Coker Can't Find a Job

Does this really surprise anyone? Larry Coker apparently is shocked at the lack of interest in his services as a head coach. I wonder sometimes if his whole "I had a great record" argument is something he really believes or if he just throws it out there hoping someone will take the bait.

Yes, Larry, you went 60-15 at UM. That's very nice. However, with the talent you were surrounded with, you should have gone 70-5. Not once did I feel our team outcoached the other. Most of the time we won because we simply had better players. 95% of football coaches could have been at the helm of that 2001 team and won the title. 80% of them wouldn't have let Ohio State within 2 touchdowns of our team in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl (though again, I remind you that game never happened).

Simply put, he failed to make use of the talent he was provided. Most of his victories came with Butch Davis' players. Afterwards, his "heralded" recruiting classes produced minimal results on the field. Either he is simply inept at selecting players, or he failed miserably at developing the ones he brought to Miami. His biggest mistake as a recruiter was to neglect the pipeline of talent in his own backyard. By doing so, he alienated a slew of high school coaches, as well as allowed other programs to cherry pick South Florida players who later on helped them win titles.

If I were an athletic director, I would see all of these things as major red flags. Sure, at a Baylor or SMU he wouldn't have the pressure to go 12-0 every season. But I would assume that any football program's ultimate goal is the gradual improvement of the team. With Coker, you'll stay at 6-6 (or worse, considering he won't have UM's talent) for the entirety of his tenure there.

I've heard all about Larry as a person. I'm sure he's an excellent human being, and I wish him the best. But honestly he ran this program into the ground. If I were him I wouldn't be surprised if another university were hesitant to hand the reins of the football team over to someone with such a high-profile failure.