Canespace

Thank U Mark Richt

It was a scene Mark Richt knew well.

Midway through a practice on Greentree last week, the Hurricanes were on the move, headed out of the elements and into the safety of the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility.

Once it became clear that move wasn’t part of the Hurricanes’ original schedule, but was happening because Miami’s lighting prediction system indicated conditions were ripe for a strike, Richt couldn’t help but feel a bit of pride.

The former Hurricanes quarterback and coach – now an analyst with the ACC Network, which was on Miami’s campus Friday as part of its preseason coverage for the upcoming football season – had not only helped design the facility the Hurricanes were now using, but was an integral part of helping it get built.

To now see that facility being used – in real time, as intended – was special.

“I can’t tell you how many times we had to go to the Wellness Center, put our tennis shoes on, start practicing in tennis shoes – which is no good – and then 15 minutes later, it would clear up and you could go outside, but it was too late. You’ve wasted time,” said Richt, who coached at his alma mater from 2016 through 2018. “Now, they never miss a day of preparation. And also, the benefits of an indoor being right next to your grass fields is the ability to start practice here, maybe do some drill work that would normally tear up your grass but doesn’t tear up your field turf. Then you can get outside, do your work, and come back and finish inside.

“And if lightning strikes, you take, what, a five-minute transition and then you’re back up and running? … When you see it functioning as you hoped it would function, it’s great.”

The Hurricanes, who were in the midst of preparing for their Sept. 1 season opener against Miami of Ohio during Richt and the ACC Network’s visit last week, opened the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility in August 2018.

One of the big reasons they were able to do that? The efforts of Richt, who along with his wife Katharyn, donated $1 million toward the construction of the 90,000-square foot facility.

But the financial investment was far from Richt’s only contribution.

The former coach spent countless hours helping design the facility, from researching the safety margins the building would need to allow the Hurricanes to practice at full speed to expanding the scope of the original project so that coaches’ offices could be built into the facility, along with some expanded team meeting space.

And on Friday, during his visit to Coral Gables, Richt shared more than a few moments with Soffer, whose family donated the lead gift that helped make the facility a reality.

Those moments, too, were memorable.

“Every time we’re in Miami, we always call Carol and try to set up a dinner, lunch or some time to spend with her because it became more than just a business relationship,” he said. “It’s a true friendship. We love Carol and we think she loves us, too.”

For Richt, connections like those are what make each return visit to Miami special.

As he made his way around the Hurricanes’ facility on Friday, he exchanged countless handshakes and hugs with former teammates, longtime friends and the new generation of coaches and players now wearing the same orange and green that have always meant so much to him.

The former coach had a front-row seat to Friday’s practice, and he took full advantage, soaking up the opportunity to see how the Hurricanes were faring in their preparations for the season ahead, and chatting extensively with Miami head coach Mario Cristobal.

“As an analyst, you don’t just see Miami. You see 13 other schools and as good as these guys are practicing, as hard as they’re working, I’m highly confident they’re on the right track and great things are on the way,” Richt said. “But there’s other teams that are doing the same thing and you get to see that up close as an analyst. You know there’s going to be some really good competition in this league. Miami’s got a lot of the ingredients you need for success and I’m proud to say they’re my school.”

Fan Fest and Scrimmage Are In The Books

What’s been a busy week for the Hurricanes ended Saturday morning at a place they know well: their home field at Hard Rock Stadium.

Miami, which is continuing to make its way through training camp, gave its fans a glimpse at some of the work that’s being done on Greentree with an open scrimmage that was held at the stadium as part of the Hurricanes’ annual CanesFest fan event.

Fans in attendance had the opportunity to watch – and cheer – some big plays from the Hurricanes, including quarterback Tyler Van Dyke  receiver Xavier Restrepo, running backs Mark Fletcher, Jr., and Ajay Allen along with defensive lineman Rueben Bain, Jr. and kicker Andy Borregales, among several others.

Here’s what head coach Mario Cristobal had to say after the scrimmage:

On the offense’s ability to put together multiple explosive plays:

“[The offense] got downhill in the running game, made some big plays in the passing game. Protection, we looked a little bit different up front with our size and power and just overall, really controlled the line of scrimmage and marched down, and did a nice job early, but a really nice counterpunch later by the defense.”

On the defense’s performance in the scrimmage:

“When the offense was good on first down, they were good all the way through. When the defense was good on first and second down, naturally, third down was a lot more difficult. They showed their athleticism on third down with some of the stuff they did and putting us in a tough situation.”

On the defense’s focus on creating negative plays:

“There were some times when we did and some times we were there to make a play and we didn’t make it. The biggest thing we’re emphasizing is really high, high effort, physicality, and playing smart. Being a Miami Hurricane, it’s supposed to be really, really cool to work hard, to play hard, to go max effort all the time. That’s what’s really cool. That’s swag, right? Being so confident that you played so hard that you’re not going to give in, you’re not going to give up. We have worked our way there. We’re having progress there, but we still have a long way to go.”

“Football is not a fashion show. We’ve got a lot of big, good-looking body types that are learning to play. And we have got to emphasize that. You’re not walking down a runway, right? You’ve got to put your hand in the ground. You’ve got to get to work. You’ve got to knock each other around. You’ve got to make plays, understand coverages, angles. That being said, we saw some of that happen today. Then we saw some other moments where there were lapses. This game’s very unforgiving. We’ve got to be more consistent.”

On the fans who came out to Hard Rock Stadium and were a part of Saturday’s practice:

“They’re awesome. Aren’t they awesome? We’ll see them now and get a chance to meet some of them, get some autographs signed and then we’ll go right back to the Hecht [Athletic] Center, jump on the film, correct it, go through walk-throughs tonight, get our meals, get right to bed, curfew. We’re in camp.”

Familiar Face Returns to Coral Gables

University of Miami head baseball coach J.D. Arteaga announced Tuesday the hiring of Rob Cooper as the director of program development.

“Rob thoroughly understands the intricacies to developing a program, having served as a head coach at both Penn State and Wright State over the last two decades,” Arteaga said. “He wore the orange and green as a player and coach and knows what it takes to get to Omaha on a consistent basis. I couldn’t be happier to welcome Coop and his family back home to the University of Miami baseball program.”

Cooper returns to his alma mater after spending the past 10 seasons as the head coach at Penn State. Under his tutelage, the Nittany Lions had 14 players drafted with MLB organizations over his final six full seasons.

In 2022, Cooper led the Nittany Lions to their first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2012. Penn State earned the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament, picking up a 5-2 win over No. 3 seed Iowa to open postseason play.

After taking over the program ahead of the 2014 campaign, Cooper doubled the Nittany Lions’ win total in just three seasons, leading Penn State to a 28-27 mark in 2016.

During his tenure in State College, Pa., Cooper helped the Nittany Lions become the first NCAA Division I team to compete against a Cuban National Series team, the first U.S. team at any level to defeat a Cuban National Series team, the first U.S. baseball team to play in Cuba since restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba and the fifth NCAA Division I baseball team to compete in a post-revolutionary Cuba when Penn State traveled prior in 2015.

“I am beyond grateful to J.D. for the opportunity to return to my alma mater,” Cooper said. “This University and baseball program mean a great deal to me and my family. I am excited to help J.D. and the incredible staff he has assembled carry out his vision for Hurricanes baseball. Time to get to work.”