Miami (FL) head coach Mark Richt announced his retirement on Sunday.
"[I]t is time for me to retire from coaches so I am stepping down as the Head Coach of UM Football," Richt said in a statement. "The decision came after a great deal of thought, discussions with my family and prayer. This was my decision."
With Richt out, Miami is now searching for a fourth head coach since Larry Coker was fired after the 2006 season. Who might they target?
Some potential candidates:
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Mario Cristobal
Current Position: Head Coach – Oregon
Mario Cristobal has to be the favorite.
A Miami native who played and coached for the Hurricanes — and was FIU head coach — Cristobal has eight wins in his first season as Oregon head coach.
He's crushing recruiting in Eugene and has the Ducks headed back in the right direction. Would he leave a great situation for his alma mater?
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Josh Heupel
Current Position: Head Coach – UCF
Last week, I predicted Heupel would take over for Richt…next year. With the Miami job open this year, would the Canes roll the dice on a guy with only one year of head-coaching experience?
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Manny Diaz
Current Position: Head Coach – Temple
Manny Diaz was introduced as Temple head coach on Dec. 13. Would he really leave a job — which he never technically held, because he stayed at Miami through their bowl game — after three weeks?
It's not unprecedented and Diaz was mentioned as a potential coach-in-waiting to Richt.
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Matt Rhule
Current Position: Head Coach – Baylor
Matt Rhule has done a magnificent job in two seasons at Baylor and will be highly sought-after when the Bears take the next step toward Big 12 contention.
Rhule, 43, has never coached in — or anywhere near — Florida but has developed recruiting relationships in most areas of the country.
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Neal Brown
Current Position: Head Coach – Troy
It's not often that Sun Belt coaches jump straight to the Power Five. Gus Malzahn — Arkansas State to Auburn in 2012 — is the last.
However, Brown has significant Power Five experience — five totals years as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech and Kentucky — and has developed strong recruiting relationships across the region.
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Seth Littrell
Current Position: Head Coach – North Texas
Seth Littrell was Bill Snyder's successor at Kansas State until a contract and/or staff dispute forced his return to North Texas.
Like Brown, he's done a remarkable job in a lower-tier conference and has a ton of Power Five experience, including two years as associate head coach and offensive coordinator at North Carolina.
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Dino Babers
Current Position: Head Coach – Syracuse
Dino Babers' records at Eastern Illinois, Bowling Green and Syracuse speak for themselves. He's worked magic at historically bad or mediocre programs.
He's been everywhere — changed jobs more than a dozen times in three decades — and could leverage a 10-win season into one of the more revered jobs in the country.
