Hurricanes Coaching Search Appears To Have Four Main Candidates
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CORAL GABLES (CBSMiami) – The Miami Hurricanes coaching search has really shifted into gear over the past week, with four prime candidates emerging.
A couple of former Canes coaches, head coach Butch Davis and defensive coordinator Greg Schiano, along with Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen and recently fired Georgia head coach Mark Richt have all interviewed for the job.
The biggest name on the list is Richt, who saw a lot of success during his tenure with the Bulldogs.
He is considered the Hurricanes' number one choice for the coaching job, according to CBS Sports, who quote a source as saying "it's his job if he wants it."
In 15 seasons in Georgia Richt finished with a 145-51 record (.738 win percentage), including a 9-3 mark this year, in a very tough SEC conference.
He has ties to the Hurricanes, serving as a backup quarterback for Jim Kelly during his time with Miami.
On Tuesday Richt was seen off campus with athletic director Blake James.
Richt is going to weigh his options and could end up taking a year away from coaching to spend time with his family, who advised him to do so.
The Miami Herald reported that Miami is working on the financial aspects of hiring Richt, which would likely cost the school around $4 million.
Maryland and Virginia reportedly also had interest in hiring Richt for their respective coaching vacancies. On Wednesday it was reported that Maryland was close to hiring Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin to be the school's new head coach.
Schiano interviewed for the job on Sunday and reports are that he did quite well.
He coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Rutgers after leaving Miami and is currently working as an ESPN analyst.
Mullen became known for his coaching talents while working as offensive coordinator with the Florida Gators back in the Tim Tebow days.
He's received a lot of praise for resurrecting the football program at Mississippi State, leading the team to a 54-35 record during his seven seasons with the school.
Mullen previously interviewed for the Hurricanes coaching job before Miami ended up hiring Al Golden.
Davis, a fan favorite for the job, has been out of coaching since being fired by North Carolina during the summer of 2011. He coached Miami from 1995 to 2000.
He helped build what ended up being widely considered the best Hurricanes team of all time (2001 National Championship team) before leaving the school to take a job with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
Schiano was Davis' defensive coordinator at Miami in 1999 and 2000.
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