By: JJ Lanier

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

If you had asked me three years ago to place a significant amount of money on which coach- Kirby Smart at Georgia or Mark Richt at Miami- would be the first to leave, I would have doubled down on Smart, no questions asked.

The storyline surrounding Richt was just too good; a well-respected coach returning to his alma mater in hopes of returning them back to national prominence. Oh well, sometimes the story has a Cormac McCarthy ending rather than a Disney one.

So, out goes Richt and in comes Diaz, freshly removed from a two and a half week “vacation” we’ll call it, as Temple’s Head Coach.

It’s always difficult to gauge how much of an impact a first-year coach, let alone first-time head coach will make, but the Miami native and former Broyle Award winner (college football’s top assistant) is as highly regarded as they come; very Kirby Smart-esque, if you will.

Being a defensive coordinator at heart- tell me if you’ve heard this before- it’s no surprise that one of Diaz’s most important decisions was who he brought in to be offensive coordinator. Diaz’s choice of Dan Enos as OC says two things:

1. Diaz has someone on that side of the ball he can trust to execute his vision. Enos has been around for a while and has enough experience as a coordinator that Diaz should know exactly who he’s getting.
2. Enos’ reputation has really been built off his success with quarterbacks, including Tua Tagovailoa this past season. This is vital considering what I’m about to bring up next.

Outside of the uncertainty Diaz brings as a coach the big question in Coral Gables, “Who will be the Hurricanes starting quarterback?” was answered in a very unexpected way.

Originally, the QB battle was thought to be a two man race between N’Kosi Perry, who started the back half of last season for Miami and Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, who is shaping up to be the greatest college quarterback never to play.

Instead, the job went to redshirt freshman Jarren Williams; someone both Diaz and Enos feel has the biggest upside of the three.

Normally when you have a new coach, offensive coordinator, and starting quarterback you try to temper expectations a bit. While that’s probably not a bad idea for the ‘Canes, their schedule is actually as favorable as they could ask for.

Outside of their season opener against Florida, their two opponents that should be the most difficult, Virginia and Virginia Tech, will both be played at home, in Hard Rock Stadium.

If Miami is able to at least split those two games, the rest of their ACC schedule sets up nicely for them to make a run at the Coastal Division title. The only other real stumbling block could be Florida State, but they have even more question marks than Miami.

With Diaz at the helm and the number of defensive starters Miami has returning, fans should feel pretty comfortable with that side of the ball.

If Enos and Williams can get the offensive side on track, a 9-3 season isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.

There’s a new regime, along with a renewed sense of hope in Miami, a sentiment they’ve gone through more often than not lately. It feels like this could be the start of something special for the Hurricanes and their fans, but I’ll stay away from any predictions; they normally don’t turn out quite like I expect.