I believed in Golden. He was the type of guy we wanted so bad during the Shannon and Coker years. He had all the qualities they lacked: charisma, ambition and an obsessive work ethic.
But he failed. Spectacularly. And it really came down to three things: 1) he wasn’t a big-time coach; 2) he didn’t understand Miami football; and 3) his defenses were a national embarrassment.
The first and third speak for themselves. The second is something I should’ve noticed sooner. When Golden was cobbling his initial class together, he wanted to drop Denzel Perryman. He thought he was too small. Barrow had to convince him otherwise. Golden famously said, “The days of the 205-pound linebacker at Miami are over.” Five years later, his best linebacker weighs 205 pounds.
Golden never understood the Miami player, physically or mentally. The list of ballers that we turned away is too long to list. You know the names. The most telling thing to me is the futility of the return units. They are horrible, even though half of the returners in the NFL come from South Florida. Golden never saw these athletes in Boston College and Virginia.
His Tony Robbins-style motivation tactics always fell flat. I’ve read the Cane Code. It is hundreds of pages, and every page is filled to the brim with quotes, newspaper stories and graphs. There are chapters on everything from nutrition to sexual discipline. It is an incredibly detailed document, and there is zero chance any Miami player would ever read it.
By 2013, a lot of the players disliked him. These weren’t knuckleheads, but pure football guys like Duke Johnson and Ereck Flowers. Guys who are easy to inspire. They saw through the tactics, and once the losses piled up, everyone else did, too. This wasn't the Coker Country Club. Golden worked these guys to the bone, whether it was the weight room, the practice field or the community. But when you don't see results, you start to resent it.
The biggest problem with the defensive scheme is that it required eleven D’Onofrio’s. It's not unlike what happened with Shannon. He recruited clones of himself like Glenn Cook. I don't want a coach trying to recreate his glory days. I want a coach trying to recreate Miami's glory days.
South Florida players know football. They’ve been playing it at a high level since they were 6. But you need to let them trust their instincts and play fast. These have been the slowest Canes defenses I’ve ever seen.
The moment I lost faith was Virginia Tech 2013. We had a full house, a clear road in the Coastal, a starting lineup full of NFL players, and we still got smashed. The obvious time to fire Golden was after Pittsburgh in 2014. I’ve heard from good sources that Miami gave him the fifth year because they didn’t disclose the Shapiro scandal. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was fear of legal liability. But it leaves us in a very awkward place right now.
Not everything Golden did was negative. He revitalized the strength and conditioning program. The players really did get bigger and stronger, as guys like Flowers and Linder proved at the combine. His PR skills were invaluable during the Shapiro scandal. He hired some good assistants. And even though he wasn’t a great recruiter, he worked so hard that he was able to stockpike a solid amount of talent.
The best thing we can do now is support Larry Scott and the players like crazy. Many people said they were boycotting the program because of Golden. No need to boycott now. Show the country that we will support Miami football. “The Coastal” doesn’t need to be a dirty word anymore.
This is a turnkey operation for a good coach. Kaaya is an elite, first-round quarterback. The defensive line is loaded with talent. Dabo wasn’t lying when he called Chad Thomas and AQM future superstars, and Kendrick Norton and RJ McIntosh are the most talented pair of defensive tackles Miami has signed in years. If you are good at quarterback and defensive line, you can win championships. Nothing else, except coaching, is more important.
Now it’s time to find the guy. This is the program that won national championships with four different coaches. This is the program that sent four coaches in a row to the pros. Other programs build statues of coaches. This program builds coaches.
But you can’t just plug anyone in, as we’ve learned. This is three failed regimes in a row. USC went through it, Alabama went through it, and now Miami is going through it.
There is a reason we all keep obsessing over this team. It's because we know what happens when we find the right guy. They make movies about it. Hopefully, today will be the first scene in Part 3.
But he failed. Spectacularly. And it really came down to three things: 1) he wasn’t a big-time coach; 2) he didn’t understand Miami football; and 3) his defenses were a national embarrassment.
The first and third speak for themselves. The second is something I should’ve noticed sooner. When Golden was cobbling his initial class together, he wanted to drop Denzel Perryman. He thought he was too small. Barrow had to convince him otherwise. Golden famously said, “The days of the 205-pound linebacker at Miami are over.” Five years later, his best linebacker weighs 205 pounds.
Golden never understood the Miami player, physically or mentally. The list of ballers that we turned away is too long to list. You know the names. The most telling thing to me is the futility of the return units. They are horrible, even though half of the returners in the NFL come from South Florida. Golden never saw these athletes in Boston College and Virginia.
His Tony Robbins-style motivation tactics always fell flat. I’ve read the Cane Code. It is hundreds of pages, and every page is filled to the brim with quotes, newspaper stories and graphs. There are chapters on everything from nutrition to sexual discipline. It is an incredibly detailed document, and there is zero chance any Miami player would ever read it.
By 2013, a lot of the players disliked him. These weren’t knuckleheads, but pure football guys like Duke Johnson and Ereck Flowers. Guys who are easy to inspire. They saw through the tactics, and once the losses piled up, everyone else did, too. This wasn't the Coker Country Club. Golden worked these guys to the bone, whether it was the weight room, the practice field or the community. But when you don't see results, you start to resent it.
The biggest problem with the defensive scheme is that it required eleven D’Onofrio’s. It's not unlike what happened with Shannon. He recruited clones of himself like Glenn Cook. I don't want a coach trying to recreate his glory days. I want a coach trying to recreate Miami's glory days.
South Florida players know football. They’ve been playing it at a high level since they were 6. But you need to let them trust their instincts and play fast. These have been the slowest Canes defenses I’ve ever seen.
The moment I lost faith was Virginia Tech 2013. We had a full house, a clear road in the Coastal, a starting lineup full of NFL players, and we still got smashed. The obvious time to fire Golden was after Pittsburgh in 2014. I’ve heard from good sources that Miami gave him the fifth year because they didn’t disclose the Shapiro scandal. Maybe it was guilt, maybe it was fear of legal liability. But it leaves us in a very awkward place right now.
Not everything Golden did was negative. He revitalized the strength and conditioning program. The players really did get bigger and stronger, as guys like Flowers and Linder proved at the combine. His PR skills were invaluable during the Shapiro scandal. He hired some good assistants. And even though he wasn’t a great recruiter, he worked so hard that he was able to stockpike a solid amount of talent.
The best thing we can do now is support Larry Scott and the players like crazy. Many people said they were boycotting the program because of Golden. No need to boycott now. Show the country that we will support Miami football. “The Coastal” doesn’t need to be a dirty word anymore.
This is a turnkey operation for a good coach. Kaaya is an elite, first-round quarterback. The defensive line is loaded with talent. Dabo wasn’t lying when he called Chad Thomas and AQM future superstars, and Kendrick Norton and RJ McIntosh are the most talented pair of defensive tackles Miami has signed in years. If you are good at quarterback and defensive line, you can win championships. Nothing else, except coaching, is more important.
Now it’s time to find the guy. This is the program that won national championships with four different coaches. This is the program that sent four coaches in a row to the pros. Other programs build statues of coaches. This program builds coaches.
But you can’t just plug anyone in, as we’ve learned. This is three failed regimes in a row. USC went through it, Alabama went through it, and now Miami is going through it.
There is a reason we all keep obsessing over this team. It's because we know what happens when we find the right guy. They make movies about it. Hopefully, today will be the first scene in Part 3.
