Mark Richt accepts Miami Hurricanes job
The Miami Hurricanes football team has its man, and he’s part of the family.
Outgoing Georgia coach Mark Richt – one of the most accomplished football coaches in the nation – has told Miami he is accepting the job as head coach, multiple sources said.
It has not yet been officially announced, as Richt and UM are working out the details, according to sources.
Richt, who led Georgia to a 145-51 record in 15 seasons, will be the man to lead UM into the next era of Hurricanes football.
Richt, 55, takes over for Larry Scott, who was named interim coach after Al Golden was fired in the middle of his fifth season. Golden finished 32-25. Scott won four of the five games he coached, and is expected to coach UM in a bowl game.
Richt was Miami’s top choice of four finalists. The others included fan favorite and former Hurricanes coach Butch Davis, 64, who rebuilt the program from 1995 through 2000, handing Larry Coker a team that would win the national championship in 2001.
Davis, now an ESPN college football analyst, openly coveted the job.
The other finalists were Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen, 43, the former Florida Gators offensive coordinator who coached Tim Tebow and resurrected MSU with a 54-35 record in seven seasons; and former UM defensive coordinator and former Rutgers coach Greg Schiano, 49.
Richt, who was born in Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from Boca Raton High School, was fired Sunday after one of the most successful coaching tenures in the Southeastern Conference. He won SEC titles in 2002 and 2005 – four other times finishing first in the SEC East. He is highly respected for his character and for running a clean program.
He played at UM from 1978 through 1982, redshirting in 1979. He was mostly a backup to famed quarterback Jim Kelly, but took over for him when Kelly sustained a college-career-ending shoulder separation during the third game of the ’82 season. Richt took over and completed 71 of 149 passes for 838 yards and four touchdowns, with nine interceptions.
Richt has proven to be a much better coach. He was well loved at Georgia, having taken the Bulldogs to bowl games all 15 of his years coaching them, and has led them to at least nine victories in 11 of those years.
Between 2001 and 2008, Richt had six top-10 finishes. He came one play from beating Alabama in the 2012 SEC title game, which would have put the Bulldogs in the national title game against Notre Dame.
But critics say he hasn’t won any SEC titles lately, and can’t get over the Alabama hump. His records since 2009: 8-5, 6-7, 10-4, 12-2, 8-5, 10-3 and 9-3 before this season’s bowl game, which he said on Monday that he wanted to coach.
Miami Herald sportswriter Barry Jackson contributed to this report.
Durkin to Maryland
Maryland has hired Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin on Wednesday to be its head coach, taking a key assistant away from its Big Ten East rivals.
Durkin, 37, is in his first season at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. He led a defense that ranks fourth in the nation in yards allowed per game. Before working at Michigan, Durkin was the defensive coordinator at Florida for two years.
Durkin also worked at Stanford on Harbaugh’s staff and started his career as a graduate assistant at Bowling Green when Urban Meyer was the coach there. Durkin played linebacker at Bowling Green from 1997-2000.
Durkin replaces Randy Edsall, who was fired midway through the season. The Terrapins finished the season 3-9, winning one game under interim coach Mike Locksley, the former offensive coordinator who was also considered for the job.