Canes talking with top high school football coach about job. And UM finalist for transfer
A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Tuesday:
▪ For the third time in a week, a prominent local prep head football coach appears headed toward leaving for potentially greener pastures.
We hear Miami Central coach and former UM player Roland Smith has been in serious discussions with UM about a role in the football program. Several local high school coaches are expecting that Central job to open, with Smith joining UM.
Smith declined to comment about whether he’s taking a job at UM or the nature of the position.
InsideTheU first reported that Smith is expected to join the Canes.
Smith has won six state titles in nine seasons at Central, producing a record of 96-18. He played for UM from 1987 to 1990, winning two national championships.
Smith would need to take an on-field coaching role to avoid NCAA restrictions that limit the ability of coaches to recruit for two years after leaving the prep ranks.
Among other things, Smith wouldn’t be permitted to recruit at Miami Central and elsewhere for two years if he took an off-field role at UM, per one local coach’s interpretation of NCAA rules.
Miami Central linebacker Wesley Bissainthe was among the jewels of the Canes’ 2021 recruiting class, and UM is targeting more Central players, including Class of 2023 strong-side defensive end Rueben Bain, who’s rated by Rivals as the 158th best player in the 2023 class. Bain led the nation in sacks last season with 29.5.
Smith would be the third prominent local high school this offseason to make a move to a higher level. Patrick Surtain last week left his head coaching job at Plantation American Heritage, where he won three state titles, to join the Miami Dolphins as a defensive assistant.
And FAU hired Miami Killian coach Derrick Gibson as its safeties coach.
▪ Mario Cristobal is expected to hire at least one more on-field coach, with special teams the most pressing job to be filled.
DeMarcus Van Dyke, who coached cornerbacks last season, is expected to move to an off-field role.
UM hasn’t yet announced the hiring of new linebackers coach Charlie Strong.
In an expected move, Frank Ponce was announced the other day as quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, and Cristobal said he “has a reputation as an elite offensive coach whose groups rank among the nation’s best. He is a tremendous recruiter and talent developer, and his units have always been defined by their toughness, their balance and their explosiveness.”
New offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said “I’m really excited to get Frank on board here. This is a guy that’s coached quarterbacks and developed quarterbacks all throughout his career.”
Last season, with Ponce serving as offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at Appalachian State, Chase Brice set a single-season program record for passing yards (3,337), and the Mountaineers extended their FBS-leading streak of consecutive years with a 1,000-yard rusher to 10 while averaging 34.5 points per game.
The offense helped the school produce a 10-win regular season and win the Sun Belt’s East Division title.
Ponce previously worked with Cristobal from 2007 to 2012.
“My family is here, I am from Miami and I grew up rooting for the Hurricanes. And now I am here wearing ‘The U’ on my chest,” Ponce said. “And I can’t tell you how excited and happy I am to be here back in the city of Miami, but most importantly, with University of Miami football.”
▪ The Canes are among four finalists for West Virginia cornerback Daryl Porter Jr., who’s in the transfer portal. LSU, FSU and Oregon also remain under consideration.
Rivals rated Porter a three-star prospect and the 79th-best cornerback in the 2020 class coming out of Plantation American Heritage.
Last season, he allowed a 99.2 NFL passer rating in his coverage area, permitting 34 completions in 53 targets for 416 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, per Pro Football Focus. He had 46 tackles and five passes defended.
If Porter joins UM, he would compete with Al Blades Jr., Te’Cory Couch, DJ Ivey, Marcus Clarke and others to start opposite likely starter Tyrique Stevenson.
▪ Cristobal’s UM deal, besides paying him an average of $8 million annually, also has incentive clauses for winning an NCAA championship, an Atlantic Coast Conference championship, different levels of bowl games and if certain academic thresholds are met.
Cristobal’s salary rises incrementally each season during the deal. There was no signing bonus and he wasn’t given any out-of-the-ordinary perks such as a private plane. But UM’s recruiting budget will essentially allow him to do anything he needs to do his job well.
Here’s my Monday piece on the background for UM allocating more money for assistant coaches than ever before.
▪ Unlike with Al Golden — who eventually sued UM only for a judge to rule his claim was without merit — Manny Diaz’s departure from the Canes has gone smoothly. The money he’s due dropped significantly when Penn State hired him as defensive coordinator.
Diaz handled the whole situation with class.
But one prominent former Hurricanes player said a few ex-Canes players were annoyed that Diaz — upon being hired by Penn State — said “the opportunity to lead Linebacker U is an honor.”
The comment seemed benign, but a few players apparently considered that an insult or slight because UM has produced Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan, D.J. Williams, Jon Beason and Jonathan Vilma, among others.
▪ All of Diaz’s assistants who left have found jobs - Garin Justice and Rob Likens joined new SMU coach Rhett Lashlee; Jess Simpson is co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach at Duke; Jonathan Patke is defensive coordinator at the University of Incarnate Word; Eric Hickson is associate head coach and running backs coach at FIU; Travaris Robinson left to become cornerbacks coach at Alabama; and strength and conditioning coach David Feeley left for Duke.
Van Dyke and Stephen Field remain at UM.
Miami Herald sports writer Susan Miller Degnan contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 3:14 PM.
