We're a marquee program no matter what anyone says. If and when we get rolling it'll be giant national news. And everyone will want to board the bus. We just need to take some baby steps in the right direction. Win 10 this year. Battle the fck out of Clemson in the ACC title game. Win a big bowl game. Then do the same thing next year but maybe beat Clemson. Repeat again.
We need to start owning the Coastal first, and that's completely doable. Do that, and it will translate into major heat in recruiting. We'll still lose some local guys like we always have. Booch didn't make his bones signing a bunch of 5 stars. He got beat regularly by UF and FSU and others for the big fish. He even got beat by LaTech for a kid (Randle?). He made his bones evaluating.
D almost had me thinking I was the crazy one. I wished him good health in my 1st post, I still do but it seems he caught the "Winnie the Pooh" strain of COVID that turned him into Eeyore. "Everything sucks, the U has no fanbase outside of S Fl, kids dont care about the history of the program, we should be on Telemundo..."
No one cares? As another poster said- the national media went bananas over Miami in 2017. You had SEC trolls like Finebaum rocking the turnover chain. Every sports show was talking about the U. I dont remember them going nuts about Baylor or Minnesota when they were undefeated going into week 12 last year.
I gotta say, it's sad that a former player would be throwing so much shade at the program. I was really disappointed to read that D and Vilma get together and laugh at how Miami is barely a regional brand now and he says that it's an indictment of the fanbase.
Over the last 5 years, Miami has averaged 34th overall in attendance- that's better than Oregon, Ok State, Baylor, TCU. In 2017, Miami was 22nd overall- and has BY FAR the smallest student body of any school in the top 25. Relative to the record and the size of the school, Miami actually has a far more supportive fan base than it probably deserves, especially given the overall record of the past few years.
The vaseline smeared lens covering up the blemishes of Butch's horrendous start is interesting. Bootch went 5-6 in 1997 in YEAR 3. Worst record since 1979. Loses 47-0 to FSU. Fans were saying that any success was because of Erickson's players. Davis inherited a team that had JUST PLAYED in the national championship game and only managed to win 8 games with an extremely soft schedule. Oh- the sanctions? Not buying that excuse in 1995. That 1st season gave the impression that Davis had zero idea of how to be a head coach. Terrible decision making. A horrendous offense. Putrid special teams.
The next season he loses to East Carolina 31-6 at home. Loses to FSU and VT at home. Oh and Mr. Tough Guy Butch Davis got treated like a ***** by Ryan Clement on the sidelines in that VT game for the Big East title. I suppose that former players didn't hear the CBS commentators mocking Davis for letting his QB berate him into calling off a FG. Turns out Clement was right and Miami gets the ball to the 1 yard line with 3 sec left. Then Davis sends the FG team out. Then after a VT timeout he changes his mind and sends the offense back out. Then the O is in disarray, gets a delay of game so he sends the FG unit back out, which then misses a chip shot FG going into the half. Fans had seen enough and were flying banners in year 3. Anyone reasonable person looking at the program would have been 100% on board with firing Davis after the 5 win season, especially given the questionable coaching and schemes up to that point.
What a luxury to have for people to ignore 3 years of a coach that inherited a team that played in the national championship game and mustered only a 5 win season only 3 years later. I'm glad they didn't though, as its dumb to judge a coach's tenure before he has had a 4 years. Meanwhile, people are saying "Manure" should get fired after inheriting a 7 win team and no QB, then only winning 6 his 1st year. I'm not being a sunshine pumper- I'm simply giving Diaz the same benefit of the doubt I gave Davis. One standard- 4 years before I can say a coach has what it takes or doesn't. It seems that being rational and fair isnt possible for a good percentage of the board.