Sports Illustrated: Miami has narrowed their list to four candidates

quote:

---

Miami: The mystery at Miami is simple: Who, really, is in charge? Will athletic director Blake James make the hire? How much input will come from the board of trustees? Or what about the search committee the school announced it was using on Nov. 16, which includes "Heisman Trophy winner Vinny Testaverde?"

There's a sense that Miami has narrowed its field. It would be surprising if the next coach didn't come from a group that includes Butch Davis, Rob Chudzinski, Dan Mullen or Greg Schiano. There's a lot of sentiment for Davis, which is curious considering the NCAA issues in his program at North Carolina and the NCAA issues Miami is attempting to distance itself from during the Nevin Shapiro scandal. Chudzinski and Schiano both have ties to Miami's glory days, with Chudzinski having the advantage of deeper roots at The U and Schiano having much more head coaching experience. Could Miami afford Mullen, who makes more than $4 million a year at Mississippi State? It's reasonable to expect Mullen to make an average of more than $4.5 million the next five years in Starkville, factoring in bonuses and escalators. (And let's face it, it's cheaper to eat at Little Dooey in Starkville than Joe's Stone Crab on South Beach.) Can notoriously spendthrift Miami, which struggles to draw crowds, step up and pay that much?

Mike Shula's name has also popped up here, but he's thought to prefer the NFL, where he is quietly thriving as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator. (Former Hurricanes star Ken Dorsey is the quarterback coach there and could be an attractive coordinator candidate at Miami.)

---