I get it--the comparison between Manny Diaz and Lincoln Riley is obvious.
And yeah, I get it--the comparison between Tate Martell and Baker Mayfield is obvious.
Still right now, if you ask me, an Oklahoma-like surge is on the table for Miami. I'm not saying it's going to happen--maybe Manny is the next Wille Taggart and Tate is the next elite QB recruit who turns out to be a bust. We have Clemson in our conference, so the playoff would be a lot to ask even for a great team. But just like Lincoln Riley found his perfect QB in Baker, it's possible Manny may have found his perfect QB in Tate.
The combo of Riley and Mayfield energized a national power that had tapered off. The offense was unstoppable and Baker had the sort of star power that made Oklahoma one of the hottest and coolest programs in the country. Oklahoma's three recruiting classes before Riley was hired as offensive coordinator finished outside the top 15 in 247's composite rankings; Riley's two full classes as head coach have finished in the top 10, and this year will probably be top 5.
I'm not saying that Miami's offense is going to be that good, because it won't be. But to return to national relevance it doesn't need to be--Mark Richt and Malik Rosier proved that in 2017. That year, Manny reestablished the program's identity by having a defense that played with energy and aggression and attacked the other team. The turnover chain embodied the U, and the Dolphins' stadium became the Rock, which shook like the OB.
When Manny took over as head coach, he said he wanted to replicate that in his offense. I'll leave the on-field breakdowns to people like Roman and Lance, but I believe the comparisons between Martell and Mayfield when it comes to attitude and star power. Miami's quarterback room right now has shown itself to be immature. Tate has thrived in the center of attention since high school, and we've already seen since announcing his transfer that he is not afraid to be the face of the program. If Miami returns to national relevance with Tate at QB, he is ready to be a star. More to the point, he's ready to be a star Cane--swaggy and ****y, the kind of player the other team's fanbase hates. His coach will only encourage him.
I agree with @DMoney that as far as recruiting goes, consistently winning cures all. But with Manny and Tate, we have the pieces in place for a new era of the Miami everyone remembers--the kind of Miami that is exciting enough to stack up top 5 recruiting classes.
(Or maybe we'll just go 7-6 again.)
And yeah, I get it--the comparison between Tate Martell and Baker Mayfield is obvious.
Still right now, if you ask me, an Oklahoma-like surge is on the table for Miami. I'm not saying it's going to happen--maybe Manny is the next Wille Taggart and Tate is the next elite QB recruit who turns out to be a bust. We have Clemson in our conference, so the playoff would be a lot to ask even for a great team. But just like Lincoln Riley found his perfect QB in Baker, it's possible Manny may have found his perfect QB in Tate.
The combo of Riley and Mayfield energized a national power that had tapered off. The offense was unstoppable and Baker had the sort of star power that made Oklahoma one of the hottest and coolest programs in the country. Oklahoma's three recruiting classes before Riley was hired as offensive coordinator finished outside the top 15 in 247's composite rankings; Riley's two full classes as head coach have finished in the top 10, and this year will probably be top 5.
I'm not saying that Miami's offense is going to be that good, because it won't be. But to return to national relevance it doesn't need to be--Mark Richt and Malik Rosier proved that in 2017. That year, Manny reestablished the program's identity by having a defense that played with energy and aggression and attacked the other team. The turnover chain embodied the U, and the Dolphins' stadium became the Rock, which shook like the OB.
When Manny took over as head coach, he said he wanted to replicate that in his offense. I'll leave the on-field breakdowns to people like Roman and Lance, but I believe the comparisons between Martell and Mayfield when it comes to attitude and star power. Miami's quarterback room right now has shown itself to be immature. Tate has thrived in the center of attention since high school, and we've already seen since announcing his transfer that he is not afraid to be the face of the program. If Miami returns to national relevance with Tate at QB, he is ready to be a star. More to the point, he's ready to be a star Cane--swaggy and ****y, the kind of player the other team's fanbase hates. His coach will only encourage him.
I agree with @DMoney that as far as recruiting goes, consistently winning cures all. But with Manny and Tate, we have the pieces in place for a new era of the Miami everyone remembers--the kind of Miami that is exciting enough to stack up top 5 recruiting classes.
(Or maybe we'll just go 7-6 again.)
