Miami football locker room ‘torn up,’ coaches’ contract talk and next big project on tap?
University of Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich said Wednesday the first 100-plus days of his tenure have been “incredibly gratifying” and that the Hurricanes are immersed in the initiatives they have undertaken, including “taking a fairly deep dive” into facilities moving forward.
Radakovich, the former AD at Clemson, was announced in early December as the new UM AD to replace Blake James just a few days after Mario Cristobal was named the head football coach to replace Manny Diaz.
Here are some of the questions Radakovich addressed on a Zoom conference with local media:
The university has announced several extensions for coaches during the last few weeks. Many coaches have not received them, notably Paige Yaroshuk Tews (women’s tennis) and Gino DiMare (baseball). Are you still in the evaluation process or is there anything to read into that?
“There were a number of these extensions that were in process prior to me taking over in January. So some of these, if they would have been done immediately, would have been done maybe four, five six months ago. But they were kind of in limbo.
“Both Paige and Gino are incredible. We’re waiting for the season to end and kind of move forward. I wouldn’t read anything into that. A couple of extensions you saw were remnants so to speak. And we just had to put through all the proper paperwork... Both Paige and Gino are having incredible seasons, so nothing to read into that.”
We have seen a couple photos of the locker rooms getting torn up and redone and have been told the [indoor facility] field is going to get expanded to 100 yards. What are some of the details of immediate changes in facilities and what’s on deck for next project?
“The football locker room is the project du jour. Trying to get that taken care of before the student-athletes come back for fall camp. The rest of the things, that is the deep dive into facilities we’re doing right now to understand how the process will work for expansion of the Soffer Indoor to 100 yards.
“Other important facility pieces we need… the Watsco Center — where it sits as it relates to basketball [and] a few smaller projects as it relates to weight rooms associated with basketball. But really what we hope to have happen is sometime this summer, before we kick it off in the fall, we want to have a facility plan that has been looked at and been given approvals by the university community on campus and by the Board of Trustees. That will allow us to take that and share it with all of you [and] our fan base and begin to start raising money for those facilities. It’s just not ready for prime time yet. It’s still in the evaluation stage in understanding where we need to go and how we need to get there.”
Mario has put together a very large staff in football. Do you foresee that growing in the near future. Is there a limit on the number of people you can have in the football program as assistants other than the NCAA-mandated 10 for on-field assistants. And anyone you know of now that has not been announced and will be joining the staff soon?
“The only limitations the NCAA puts out there in college football is head coach and 10 assistants. …After that it’s really up to the flavor of the institution as to how you want to organize your athletic program and in particular your football program. I think Mario is on the down side there. He just finished spring practice [and is] going through his conversations with players right now. He and I will meet I’m sure next week to kind of pull all of our stuff together – questions that I have and I’m sure he has questions as well.
“But I don’t know that there is going to be a new influx of individuals coming in. The team that he has there now is substantially complete.”
So, is there anybody you happen to know of that is going to be joining the program?
“No, not that I know of.”
What about [former Canes great and current Seattle Seahawks assistant to the general manager] Alonzo Highsmith? He reportedly was expected to join you guys in the weeks ahead. Have there been discussions with Alonzo in recent weeks and if he does join you what would be the job?
“At this point in time it’s really premature to talk through that. … I’ve known Alonzo for a lot of years. In his role as a professional scout he visited a number of the schools where I was working over the years, so we kept in touch. In fact he was one of the first people to call me once I accepted this job. So I’ve known Alonzo for a long time. Mario has as well.
“Alonzo has a wonderful job right now and is living out in Seattle. So, what the future holds, I really can’t prognosticate on that one. Alonzo is a Hurricane through and through, and if somewhere down into the future that could work out, we certainly would look to try to do something like that. But I couldn’t tell you that that, by any stretch of the imagination, is imminent.”
Your thoughts on space you have to work with to expand facilities?
“It’s no secret here that we don’t have acres and acres to work with on our campus… So we have to be a little bit more judicious with our space and how we pull it together — which is why this facility deep-dive and how it’s working may be a little more extended than you would have at other places… That doesn’t mean, by any stretch of the imagination, that we don’t have the necessary space to do the things we need to have happen to create a great environment for our [student-athletes].”
Attendance has been a challenge for the UM basketball programs during the years, even during great seasons. As a newcomer with a new vantage point, is there anything you think can be done to increase attendance for the men’s and women’s programs?
“Dan Boyd and his staff with in-game entertainment have taken a step forward. We need to continue to get out into the community, make sure the ACC schedule we get is a good one because this season we had some incredible crowds and three or four different times the students sold out their allotment [1,800 tickets] and were a factor in the game. Those are front-and-center priorities because those directly will create dollars… Most [college] basketball arenas are in same attendance numbers to what we have at the Watsco Center, so how do we create the opportunities for great premium experiences for those who desire it?”
Looking at the postseasons the men’s and women’s basketball teams had, and conversations you have had with coaches Jim Larranaga and Katie Meier, what are some of the things they need to continue that trajectory?
“We’re looking to expand their training room and strength and conditioning area. That’s something that is really important and on top of our short-term facilities list. Coach Larranaga is looking to replace [associate head coach] Chris Caputo and hopefully that gets done shortly. We’re looking for consistency because the run to Elite Eight was so exciting and captivating not only for the university community but the greater Miami community as well and we want to make sure that doesn’t become just a rare occasion. We want to make sure they have the right resources.”
How has the small capacity at the baseball stadium hurt UM’s chance to host a regional or super regional There are [fewer than 4,000] seats and the NCAA [prefers capacities] of 5,000 or 6,000?
“I think there are a lot of places around the country that don’t hit that 5,000 or 6,000-seat capacity. Those are rare for baseball stadiums around the country. Especially when you look at the regionals, teams play their ways into those areas, and baseball has been very, very good at having the opportunity to reward teams that deserve to host.
“We have put our bids in for regionals and super regionals and if the team continues to play well and earns their way into a host position, we will host here in Miami as Miami has done several times in the past.”
Miami being private doesn’t release a lot of figures. We have a ballpark of what Mario is making and his staff is significantly larger than past staffs. It’s an incredible financial commitment. How satisfied are you that there’s a plan for financial sustainability going forward. It’s not a market that sells out all the time.
“Ticket sales are part of it. Contributed funds to the Hurricane Club are another part of it. The university certainly understands the commitments they have made. That’s a part of it as well. There’s a finite number of dollars you can make out of a football stadium, whether it’s on campus or off campus. So, we’re looking to maximize that and we have been moving forward in the number of season tickets we’ve sold and individual game tickets we’ve sold. We feel really good about that.
“At a private school, when you have the tuition and fees at the level we have here, there’s always some amount of university assistance that’s going to help balance the books for the athletic program. Our job is to continue to create the revenue streams, whether it’s ticket sales, licensing, sponsorship opportunities, contributed funds, whether it’s monies from the Atlantic Coast Conference revenue share. All those things kind of pull in together to make sure we’re limiting as much as is possible the dollars that come forward from the institution.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2022 at 1:45 PM.
