State Of The U

The U Has Failed to Attract Recruits From Miami http://t.co/dkaX1fTYCp via @miaminewtimes

— Florida Made (@RichardMIATL) January 30, 2015

My thoughts on The U are shared by many fellow Canes fans, DISMAL. First off, what was The U thinking hiring Al Golden as head coach? He's too conservative in his coaching style, he doesn't let the players play. Former Canes coaches Butch Davis, Jimmy Johnson, Larry Coker all had one thing in common: They let their players PLAY. Who cares if the players were "hood"? The Canes' hood ways were what brought 5 National Championships to Miami. Teams were scared to play the Canes because athletes had a warrior mindset. They won by any means necessary, and that's what I respected about The U. I remember when The U dominated the 80's & 90's, and they had epic battles with fellow Florida squad Florida State Seminoles. Whenever FSU and Miami played, it was a game. Neither team was willing to let up and oftentimes, games went into overtime. The U was snatching recruits left & right, and even on National Signing Day, players would commit to The U at the last minute; that's how good The U was in football.

The U didn't just attract recruits from Miami high schools, but they also attracted recruits nationwide. If you were a high school star player, you grew up watching Hurricanes football and wanted to play for The U. Ray Lewis, Warren Sapp, Michael Irvin, Edgerrin James, Jeremy Shockey, Santana & Sinorice Moss, Willis McGahee and countless others came through The U. The U has produced more NFL talent than any other Division 1 school. That was then, and this is now: Since Al Golden was hired as head coach, he hasn't gotten the job done. Consecutive losses to beatable teams, dismal regular season records of 6-6 or 7-5. Canes fans are already sick of Al Golden, yet Al's not going anywhere. Here's my biggest issue with Golden: Golden already had a solid foundation laid for him, and all he had to do was carry on what the previous coaches have done. If I'm Al Golden, I'd stick to the proven formula for success, and wouldn't deviate. The downside of coaching is that each new coach has their own vision for the team and players, so they aren't trying to stick to the old formula, even if it's been successful.

Because of The U's fall from glory, they're losing recruits left & right. Players that used to want to play for The U are now going to other schools, and rightfully so. What talented athlete wants to play for a losing team? I wouldn't. I like to win, so I surround myself with winners. The U is suffering from brain drain, where talented high school football players from Miami-area high schools are leaving for other schools. Sure, The U is lucky to snag a few local talent, but nothing like they used to do back in the 90s. In conclusion, the State Of The U is not good, but it can turn around if Al Golden leaves, because he's done enough damage to the Canes football program.