Thank You Coach Richt!

I have always blocked out Miami Hurricane football on my schedule. It’s been a top 3 priority in my life. I became a fan in 2003, so I didn’t follow the Canes during their 5 national championship runs. All I remember in my time as a diehard Miami fan is frustration and dismay.

In the Larry Coker era, we fielded unbelievable defenses and terrible offenses. During Randy Shannon’s tenure, both sides of the ball stunk for the most part. Then, Al Golden came around and we fielded a somewhat entertaining offense, but the defense was historically bad. The one consistent in the last dozen or so years has been underachieving Miami squads that could lose to anyone at any time.

In 2017, with Coach Richt headed into his second year, I’ve become accustomed to feeling hope. The offense could be strong if the O-line steps up huge in the run game. Mark Walton is an ALL-ACC first team talent. We have better skill position players than any other team in Florida. I also love our defense; we will definitely field a top ten defense because our secondary, the biggest question mark on the defensive side of the ball, will be stronger and more productive than last year’s group.

Ultimately, the greatest thing Richt infused into the fan base has to be unflinching hope. The teams he’s head coached, between 15 years at Georgia and 1 so far at Miami, exhibit balance and a consistency. Bottom line is that Coach Richt always fields a good product.

After 12 long years of seeing my blood pressure rise before, during, and after each Miami Hurricanes game, Coach Richt came around and calmed my nerves after one year. 2017 will be the year when I can actually enjoy college football in general. Everybody needs a guiding light in their daily lives. In the college football world, for Miami fans, it’s Coach Richt. Thank God for CMR.