’Canes ‘in better hands’

Now a TV analyst, Richt opens up on decision to retire

ORLANDO — As the Miami Hurricanes wrapped up the first half of their spring game on Saturday afternoon, Mark Richt was in somewhat unfamiliar territory.

He wasn’t on the sideline, calling plays as he’d been for the Hurricanes a little over four months ago when the 2018 season ended in New York after an ugly 35-3 loss to Wisconsin. And he wasn’t in Miami, where he’s still living since abruptly announcing his retirement on Dec. 30, just three days after that game.

Instead, he was in the press box at Camping World Stadium relishing his new role as a TV analyst and turning the tables on the reporters around him.

“So,” he smiled, “Who do you all think should be the starting quarterback?”

For the better part of last season, that’s a question Richt had to answer on a nearly weekly basis as Miami struggled to a 7-6 record and he alternated between signal callers Malik Rosier and N’Kosi Perry, neither of whom capably led the offense.

And while on Saturday, Richt wouldn’t go so far as to say Miami’s offensive woes sped up his decision to retire, he did acknowledge he felt his decision was best not only for him, but for his alma mater, too.

“I just thought it was the right time to do that. There’s no easy time to do it, for sure. Especially when you’re the head coach,” Richt said Saturday, shortly after being introduced as an analyst for ESPN’s new ACC Network, which will launch in August. “If you’re not the head coach and you make a decision to not coach anymore, it’s not quite as big of a deal as when you’re the head coach and there’s a lot of people that are counting on you. That’s the hardest part — how it affected other people.

“Actually, when I left Georgia — and they kind of helped me out the door — everybody kind of gets it. We’ve got to let it go and we’ll all go find a job. If the head coach decides to retire from coaching, it affects people the same way. … It was just. … I felt it was the right time for me, as a person. And, I felt like Miami would be in better hands. So, I did it because I thought it was the right time for me and I also felt like it was going to be good for the University, which is my alma mater, obviously.”

He later added, “I just felt like, me knowing it was time for me to not do it anymore, I didn’t want to fake it. I didn’t want to just do it for the money. … I felt like, for me, to know it was time for me to stop coaching, it was just obvious that it was going to be good for everybody.”

In the months since Richt’s retirement, much has changed at Miami.

His former defensive coordinator, Manny Diaz, is the Hurricanes’ new coach. All of the offensive coaches Richt hired were fired. And Diaz has reshaped Miami’s roster, seeking out high-profile transfers he believed will help the offense function better, including, most notably, former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell.

On Saturday, Richt said that while he didn’t speak to Miami athletic director Blake James about his replacement, he couldn’t help but think Diaz was a natural fit and he noted the two have spoken in the weeks since both of their lives changed.

“I knew he’d be a strong candidate only because I think it was obvious he should be,” Richt said of Diaz. “It’s not like I had a conversation with Blake, like ‘Who’s next?’ [With] what Manny had done throughout his career and at Miami most recently, if I was the AD, he would have been the first guy I’d have talked to. I think he’s a great [fit]. I’m really happy for him, and for everybody. Life goes on. Those guys are out there practicing ball and they look great and it was fun to watch.”

As to why he chose to become a television analyst, Richt said joining the ACC Network was a way to stay close to the sport that has shaped his life. Before his three years at Miami and 15 seasons at Georgia, he spent 11 seasons at Florida State — an ACC school. And as a player, of course, he was a reserve quarterback at Miami.

He also said being a television analyst would give him the flexibility to spend more time with his family, including his wife Katharyn, their children and grandchildren.

Asked if he ever saw himself returning to coaching, Richt said right now, that wasn’t in his plans. He did say potentially joining the College Football Playoff Committee, if asked, was intriguing.

For now, though, he says his focus is on his family — and becoming the best television analyst he can be.

He also expects big things from his former program.

“It was a great ride, a great blessing and I do think Miami got better as a program,” Richt responded when asked about his time as Hurricanes coach. “And it’s in a good position to continue to be great again.”

Richt