’Canes poised to add Simpson to Richt’s staff
A little more than a week after losing defensive line coach to Alabama, it appears the Hurricanes have settled on his replacement.
Miami is expected to name former Atlanta Falcons defensive assistant
its new defensive line coach soon.
Before joining the Falcons, Simpson spent a year as the defensive line coach and assistant head coach at Georgia State in 2016. Before that, he was one of the most well-known, successful high school coaches in Georgia, leading Buford High to seven state championships.
That knowledge of the Georgia high school football landscape will surely be an asset on the recruiting trail as — the former Bulldogs coach — continues working to build a pipeline from the state to Coral Gables.
During each of its last two recruiting classes, the Hurricanes have pulled some high-profile talent south from Georgia, signing running back
and receiver
But this past weekend, that wasn’t the only thing Richt said he wanted in a defensive line coach.
Speaking at an All Pro Dads event at Miami, Richt noted it was important to find a coach that would fit in with the family-like atmosphere he’s tried to create on his Hurricanes staff.
“If you remember my hiring process the first time around, and I’ve said it a million times, the goal is not to be the fastest. The goal is to be right. I want to make sure we bring in the right person,” Richt said. “The good news is there’s a massive amount of people that want to be here. It’s a great destination job and we have a lot of people that are really interested, even though it is an awkward time of the year. … Now we have to find the best guy for the job, but there’s a lot of great men out there that want this job. I just have to make sure we bring in the right person as far as his ability to coach, as far as the type of person he is, his character, can he recruit and does he really want to do things the way I like to do things. That’s important, too. I want him to fit in the fabric of our staff.”
The Hurricanes are set to open spring practice on March 20.
ESPN will continue to showcase the Sun Belt Conference for the foreseeable future thanks to a new deal that extends the network's current contract with the league through 2027-28.
The current deal was set to expire after the 2019-2020 season.
Under the new arrangement, 500 events in 18 sports will be broadcast starting in 2020 on ESPN’s networks or as part of ESPN+, the company’s new direct-to-consumer sports streaming service that will be launching this spring.
ESPN will feature a minimum of 10 football games, including the newly created Sun Belt conference championship game which will be on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2 each year, beginning with the inaugural game in 2018.
The network will also showcase a minimum of six men’s basketball games and the conference championship game.
“The continuation of our agreement with ESPN marks one of the most historic announcements since the Sun Belt’s founding in 1976,” Sun Belt Conference Commissioner
said in a statement. “This is truly an ‘all in’ collaboration with ESPN, the Sun Belt, and our member institutions and the volume and accessibility of our games will have a profound impact on the future of the Sun Belt.
“We have enjoyed a long relationship with ESPN since its founding in 1979 and we look forward to being featured on its newest platform, ESPN+, which promises to revolutionize how fans of the Sun Belt and all of college sports watch their favorite teams in action.”
No financial details were available but the new deal is expected to provide a financial boost for the league which reportedly paid its members on average $100,000 per year under its current media rights contract.
The American Athletic and Mountain West conferences are both in negotiations with their current contracts due to expire at the end of 2019-20.