Former ’Cane hired
Rumph, of American Heritage fame, on cornerback duty.
Mike Rumph — one of South Florida’s top high school football coaches — is headed to his alma mater.
The former Hurricane, who helped lead American Heritage to back-to-back state titles in 2013 and 2014, is joining Mark Richt’s staff at Miami where he will coach cornerbacks, Patriots athletic director Karen Stearns told the Sun Sentinel on Monday.
The school formally announced his hire later in the day and also announced that former Virginia Tech offensive line coach Stacy Searels would coach the same position at Miami while former Mississippi State defensive assistant Ephraim Banda would take over as safeties coach.
Also Monday, Tennessee announced it had hired former interim Miami coach Larry Scott to coach its tight ends, and late Sunday, Georgia announced it had hired former Hurricanes offensive coordinator James Coley as its new receivers coach.
Scott and Coley had expressed an interest in remaining at Miami after Richt was named the school’s new coach.
Rumph, meanwhile, will coach players at the same position he played on the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship team. The former Atlantic High standout finished his Miami career with 167 tackles and six interceptions.
This past season, he was voted the Sun Sentinel Class 5A-4A-3A-2A Coach of the Year after leading the Patriots to a 10-2 record and a berth in the regional finals. He
amassed a 34-6 record in three years at Heritage, where several of his former players including running back Sony Michel, were recruited by Georgia while Richt was in Athens.
And last month, when Richt was hired as the Hurricanes’ new coach, Rumph had high praise for the man who will now be his boss.
“He’s a choice where they hit the nail on the head,” Rumph said in December of Richt. “He’s a coach that’s been so successful, a South Florida guy that’s going to recruit well and Miami’s been waiting for that name, that guy that’s going to come out and change the culture back to what we had in the past. It’s a tremendous move.”
Now, Rumph, a former first-round draft pick of the 49ers, will be a part of that change moving forward.
With his deep ties to South Florida, Rumph is expected to make an impact on the recruiting trail for the Hurricanes, whose 2016 class is currently rated 18th in the nation by 247Sports.com
At Heritage, where Rumph met with Patriots players on Monday to tell them of his new job, news of his departure was bittersweet.
“We’re all pretty excited for him. He’s a big part of our family,” Stearns said. “And it’s a big deal for Mike. He was my first hire when I took over here and it was definitely a great one. … Everybody’s so excited for him, he’s excited to go back and being an alum is huge. The exciting part for us is he’s in our backyard.”
Stearns said she spoke with Rumph on Sunday about his move to Miami and said the search for a new coach will begin soon.
“We’re going to look for what is best for our kids. That’s always been my focus,” she said. “If we keep our standard of what best fits for our kids and American Heritage, we’ll be fine. [Rumph] put together a really great program and built a foundation and we want that foundation to continue. If we go along those lines of what over the last three years we’ve built here, we’ll find the right fit.
Searels joins the Miami staff after coaching at Virginia Tech, Texas, LSU and Georgia, where he worked with Richt from 2007-10. Banda, meanwhile, spent the 2015 season at Mississippi State with new Hurricanes defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. He also previously served as a defensive assistant at Texas, where he also assisted with special teams.
Brady leaving Miami
While the Hurricanes wait for junior receiver Stacy Coley to decide whether he’ll return to Miami for his senior season or declare for the NFL draft, the team does know it’s losing two veteran receivers in redshirt senior Rashawn Scott and senior Herb Waters.
On Monday, they lost another receiver when sophomore Tyre Brady opted to leave the Miami program, making one of Miami’s thinnest positions even thinner ahead of spring practice.
Brady, who was suspended for the Hurricanes’ season opener as well as the final three games of the season, is transferring, the school announced Monday. The sophomore played in eight games, starting three this past season. He finished with 112 receiving yards and one touchdown.
“I have met with Tyre and we both agreed it would be the best decision for him and his future to move on as he is looking for a better opportunity to play,” Richt said in a statement released by the school. “I wish nothing but the very best for Tyre as he continues to develop as a person and as a student-athlete.”
Hamilton decommits
In recruiting news, South Dade running back Jawon Hamilton announced on Twitter he was breaking his verbal pledge to attend Miami and is considering offers from other schools.
With Hamilton’s decommitment, the Hurricanes have just one running back committed ahead of next month’s National Signing Day — Oxbridge Academy’s Travis Homer.
Miami returns several talented young backs next year in rising juniors Joe Yearby and Trayone Gray and rising sophomore Mark Walton. Also expected back is veteran Gus Edwards, who suffered a season-ending foot injury during training camp and was granted a medical redshirt.