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Bye-bye, Butch Assistant Coker takes Miami's reins on interim basis
On Monday, the Cleveland Browns hired University of Miami coach Butch Davis as their new head coach. CNNSI.com spoke to Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel about what kind of impact Davis' sudden departure will have on the Hurricanes program. CNNSI.com: Despite Davis' numerous statements that he was staying, this move really isn't a surprise, is it? Maisel: No. The school has had a five-year contract extension on the table for a while now, but Davis was haggling over the size of the buyout clause; he just kept hemming and hawing and wouldn't commit to the deal. It was always fascinating to hear Davis protest that no one believed him when he said he wasn't interested in the NFL, and this is just the last and most solid piece of evidence why that was the case. And the fact he left nine days before signing day is just unconscionable as far as Miami is concerned. The Hurricanes athletic department is doing the smart things to arrest the damage. My understanding is that Larry Coker, the offensive coordinator, will be named interim head coach, and we'll have to wait and see how many assistants Davis decides to take with him to Cleveland. I understand that Pete Garcia, who is Davis' director of football operations, is going with him in some sort of personnel capacity. And I guess we'll find out shortly who else. CNNSI.com: Why the Browns job? And does Davis have the proper demeanor and approach to be a successful NFL coach? Maisel: Davis and the Browns have been talking in earnest, from what I hear, for a week to 10 days. We all forget that Davis had a long and successful apprenticeship with Jimmy Johnson in Dallas. So the reason he is appealing to NFL teams, in particular a club like Cleveland, is that he helped build the Cowboys from 1-15 to three-time Super Bowl champions. So in that sense he's got the résumé. And clearly Davis never did anything to dissuade NFL teams from talking him up -- his protests to the contrary. CNNSI.com: Where does Miami turn? Maisel: It's interesting because before Davis was hired in 1995, Miami officials talked long and hard to Jim Tressel, who just took the Ohio State job, and another guy who was always an obvious candidate was Mark Richt, who is now Georgia's coach. I think one name that is going to come up, and the Hurricanes also talked to him back in 1995, is Barry Alvarez. The new president of Miami is Donna Shalala, who will take over June 1. Shalala was president of Wisconsin before she went into the Clinton Cabinet in 1993, and she and Alvarez remain very good friends. But given the timing, Coker is probably the leading candidate. What athletic director Paul Dee will have to decide is, Is this the best guy I can get right now? And if so, the administration will have to back him 100 percent, which these days means a five-year contract. CNNSI.com: How will this affect the progress the Hurricanes have made in reclaiming their national status? Maisel: Any coaching change is never good, but just the fact that Coker is the guy who's built this offense and Chuck Pagano has been promoted to defensive coordinator, it's not like it's a total change. With those guys there, you have to figure that Miami will be going in the same direction. Sports Illustrated senior writer Ivan Maisel covers college football for the magazine and is a frequent contributor to CNNSI.com.
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