Despite the promotion of Tight Ends Coach and Run Game Coordinator Larry Scott to interim head coach, Hurricane fans are still searching for a viable long-term head coach.
A common name that comes to the minds of Canes fans is the familiar former Hurricanes Head Coach Butch Davis. Davis coached the Canes from 1995-2000 with an overall record of 51-20. He led the team to multiple bowl game appearances, despite the flurry of sanctions surrounding the team throughout the Davis era.
Currently Davis is out of coaching and is in a position to accept a head-coaching job. Davis’s most recent job was as a special assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2012. Although Davis returning to Miami may seem like a long shot, there is room for fans to be optimistic. In a 2014 interview with CBSSports, Davis said, “If [the UM head coach position] ever came open and people thought that I’d be the right choice, I certainly would be interested because we’ve always loved South Florida. I still live there.”
Davis is not the only potential head coach candidate. Mario Cristobal is currently the offensive line coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide, but has ties to the Miami area. He was the head coach at Florida International University (FIU) for seven seasons. During his tenure as FIU’s head coach, he developed a reputation as a strong recruiter, particularly from the South Florida area. He was able to nab FIU’s first ever ESPN top 150 recruit. Additionally, his 2009 recruiting class consisted of 23 players, 20 of which were from the Florida area.
Cristobal has ties not only to South Florida, but also to UM. In January of 2013, he was hired as an associate head coach; however, he never coached a game for UM, accepting his current position at Alabama just six weeks later.
UM alumnus Rob Chudzinski is another potential candidate for the position. He is currently an associate head coach for the Indianapolis Colts. He played tight end for the Hurricanes in the 1980s and was part of the 1987 and 1989 championship runs. Chudzinski began his coaching career with Canes in 1994 as a graduate assistant. He moved up the ranks, and he became the team’s offensive coordinator for the 2001 season, in which he was an integral part of Miami’s championship. In 2003, he left Miami for the NFL.
Regardless of who coaches the Hurricanes in 2016, fans hope that the team fares better than it did under Golden.