It seems like Mario has been left a tough row to hoe with respect to recruiting. The handwriting was on the proverbial wall as Manny lagged in the area of recruiting. It reminded me of almost the complete shut down that spelled the end of Randy Shannon; I believe it was only five commits that Shannon left Golden though Golden did a rather good job o not letting that year become a total bust.
Mario is known as a recruiter, and more and more recruiting become the vital if not most vital part of the game, especially with the advent of the portal. Maybe Storm’s thesis about recruiting has been on target as year in and year out the teams at the top of the recruiting battle are the ones competing for the national championships. Under Mario, the U must develop a recruiting plan that is a computerized marvel, state of the art, the ability to separate wheat from chaff and to detect those with talent running beneath the radar.
I rather like the idea that Mario was an offensive lineman and looks at the game from a position of raw strength, being able to make a 3rd down conversion by exerting greater will than the competition. Nevertheless, the game is now an offensive, not a defensive game. Finding an offensive coordinator is really important as we saw how greatly Lashee changed things at Miami. For my own part, I like Young Briles for the job, but I could settle with Chud. With Dorsey, I just don’t know what is offensive philosophy is all about.
It does, doesn’t it? I think the coaches are already halfway out the door and know it.
Diaz’s 21 class was the best UM class in a good while…Can’t take that away from him.
He was gambling on this year for this year’s class…And he was not winning.
I quite agree that Manny’s 21 class was a good one, and it was high up in the rankings. Many gambled and lost this past year. We all patiently waited but nothing seemed to fall into place for him. Recruiting is so important that it must be treated scientifically. Computers must be filled with data about prospects and contact with prospects must be kept abreast. Coaches need to counsel parents about special advantages of attending the University of Miami. I view recruiting every bit as important as coaching. Science has taken over the game.
At the very end, I felt kind of bad for Manny. I think the young kids played hard for him at the end of the season. The development of Tyler Van Dyke certainly provided a pleasant surprise, but I am still not sold on Van Dyke. It’s nice to have a decent QB room. Garcia has plenty of talent and the young kid from Georgia looks like a kid who could really be coached up. Yes, Manny blew it mainly in the recruiting part of the game. His departure was not particularly graceful, certainly not on the part of the university, but it must be born in mind that these employees, the coaches, are the highest paid school employees, higher than even the university president. Hence, they must be held to a high standard to justify their salary which is a point of contention at nearly every university between academics and sports.
Mario looks like a good fit in Miami. He witnessed and was part of the halcyon era. He has the respect of former players, and seems to have a broad network of friends and fellow coaches in the South Florida area. He seems to have a winning personality, and being from a Cuban immigrant background cannot help but serve him well in Miami. Mario is right that there is only one Miami, Florida, and it is a stupendous place with a unique culture. Otherwise, why would Mario leave Oregon. No campus anywhere has facilities that rival Oregon. Its athletes have tremendous support of wealthy donors. Mario has been successful at Oregon, but something compelled him to return to where his heart is, and clearly that is at the University of Miami.
With the new AD who has a stunning record of success, I’m looking for good things to happen at UM, and for Mario’s dreams of success to be fulfilled.