I don’t want to alarm the good folks of Athens, Ga., but your coach clearly is looking to get out.
Then again, that may be OK with all involved, anyway.
Georgia coach Mark Richt was asked Tuesday about his name popping up on candidates for the Miami job. And unlike the last time the job came open in 2010 and the former Miami QB shot down any notion of returning to his alma mater, this response had an eerie sense of, well, wanting.
“I don’t think much of it really,” Richt said. “I love my alma mater, the U. No doubt about it, but there’s been nobody calling or writing or texting or anything like that. So I’m sure they’ll find a great coach.”
A couple of things: When Richt was at Miami, it wasn’t the “U” — it was a program that was on the heels of nearly being shut down before Howard Schnellenberger took over. That statement from Richt is a clear message that he’s not only interested in Miami, but he’s interested in other jobs.
Richt is in the middle of his 15th season at Georgia, and is facing a critical game this weekend vs. Florida in Jacksonville. Win, and the Bulldogs control their destiny in the SEC East Division race and there’s a chance to salvage something from a season of lost expectations.
Lose and Florida all but locks up the East, Richt’s record vs. his bitter rival falls to 5-10 and Miami — or any other Power 5 job — suddenly looks like the prettiest girl at the prom.