Ed Reed Is Coming Back To Miami With A Vision

January 3rd, 2002. On this day, the Miami Hurricanes defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers, capturing the programs fifth national championship. That team was led by many great players, one of them being senior safety, Ed Reed.

18 years later, Reed is returning back to the University of Miami, as the Hurricanes Chief of Staff. In that time, he became arguably the greatest safety in the history of the NFL, was a Super Bowl champion, and was inducted into the pro football Hall of Fame.

He comes to UM, back to where he was an All-American, national champion, perhaps the greatest player in school history, and he comes back as a man with a plan.

This move by the university speaks volume. Reed is someone who could be doing anything in the world. He could be sitting at home and enjoying retirement from the NFL, coaching either in the pros or college, perhaps starting as a broadcaster, and instead he’s choosing to come back to Miami and help restore this once great program.

Reed is coming to Coral Gables, and he’s coming not just to help this team win seven or eight games, he’s coming with a plan, to help Miami get back to being champions. No question about it, Reed will walk into the Hecht Center with a vision of the Hurricanes hoisting another national championship trophy.

With the program having performed the way it has over the past 15 seasons, that statement will definitely come as a shock to some. Since 2003, Miami has produced just one 10-win season and just one ACC Coastal division title. More than anything, UM has lost that winning culture it once had.

Last year, the Hurricanes stumbled through a 6-7 season, losing their last three games to FIU, Duke and Louisiana Tech. In short, the season was so bad, that many were calling for the firing of head coach Manny Diaz, after just his first year on the job.

So yes, Ed Reed returns to his former school, and the task of rebuilding Miami is not an easy one, not by a long shot.

However, Reed knows exactly what rebuilding a program looks like, because he was apart of that process once upon a time.

In 1997, as a true freshman, Reed was apart of a Hurricanes team that went 5-6 under head coach Butch Davis. When he left Miami following the 2001 season, he left as a national champion, seeing that rebuild come full circle.

Even in the NFL with the Ravens, Reed saw his team go 5-11 in 2007, only to hire John Harbaugh the following season, and then several years later, be apart of a Super Bowl winning franchise in 2012. Him and fellow former Hurricane, Ray Lewis, helped bring the Lombardi trophy back to Baltimore.

Reed being hired by Miami is just another move in a plethora of home-run hires and additions by UM so far this offseason. Since the 2019 season ended, Miami has hired Rhett Lashlee as offensive coordinator and also Garin Justice as OL coach. They’ve also added quarterback D’Eriq King, Quincy Roche and Jose Borregales from the transfer portal. The program is also expected to hire a new wide receivers coach in the coming days.

Now you bring on Reed as chief of staff, a role where he is expected to help coach Diaz “in all aspects of the football program, including strategic planning, quality control, operations, player evaluation and player development,” as described by the university in the statement.

Let’s get to work!