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Head Coach: Mark Richt
Total number of commitments: 17
Mark Richt taking the University of Miami football coaching job and returning to his alma mater was universally hailed as the best hire of the offseason.
“Cane legacy, accomplished coach, recruiting chops,” wrote CBS Sportsline’s Dennis Dodd, who was so impressed that he ranked Miami No. 13 in his first 2016 poll.
All Miami assistants — including interim coach Larry Scott and 31-year Canes veteran Art Kehoe — weren’t rehired.
Many players decommitted, new players were recruited, and some old players recommitted, like Lake Worth outside linebacker Zach McCloud.
“It’s hard in general when the new coach takes over two months before signing day,” said David Lake, who follows Hurricanes recruiting for 247Sports. “The biggest thing the coach has to do is keep the class together, and I think (Richt) has done a very good job of that.”
Even though he could have recruited 20-22 players, Richt was selective.
“What’s interesting is that he’s not a guy to take numbers for the sake of taking numbers,” Shodell said. “He’s not gonna take guys unless they’ll be successful in his system. With Al Golden, you heard of Plan B and C and D guys. With Mark Richt, there’s Plan A guys or bust. He’s not going to fill up a class with a few extra scholarships. Each player is worth more than one percent of the team with 85 scholarships, so you can’t make too many mistakes.” Get access to the rest of this article and unlimited access to the rest of ACCSports.com when you upgrade to Premium Access! Click on the button below to view all the benefits of becoming a Premium Access member.Get the rest of the story right now with Premium Access!
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