Official Miami arrival: Canes announce former UM great Tim Harris Jr. as RB coach
Miami coaches depart, Miami coaches arrive.
Two days before the start of spring practice, the University of Miami officially announced on Thursday the hiring of Tim Harris Jr. as the new running backs coach.
Harris, 37, is a former four-time All-American Hurricanes runner who comes to Miami from UCF, where he served as co-offensive coordinator, running backs coach and assistant head coach. He will replace Kevin Smith, who was hired by head football coach Mario Cristobal last year and has returned to coach running backs for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss.
With six assistant coaches leaving the UM program since the end of a disappointing 5-7 2002 season, the comings and goings have been continual. But finally, UM’s vacancies have all been filled.
The Miami Herald reported Thursday, just minutes before UM anounced Harris’ hiring, that Dolphins great Jason Taylor, who had served as a UM defensive analyst, has been hired as a full-time assistant coach.
The Herald confirmed Wednesday that the Hurricanes are hiring former UM wide receiver and assistant coach Kevin Beard — an integral member of the 2001 national title team — as the new wide receivers coach.
Former UM offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who was dismissed by Cristobal, also previously served as the receivers coach.
And this past weekend, the Herald was among several outlets that reported, through sources, that UM defensive ends coach Rod Wright will return to his home of Houston to take a job with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Harris’ roots
Harris’ roots run deep in the city of Miami and at UM. He is the son of Tim Sr., known as Ice Harris, a longtime respected South Florida football coach who won three state titles at Booker T. Washington High, where he returned as head coach last season. Ice Harris spent three seasons as the UM running backs coach from 2014-16 before returning to Booker T. Washington, and also spent four years as UM’s assistant director of football operations from 2008-11, among other coaching stops.
Tim Harris’ younger brother Brandon was a star cornerback at UM from 2008-10 and is now the FAU cornerbacks coach.
Harris Jr. grew up in Miami, came to the Hurricanes as a track star — though he also was the quarterback at Booker T. Washington in the early 2000s — and was a four-time NCAA All-American in the 800 meters and six-time indoor/outdoor ACC champion. He graduated from UM in 2008.
He became the head football coach at Booker T. in 2014, when the 14-0 Tornadoes won their third consecutive state title and Harris was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Football Coach of the Year among several other Coach of the Year awards.
Harris served as offensive coordinator for Booker T. for five seasons before he was named head coach.
After 2014, Harris went to FIU to coach running backs from 2015-2020, and was eventually promoted to FIU offensive coordinator.
Harris’ two-season UCF stint began in 2021. Last season, the Knights finished 9-5 and were ranked ninth nationally in rushing offense (228.4 yards a game), 16th in total offense (469.6), 31st in scoring (32.9 points average) and 11th in first-down offense.
The Hurricanes, with one of the nation’s worst rushing attacks last season (96th of 131 FBS teams with 128.1 rushing yards per game) are in dire need of a running backs makeover. The Canes sustained several injuries. Miami was led by Ole Miss transfer Henry Parrish, who returns this season, with 616 yards and four touchdowns.
This story was originally published March 2, 2023 at 5:38 PM.
