Richt having ‘a lot more fun’ as ACC Network analyst
CORAL GABLES — As former University of Miami football coach Mark Richt walked around UM’s Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility on Monday, he reflected on what the facility that he played significant part in making sure was built meant to him.
“Obviously had a lot to do with this as far as the planning,” Richt said to reporters about the facility he donated $1 million of his own money toward. “[Athletic director] Blake James, [deputy athletics director Jennifer] Strawley, our administration were great about wanting to know what I wanted it to look like and what needed to be done.
“I had a close, personal relationship with Carlos Padron, the superintendent of the project. I literally walked the yard every single day before I went home with Carlos. All the little things that are so important to make it just right, they allowed me to do and it came out great.”
Richt — who was Miami’s head coach from 2016-18 before he retired from coaching — was visiting the Hurricanes with the ACC Network, where he has served as a football analyst since the 2019.
He was on campus for the network’s “ACC Football Road Trip: Miami” programming that aired Monday night one hour before the first part of the network’s “All Access with Miami Football” docuseries, with the second part scheduled to air on Sept. 1.
“It’s a lot more fun,” Richt said about being an analyst after coaching for over 30 years. “It was fun coaching, believe me, but it’s a different kind of fun. The competition phase of football is kind of the overriding factor.
“The time it takes to do what I do now compared to coaching is night and day. But I do get to keep my mind on football and get a chance to see some great kids grow up and do great things.”
Richt, who announced in early July that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, gingerly walked around the practice facility while wearing a black polo with the Hurricanes’ logo on it.
“It feels great,” he said. “You see my U on my chest. Probably should’ve asked my producer [if ]
I can wear it, but I figured since it’s my alma mater it’s going to be OK. It was good medicine to come here and see everybody. Obviously a lot of players I recruited. To just see the building, [coach] Manny [Diaz] and his staff, it brought back a lot of good memories.”
And being back around the Hurricanes and watching them practice allowed Richt to reflect on Diaz’s growth as a coach,
saying he “always felt like Miami would be a great fit for coach Diaz and he’d be a great fit for Miami.”
Diaz served was UM’s defensive coordinator during all three seasons Richt was at the helm of the program.
“I always knew Manny was head coaching material,” Richt said. “He was also a guy who could see the big picture and when I had to make decisions even while we were here together, I’d run things by him because I trusted his judgement.
I knew he was destined to be a head coach.”
Richt also gave his thoughts on Miami’s chances to upset Alabama, the defending national champions, in their season opener on Sept. 4 at MercedesBenz Stadium in Atlanta.
“One thing I believe is any team that’s going to [beat] Alabama has got to have a great team period, but they got to have excellent quarterback play,” he said. “If you don’t have a great day at that position, you got no chance. We know D’Eriq King is a special player and it looks like his rehab has gone tremendously well.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt he’ll be playing in that game. He’s confident in his ability to move, change direction and play the physical game of football. They’re embracing the challenge of it. That’s a big part of winning those games — believing you can do it.”
Richt added that King is the kind of player UM was missing during his tenure as coach.
“For the most part, we became an immature group of guys in the quarterback room,” he said. “King coming in solved all those issues.”
Richt said he sees Miami, along with North Carolina and Pittsburgh, as the favorites to win the ACC’s Coastal division.
The Tar Heels were picked as the favorite to win the division in the ACC’s preseason media poll, with the Hurricanes coming in second and the Panthers picked fourth behind Virginia Tech.
“All these teams got quarterbacks that can play,” he added. “Whoever wins the close ones between Pitt, North Carolina and Miami, I think will represent.”