Mark Richt and his coaching staff have compiled a list of commitments for the Class of 2016 that was ranked as fourth in the country when he was fired at UGA.
Now that he is at Miami, what does that mean for those players who are committed to UGA?
“Recruiting is not over until it is over,” Richt said.
Richt said he wanted to assess the class that is committed to the Hurricanes. For instance, there’s already a commitment from a highly rated quarterback on board.
But then Richt said something that speaks to several layers of his personality. That’s his competitive fire, his will to win, but also the high road he always seemed to take as coach at UGA.
“I’m not going to keep a young man from calling me and saying I am interested and I want to visit,” Richt said. “I am not going to steal the board and all that.
“The goal truly is for the young men to find the best place for them. And if the best place is the University of Miami, then I’m not gonna try to talk them out of it.”
What does that mean for some of UGA’s highest-rated commitments? What does that mean for five-star UGA quarterback commitment Jacob Eason? What does that mean for the recruits in South Florida that have either committed to UGA or who were seriously targeted by his old team?
That’s three-star UGA commit Malek Young of Coconut Creek High School in Pompano Beach. There’s also four-star defensive end Brian Burns out of highly touted American Heritage in Plantation.
“The goal really is for these young men to find the best place for them,” said Richt, who can’t begin recruiting until he’s cleared by the NCAA, which should happen quickly.
Cane QB ready: Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya can't wait to start getting to work with Richt.
The 6-foot-3, 210-pound sophomore was excited after Richt had a short meeting with Miami’s football team at 8 a.m. Friday.
“(Richt was) a real calm dude,” Kaaya said. “He didn’t walk in there boastful or extraordinarily confident. He was just a real calm guy. Very respectful. Very humble. I think that is great for our team. It is great for all the guys we have in our building. Just knowing that he respects us and wants to earn our respect. To me, it was just how genuine he was and how real he is. That aspect right there is what our team really needs.”
Kaaya is trending to be a three-year starter at Miami, and his name is coming up on way-too-early mock drafts for the Class of 2017. He knows about Richt’s work with former No. 1 NFL Draft pick Matthew Stafford.
In the short team meeting at Miami on Friday, Richt shared a base understanding of his offense with the players.
“One of the things he mentioned just schematic-wise he is not going to do anything that is too tricky or confusing,” Kaaya said. “He’ll throw a few curveballs here and there with a few trick plays and formations, but his whole deal was just lining up and getting guys to play fast and not have to worry about thinking out there. Just line up. Here’s the play and go execute it. It is good for our guys and good for the personnel that we have. I haven’t heard one negative thing about him.”
A quick call: Why did Miami sweep in so fast after Richt?
“We knew we had to act quickly,” Miami athletic director Blake James said. “Mark Richt wasn’t going to stay on the shelf for long. There are not many great jobs out there, and he’s a great coach.”
James would not discuss the search for Richt in detail. He would not also discuss the specifics on his salary.
“Mark’s salary is very fair based on the investment and the expectations we have in our program and the market we compete in,” James said. “If you want to compete to be the very best, then you have to go get the very best and we went and got the very best.”
He said he knew Richt was coming Wednesday night. They spoke on the phone.
“He told me that he wanted to come home and be a part of our Hurricane family and meet our young men on our football program,” James said. “I couldn’t have been happier.”
James detailed that he contacted Richt “right away” earlier in the season when they made their change by firing Al Golden on Oct. 25 on the heels of the worst loss in school history.
He said he reached out to see if there was any interest at that point. At that point, Richt was still very much committed to UGA. It was still a few more days before another disappointing loss to Florida in Jacksonville.
“When that change came on Sunday, I picked up my phone and made that call right away,” James said. “As I said to these guys earlier, when you are the established coach and great leader and great person that Mark Richt is, he’s not sitting on the shelf.”
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