What If - Butch Davis Returns in 2007?

[SWFLHurricane]

With the money UF and FSU had injected into their programs and Nick Saban just starting at Bama, yes. Butch wasn't going to have those same results. It may be a different story if Butch had a top AD and budget like Mario is going to have, though.

I don't believe that whatsoever...from 2010 onward, okay...but from 2001-to let's say 2007...he would have continued to slay recruiting. His 97-2000 classes sh*ts on any 4 consecutive Saban or UF classes....and that was done under/and just over sanctions, without any benefit whatsoever.

 

[canecrazy23]

With Mario now aboard the talk of a Butch Davis restoration now is permanently closed. But there were pushes in 2006 and 2015 for his hiring, as well as other points in between. I’d like to focus on the former - late 2006. Butch was considered I believe, but ultimately ended up at North Carolina.

My question is how would a still relatively young Davis had done had he returned for the 2007 season? Would the fact that he had already left the program once before negate the recruiting prowess he otherwise possessed? Had the SEC’s ramp up of their bag game in the intervening years been too difficult to surmount? Would he have been able to root out the Shapiro time bomb before it detonated?

A lot of unanswered what if questions, but I think that any legitimate chance of success for Davis in Miami would have been in the 2007-2010 window, had he returned. Too much had changed by 2015 for a Butch comeback.

I'm not a fan of the "coach" Davis but as far as recruiting and player evaluation those teams would have been loaded with studs. I guess it also depends on who his coordinators were.

 

[SWFLHurricane]

i would not discount Butch Davis being involved as an analyst for Super Mario. great , i mean great at talent evals. and all the folks at Hecht and hated Butch are either gone or their power has been diminished by new AD/HC

Butch and Mario are VERY close....they speak often. Mario was a GA under him from 98-2000...
He learned from the Best....

 

[OldhamA]

What if Katherine Langford returned my calls.

We'll just never know.

 

[PredaCane]

JC that was 2007, I could still feel the 201,2002 and 2003 Cane teams then. It’s now 2022 almost, I’m looking forward in my limited time left on this earth. Yes I know if I don’t want to see this just avoid it. But guys let’s forget finally about Butch and be happy we are at least going ( I hope) in the right direction.

No, let's NOT forget about Butch. As head coach maybe but not what he's done here. So many "fans" love to praise and brag on the 2001 team but seem to want to completely disregard the man who designed and built it. Not flaming at all but there's no forgetting one Butch Davis.

 

[mcanerich]

No, let's NOT forget about Butch. As head coach maybe but not what he's done here. So many "fans" love to praise and brag on the 2001 team but seem to want to completely disregard the man who designed and built it. Not flaming at all but there's no forgetting one Butch Davis.

Yes he was a great recruiter for the Canes. But as a game day couch in Miami he got booed. I wonder why everyone forgets that, plus he left us after telling the team he was going nowhere. Yes he built the best team ever in college football and I for one respect that. But it’s been 21 years since he has been here. I’m more interested in what Mario can do for us than wondering what Butch could have, might have done if he had come back. As I said move on to the New Canes Football Program and enjoy the New Ride. No more to say here as you can worship the past as all I want is a huge Cane future.

 

[mcanerich]

Plus if I remember we even had a group who flew a banner fire Butch

 

[Fly1]

I think Urban Meyer and Tebow still stomps on Butch’s team. I think Jimbo still beats his team. I think Butch would have recruited better than Shannon, Golden and Richt, but not to the point of setting records like his fans seem to expect.

If Butch would have never left after the 2000 season, Butch would've taken Urban's lunch money on the reg

 

[ben]

At the very least there’s no covid

Very late post of the year nominee

 

[mirvin88]

He had UNC pretty good for a minute and some good players

We probably wouldn't have become such a **** show but I doubt he makes the program anything special

 

[TexasCane90]

He would have restored talent to a then depleted team….

Would have gotten us to being a 10 win team probably easily dominating the coastal… but in typical BORTCH fashion he would have chocked some games away and aggravated the fan base with dumbfounding losses. BUT! Maybe the next guy would have put it together haha

 

[2xbamm]

At the very least there’s no covid

OMG

 

[2xbamm]

Always wanted to see Butch come back to Miami.

You know the administration wasn’t serious about winning when they wouldn’t bring back a coach that built one of the best college football teams in history.

Some of you guys are stuck.

 

[rt cane]

We would have missed out on the glory years of Randy Shannon, AL Golden and Mark Richt.

 

[RichtshawFerguson]

There were like 15 players from the 09(?) UNC team that were on active NFL rosters the year after.

Dude could 'croot.

Recruit, evaluate talent, yes.
But he and his staff were also pretty **** good at developing the talent, and developing a culture.
Butch probably doesn’t dominate like he did in 2000, for reasons others already listed. But I think he would have won at least 1 natty.

 

[Fly1]

We would have missed out on the glory years of Randy Shannon and AL Golden.

And Larry Coker

 

[RBradleigh]

You know what, **** him. He went to the Cleveland Browns and that’s that

 

[CaneMutiny06]

If we were going to rehire Butch, 2006-7 was the time to do it. At that point he had only been gone from the college game and UM for six years, and the program’s national luster hadn’t been diminished for very long either (basically one bad season in 2006 and the Peach Bowl fiasco to finish 05).

Likely the turnaround would have been quick (guaranteed bad year in 2007 though) as the roster would have been refurbished in a couple recruiting classes.
Probably back to being a top-10 team by 2009. Question would have been how the Shapiro crap would have impacted after 2011.

 

[Empirical Cane]

Knowing what we know now about the bag game and Miami's lack of resource commitment, not sure Butch DAW GAWD would achieve 2001 greatness, but would have been much better than what we saw.

 

[mcanerich]

Before I go celebrate I have to give Cribby a shout out to a great end of year post, hilarious I must admit.