Not So Urban Legend...

Happy Friday Canes fans!

A few things before diving in...

Firstly, before I dive into my feature and since I’m one of the new kids on the block publishing my very first article, I thought it would only be proper to introduce myself to all of you loyal SOTU readers. Name is Mike McCoy and I would like to start off by expressing my gratitude to Cam Underwood for lending me this awesome opportunity. I also felt it necessary to share my excitement in being a part of a very talented SOTU team. Knowing the quality of work that each writer puts forth, serves as a constant reminder that my job is to make sure the site does not lose its reputation. I’m pumped for what lies ahead and I am definitely looking forward to providing the best content I can for all to enjoy. Been a lifelong Canes fan and a lover of everything UM since I was in elementary school, and in a few semesters I’ll be graduating from the greatest institute of higher learning in America. I am always full of opinions (some unpopular), and my goal is to bring that same passion in each one of my pieces for readers to digest. If not, trust me when I say we can debate about it, I got time! Here goes nothing...

The chatter on my Twitter timeline over the past week or so prompted me to post the following:

Believe me when I say that this man does not cross my mind enough for me to just randomly post about him. However, I admit to being triggered by certain tweets and felt the need to address the matter to try and show why Urban Meyer and the University of Miami should not even be mentioned in the same breath.

When numbers such as 187 – 32 (head coaching record), 12 – 3 (bowl record), 5 conference titles (2 SEC, 3 Big Ten), and 3 national championships are claimed by one man all in a span of less than 20 seasons as a head coach, that is undoubtedly someone who should be on every AD’s list when it comes to names to interview for a head coaching vacancy. Or is it? You would irrefutably be doing a disservice to not only yourself, but your employer, the fan base, and alumni if you did not at the very least bring said coach in for an interview. Right? A coach that is able to produce winning results quickly, a proven recruiter, and someone that has repeatedly demonstrated an offensive spread scheme that when executed correctly with the right players, can be downright scary to defend (especially if he was able to recruit the fertile grounds of Miami-Dade and Broward counties). To sidebar momentarily… while at the helm at Florida, Meyer’s lowest recruiting class was ranked 5^th in the nation by ESPN. His highest? Number one. As he took his talents to Columbus, to coach the Ohio State Buckeyes, his lowest recruiting class was ranked 7^th by ESPN, and his highest was 2^nd.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Meyer’s recruiting classes not only prove that he has the ability to rake in top talent immediately, but also the ability to use said talent correctly. The latter is something that has been a hot topic of discussion amongst Miami fans ever since the Al Golden regime. After looking over his resume and on field results even going back his two years coaching the Utah Utes, there should be zero argument that Meyer, THE COACH, would be a prime target for Miami if he were available and if the UM job was open - but it is not open and will not be for a while. Is it me, or does a winning coach with recruiting prowess like Meyer’s, implementing a spread which is ideally suited for the speed and talent down here at Miami, sound like a match made in heaven? It most certainly does especially when you consider how the University of Miami football program has been struggling to get back to its rightful place in college football, since 2001.

But then the reality check hits, and you sit back and realize that this IS the University of Miami football program. The same program that the NCAA tried to nail to the wall so badly during “Nevin-gate” that it admitted to improperly obtaining information from the attorney of former booster Nevin Shapiro. The NCAA later revealed that they paid the attorney for her services. This is the same Miami football program that was investigated from 2011 through 2013, for violations which normally require 6 months to investigate - unless of course you are the Auburn Tigers and Cam Newton before playing Oregon for the national championship in 2011. This is the same Miami football program that has shown to be the victim of countless and blatant acts of bias, on and off the gridiron, time and time again. In short and in the eyes of the NCAA, the University of Miami has a laundry list of past issues that will forever keep the university living in a fish bowl. Miami cannot afford even the slightest hiccup.

To be clear, the actual act of an Urban Meyer hire would not entice the NCAA to look into the Miami program, it is the aftermath of his tenure here that would leave the program in shambles. For starters, the public outcry following the hire would be astronomical considering he is fresh off of a very controversial situation at Ohio State University in which he failed to be clear, failed to be compassionate, and failed to be accurate at Big Ten media days in 2018 regarding allegations in which Courtney Smith (ex-wife of former OSU assistant Zach Smith) claimed that several individuals close to Meyer knew of a 2015 domestic violence allegation against Zach Smith, and did nothing. The narrative would be that the University of Miami supports this type of behavior and it would only encourage a false “thug” persona in which the university has worked hard to steer away from since the days of Butch Davis. That is the kind of attention Miami would be in for if the board of trustees were to ever pull the trigger on Meyer and I compare the media histeria that would transpire if Penn State were to hire Art Briles as head coach. During his six year tenure at Florida, 31 football players were arrested. However the punishments handed out were just as eye popping and Meyer himself admitted to giving second chances to those that should not have had them. Do you really think that 31 arrests in 6 years would fly under the radar at Miami as they did in Gainesville?

Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

In closing, Urban Meyer’s desire to win is his biggest downfall. He is a man that is so driven to produce wins that he is willing to tolerate misconduct amongst his own players and staff as long as it means competing for titles. Miami cannot flirt with such disaster as the NCAA is foaming at the mouth for the next time Miami slips up. Believe they will come with a heavy hand if and when Miami finds itself in any sort of trouble, especially considering how the NCAA whiffed big time on their last go round. Simply put, the trail of violations that Meyer would leave behind is not worth the wins or championships that would absolutely be wiped away anyway if it came out that players were ineligible. The ONLY reason this did not happen at Florida is because they are under the protection of the SEC, period. Miami is busy trying to find its rightful place in college football by doing it the right way, it has an excellent academic reputation to uphold, and its ethical standards do not support what Urban Meyer stands for. How can any true supporter of the University of Miami football program honestly say they would be okay with this? Would you be okay with your favorite college football team hiring someone with a checkered past that would bring wins in which would ultimately be forfeited, resulting in years of sanctions with a possible death penalty? You’re not smart if you say yes...so what do you say?