Miami Hurricanes still haven’t found a new athletic director.
Externally, patience is, understandably, is wearing thin across South Florida with Manny Diaz hanging in limbo and a conclusion to the search not necessarily imminent. Internally, Miami’s top donors and trustees are divided, and it’s making the search look like a “mess,” as multiple unnamed sources so elegantly put it to The Action Network.
Have no fear, though: On a new episode of the Eye on the U podcast, David Wilson drills Susan Miller Degnan and Michelle Kaufman, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writers, on their reporting about the ongoing search, cutting through all the rumors with insights from people of all different factions.
There’s only one problem: There’s not real a clear idea of where this is going to head or when it’s going to end.
There are those who think Diaz is the problem and finding a better coach will save the entire athletic department. There are those who think the priority should be finding a better AD, who can then make the decision about what to do with the coach. Some want to lean on tradition and bring in someone who really knows Miami and some want to try something new.
In the end, president Julio Frenk and, specifically, his top two advisors will be the ones to make the decision. In the meantime, the Hurricanes look disorganized and there certainly isn’t enough urgency to make a hire at this pivotal time in the college football calendar. Recruiting is suffering and college coaches are jumping from school to school for record money.
Still, Miami has a chance to ultimately get this right. The Hurricanes are certainly doing their due diligence — no one will say this one is rushed — and the top-level decision-makers have stayed out of the fray.
As always, please continue to rate, review and subscribe, and stay tuned to the Herald’s coverage of this developing story.
