In the aftermath of Miami’s kinda, sorta stunning decision to dismiss Randy Shannon as their head coach, numerous high-profile names have been mentioned as potential replacements.
One of the more prominent names being bandied about during the early portion of what’s being called a national search is current Georgia head coach Mark Richt. The Miami Herald, in fact, has gone so far as reporting that Richt, along with former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach, are at the top of UM’s wish list.
On the surface, the speculation makes some sense. Richt, after all, was a quarterback at the school in the late seventies and early eighties. He also has coaching experience in the state, spending a combined 16 years as an assistant at Florida State.
The only problem with the rumors? Richt has no desire to leave what’s been his home for the past ten seasons.
“I don’t think it’ll be a distraction because I have the same answer for that as I had for the other one,” Richt said, referring to his name being connected to the opening in Colorado earlier this month. “Georgia’s my home and it’s where I wanna finish my career. ...
“It’s like I’ve been saying: Georgia’s my home and that’s where I want to be. I don’t think I’ve gotta go any farther than that.”
So, barring Richt’s boss backing off his public stance of complete support for his current head coach, and Richt having a change of heart from what he is stating publicly, you can officially cross the UGA coach’s name off the list of potential Shannon replacements. And that’s assuming he even belonged there in the first place, of course.