Miami fires Al Golden, joins South Carolina in coaching market

South Carolina will now have another competitor in the coaching market at season’s end.

Miami has fired coach Al Golden, midway through his fifth season and one day after the Hurricanes endured the worst loss in the program’s 90-year history.

Golden went 32-25 with the Hurricanes and 17-18 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, his entire stint marred by an NCAA investigation and subsequent fallout caused by things that happened before he arrived in Coral Gables. His last game with Miami was a 58-0 loss to then-No. 6 Clemson, a result that had fans booing from the stands and calling for his departure — as many had for some time.

Miami (4-3, 1-2 ACC) plays at Duke on Saturday night. Larry Scott will take over as Miami’s interim head coach. The Hurricanes are scheduled to resume practice Tuesday.

“Coach Golden has led our program through some very difficult times and he has done so with class, integrity and a true desire to see our students succeed on the field, in the classroom and in the community,” Miami athletic director Blake James said. “However, we have a proud tradition of excellence at Miami, not just in football but in all sports, and we want to compete for ACC and national championships.

“I simply believe that now is the time to bring the Hurricane Family together and rally behind our young men.”

Maryland, Illinois and Southern California are other Power Five schools that have fired head coaches thus far.

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman offered up a number of possible Miami coaching candidates, with not much crossover with the Gamecocks’ rumored field. Feldman also did a comparison of how the Miami and South Carolina programs stack up.

This story was originally published October 25, 2015 at 7:40 PM.