Al Golden hasn’t beaten Florida State in his two seasons as the Miami Hurricanes’ coach.
But Golden made a move on Thursday that could help change that by hiring Seminoles’ offensive coordinator and ace recruiter James Coley to run the Hurricanes’ offense.
Coley replaces Jedd Fisch, who resigned last week to become offensive coordinator for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.
While Coley was the offensive coordinator at FSU, he was not the team’s play caller — a role held by coach Jimbo Fisher. The chance to call his own plays is believed to have been a major factor in Coley’s decision to leave the Seminoles, his alma mater, for Miami, his hometown.
The Miami Herald reported that UM will pay Coley $500,000, a figure that was matched by FSU. Despite that, Coley chose the Hurricanes.
In a statement, Golden said he has “been an admirer of (Coley’s) offenses, output and execution … as well as his relentless approach to recruiting Dade and Broward counties.”
It’s in recruiting where Coley may prove most valuable immediately for UM. He was named the ACC’s top recruiter by ESPN.com in 2010 and has secured top South Florida talent for the Seminoles.
With less than two weeks to go before National Signing Day, Miami and FSU are battling head-to-head for some of the area’s best players. Among those recruits who have both the Hurricanes and Seminoles on their list of finalists are Miami Booker T. Washington linebacker Matthew Thomas, the nation’s sixth-best prospect according to ESPN.com, and South Plantation running back Alex Collins, who led Broward County in rushing.
Coley grew up near the Orange Bowl in Miami and coached at local high schools, where he tutored NFL receivers Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe and Roscoe Parrish. The 39-year-old Coley spent two seasons as an offensive assistant on Nick Saban’s staff with the Dolphins.
“In James Coley, you’re talking about a recruiter that has an intimate knowledge base in South Florida,” ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said on-air. “This could pay dividends for the Miami Hurricanes. I know that Matthew Thomas … has been heavily recruited by James Coley. Come National Signing Day, I think we’ll see a little bit more about what this (hiring) could mean for both programs.”
Coley’s only experience calling plays on the college level came in 2007 when he was the offensive coordinator at Florida International under Mario Cristobal. Cristobal, fired by FIU in December, joined Golden’s staff earlier this month.
Coley, who will also hold the title of quarterbacks coach, steps into a pretty good situation at Miami. The offense returns 10 of 11 starters, including record-setting quarterback Stephen Morris and tailback Duke Johnson, the ACC’s Rookie of the Year.
UM ranked 49th nationally in scoring offense (31.42) in 2012 but scored 40 or more points in its last three games.
“Welcome Coach Coley … Lets get this started,” receiver Phillip Dorsett wrote Thursday on his Twitter account.
Coley is the sixth assistant to leave FSU since the season ended. Others who departed for new jobs are defensive coordinator Mark Stoops, running backs coach Eddie Gran, defensive ends coach D.J. Eliot, linebackers coach Greg Hudson and quarterbacks coach Dameyune Craig.
