Miami Offensive Coordinator Rumors: Could James Coley Be The Guy?

Our guys are on it, but as of now this is of course still just a rumor. There are definitely other names that are in the mix for the OC job at this point, but Coley's is the one with the most smoke at the moment. That being said, there's enough smoke to warrant us wondering, what if?

It's well known that Jimbo Fisher handles the play calling on the FSU sidelines, and that Coley is mainly there to handle minor things as well as offensive adjustments. If he were to join the Canes' staff, he would be the full-time offensive coordinator, and would finally have his chance to call the plays and be in charge of the offense. This alone could be a deciding factor on if the rumors become ink on paper, although the money aspect certainly looms large.

There's likely no way that Miami could match whatever FSU would pay to keep Coley, and they would back up a truck load of cash to do so. Coley is an absolute must-keep for the FSU staff right now, what with almost every other assistant coach and coordinator leaving for other jobs. If FSU out-bids Miami contract wise, it could boil down to whether or not Coley wants to be the guy in charge rather than Jimbo's understudy.

Coley's friendship with newly minted associate head coach Mario Cristobal is also part of the equation, as it would give him an immediate familiarity with the upper levels of Miami's staff. Of course, the major implication for both schools if this were to come to pass, is the recruiting side of things. Coley is an absolute beast on the trails in South Florida, and if FSU were to lose him it would put a gigantic dent in their national signing day plans. Coley is connected to a good chunk of their current and prospective recruits, and his departure would throw a wrench into quite a bit. On the Miami side, it would be ridiculous how much recruiting talent would be on staff. Between Golden, Cristobal, Carroll, and the rest, Coley would just be yet another brick in the wall around South Florida.

There's still a ways to go on these rumors, and they could very easily turn out to be absolutely nothing, but it is a very interesting move to ponder.