Buc,
Completely agree about Miami being a different animal than Athens.
The folks I know back home who are close to the Miami program have cut through the veneer, pomp and circumstance of the new coach "electricity" and are already voicing "concerns." The hiring on Jon Richt was one that raised more eyebrows than advertised. The handling of recruiting, specifically the case of trying to "shore up" Michael Irvin Jr's commit to the U was another. I was speaking with a friend back home the other day who is a die hard U man and from the outset, he wasn't thrilled about Richt's hire. While he admitted that there were plenty of worse candidates out there, he said he felt like this hire was crafted as far too much of a "cinderella story" than it was an intelligent football move. While he admitted that Richt will shake up the recruiting scene in the state, he said that if Richt is going to try to turn Miami into a halfway house to develop good young men and a squeaky clean feel-good program, then he landed in the wrong town to do it. He predicted that within two seasons, the voices of discontent are going to be getting louder. Who knows, but here's my take:
No doubt that Richt will be on a much shorter leash than he was in Athens in terms of expectations. Miami is thirsty to become relevant in the Florida college football scene and is sick of playing 3rd fiddle behind UF and FSU. That thirst for relevancy is going to apply a constant pressure, one that is much different and far more unbearable compared to the "pressure" he received in Athens. He's not going to have the Pravda-style propaganda cheerleaders in the Miami media that he had in Athens. Football in S. Florida is a different animal, and while Richt can claim that he knows it because he played in it, a heck of a lot has changed in that area since Richt was playing backup QB.
If Richt cherishes his fat contract and fancy new house in Coconut Grove, then he'd do well to start worrying far more about coaching football than he should about coaching character building.
If he makes the latter and not the former his aim at the U, then the aim of the U and the media in Miami is going to be directly on his forehead.
