It has come as a shocker early Sunday as Miami head coach Mark Richt has announced his retirement. The news comes just three days after the Hurricanes suffered a loss in the Pinstripe Bowl to the Wisconsin Badgers. Rumors swirled on the weekend that Richt would have to make some changes after a disappointing season offensively.
After the bowl game and amid criticism, athletic director Blake James took to his Twitter page to release a statement. In the post, James called the 2018 season “unacceptable” and expressed that Richt, along with his self, are still committed to competing for championships.
Mark Richt retires with an overall head coaching record of 171 wins to 64 losses. During his time with the Hurricanes, he became the first coach to win the ACC Coastal at Miami. The Hurricanes in the 2017 season also reached ten wins for the first time in over a decade.
In his statement announcing his retirement, Richt stated that the resolution was “his decision”. Richt also stated that “I feel that stepping down is in the best interests of the program”.
In just three seasons at Miami, Richt was able to reestablish Miami as a conference power. During his tenure, Miami ranked as high as No. 2 in polls. Miami also opened up the season as the No. 8 team in AP Polls, the highest mark for the program since the 2004 season.
KNOXVILLE, TN – OCTOBER 5: Marshall Morgan #13 of the Georgia Bulldogs talks with head coach Mark Richt. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
Before being appointed as head coach at Miami, Richt spent 15 seasons as the head coach at Georgia. In those 15 years, Richt led Georgia to two SEC championships and amassed a 145-51 record with Georgia. Additionally, under Richt, Georgia won 10 or more games in nine of his 15 seasons.
Next Up For The U
Currently, Miami has a short list of candidates that would make sense to replace Richt. Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal may be the top target. Cristobal is a Miami native that also played for the University of Miami from 1989-1992, winning two championships in that span.
Newly appointed Temple head coach Manny Diaz could have possibly been next in line after Richt, if still on staff. Florida International head coach Butch Davis has been very vocal in the past about having a second stint as head coach at Miami.
The ultimate curveball would be Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin, who ironically watched his former team the Alabama Crimson Tide in full Miami Hurricanes gear on Saturday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – NOVEMBER 10: Head coach Mark Richt of the Miami Hurricanes watches other games in progress on the stadium’s scoreboard broadcast prior to the Hurricanes’ football game against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Bobby Dodd Stadium on November 10, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
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