UM athletics changes way it does business

The pursuit of Mario Cristobal — and everything about this wild, ruthless but necessary reboot for Miami Hurricanes athletics — didn’t simply reflect an adjustment in how UM operates. It represented a seismic change in every aspect of how the Hurricanes do business, and who’s now calling the shots.

According to multiple people briefed on how the past two weeks unfolded, the Hurricanes athletic program not only gained access to far more money from school coffers than ever before, but the school also essentially handed the keys to a new cast of power-brokers, while politely keeping the old guard at a comfortable distance.

UM’s pursuit of Cristobal and Clemson athletic director Dan Radakovich

has been mostly a fourperson show led by president Julio Frenk’s two trusted lieutenants — chief of staff Rudy Fernandez

and UHealth CEO Joe Echevarria — and two billionaires who sit on UM’s Board of Trustees: cable entrepreneur and soccer mogul Jose Más

and auto magnate Manny

Kadre, who is UM’s vice chairman. Más and Kadre are big UM donors.

Board of Trustees chair Laurie Silvers, who appeared during Cristobal’s introductory news conference, was also involved throughout, as was Board of Trustee member David Epstein. We’re told both were supportive of the moves over the past week.

But the fingerprints of Fernandez, Echevarria, Más and Kadre — with Frenk’s blessing — were on every single decision UM made in this unusual coaching search, one conducted with the job still filled.

Más and Kadre offered their jets — Kadre’s was used in the simultaneous courtships of Cristobal and Radakovich.

That quartet — with Frenk’s approval — executed the pursuit of Cristobal (overtures initially were made in mid-November) and decided to do it without first firing Manny Diaz, a decision Fernandez declined to explain on Tuesday.

Why was the coach hired before the athletic director?

“We had to make a decision very quickly [on the coach],” Fernandez said. “That window of opportunity opened very quickly and was going to close very quickly. We had a unique opportunity to bring someone who has had great success at a Power 5 level and is one of the top three recruiters in the country and is uniquely tied to our program.”

It certainly didn’t hurt that Más and Cristobal had a close friendship.

And the fact Frenk empowered Fernandez and Echevarria to assess the state of athletics after

Kirk Herbstreit’s rant about the “U” on ESPN — one of several developments that led to AD Blake James’ ouster — made it easier for them to execute their plan.

That quartet (Fernandez, Echevarria, Kadre, Más) worked to ensure that money was available not only to entice Cristobal with easily the biggest contract in UM history but also significantly increase the assistant coaching budget to more than $8 million. And they essentially shepherded UM into the world of big-time, big-spending college athletics.

Fernandez emphasized Tuesday that the decision to allocate more financial resources for athletics was entirely Frenk’s, and that he and Echevarria did not need to convince him to do it.

So where’s all this new money coming from to pay Cristobal’s 10-year, $80 million deal, his $9 million Oregon buyout, a Diaz buyout topping $4 million and the best assistant coaching staff that $8 million-plus can buy?

To this point, from the UM coffers, which have been augmented by enormous profits from UM’s health system.

So far, UM hasn’t needed anything from Más, Kadre, deep-pocketed donor John Ruiz or any booster or trustee to pay for Cristobal.

Fernandez insisted that no UM health system money was directly going to athletics. “Under Julio Frenk, his financial stewardship of this university [has] put us in a position where we are very healthy financially,” he said.

UM’s athletic program is now taking a page from its health care playbook.

Echevarria, Kadre and local businessman and philanthropist Stuart Miller — an influential Board of Trustee member who has donated more than $200 million to the university over the years — took a faltering health system and made it profitable.

They want to use the same model for UM athletics, and Frenk is onboard, hoping the additional funds will build Canes athletics back into a national powerhouse.

The business model is simple: Spend money to make money.

One source put it this way: By pumping an additional $30 million into athletics, UM is banking on a big return, as the UM brand, which has withstood 15 years of mediocrity, becomes more attractive again and enjoys the financial windfall that should follow.

Fernandez explained it this way in a chat with The Miami Herald: “Football makes money and has always made money. Football helps subsidize every other sport. We also analyzed projections, did some analysis as to what we could expect to get from a fantastic hire in Mario Cristobal.

“You guys attend games. That stadium was half full. If we get the stadium to 90 percent, 100 percent capacity [more revenue will result]. Football has been making money. And it’s going to make a lot more money. We believe the football program will generate the revenue to pay for these expenses.”

Echevarria, Kadre and Miller have found a willing partner in Más, who has assumed some of the power previously afforded to both Epstein and a separate old guard of longtime Trustees who were essentially kept at arm’s length in this process.

There was nothing about this plan that was run by the full Board of Trustees.

UM is open to using money from donors to finance assorted projects (including additional facility upgrades) and have their businesses assist athletes — under parameters of the NCAA’s new Name, Image and Likeness rules. The administration is not averse to using donors’ money on coaching salaries if it’s ever needed.

An agreement was reached mid-afternoon Sunday — Cristobal conveyed to UM he was onboard — but UM withheld an announcement on Diaz’s firing for 18 hours to give Cristobal time to inform Oregon players on Monday.

Alex Mirabal, Oregon’s offensive line coach, is expected to join Cristobal’s UM staff. Former LSU and Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady is among those in the mix for UM’s offensive coordinator job.

Is Fernandez optimistic that a deal is close with Radakovich to be athletic director?

“I’m always optimistic,” Fernandez said. “We’re big fans of Pat Riley. We’re out whale hunting. We hold Dan in very high regard.”

If Radakovich surprisingly decides not to join UM, the Hurricanes are expected to pursue New Mexico AD Eddie Nunez and Colorado athletic director Rick George. There would be UM interest in Alabama AD

Rick Byrne, but there’s no indication he would leave Alabama.

Former UM greats

Alonzo Highsmith and

Gino Torretta were strong candidates for the AD job, but UM decided it preferred to hire a career administrator over a firsttime AD.