Behind the Mic with Joe Zagacki
Spring football has wrapped up and before you know it the Canes will be back for fall camp. The end of Spring got me thinking that I will be coming up on my 30th football broadcast season. During those years I have had the good fortune of spending time during game week with every Hurricanes’ head coach: Howard Schnellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, Dennis Erickson, Butch Davis, Larry Coker, Randy Shannon, Al Golden and now Mark Richt.
The time is usually spent discussing some part of the game plan so I can properly relay it to the listener. Part of the job is seeing the game the way the coach anticipates seeing the game.
What’s so interesting about Coach Richt is no matter how long the visit is –15 minutes or 30 minutes – and the topic can range from the 4-3 defense Miami will see to anything else, when I walk out of his office I feel like I just got better.
Coach Richt has the ability that no matter who he is speaking to, he makes that person feel like those minutes were the most important minutes of his day. You get his undivided attention.
It’s been said the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher explains, the great teacher inspires.
When a current player, former player or a future player and his parents sit in his office they are getting the best from Mark Richt. That’s how he does it with everyone. So, when those players leave, they feel inspired – inspired to play well, perhaps inspired to be a better teammate or inspired to play for the Canes in the future.
During the spring I saw a team that wanted to compete and a team that wasn’t satisfied by last year’s results. In fact, I think they will be driven by how the season ended.
The other thing you see is Coach Richt is step and step with Athletic Director Blake James. They both want a first-class program. They both are willing to do whatever it takes to get Miami to be a championship program. It is their life’s work.
When the fall rolls around, I expect a more explosive offense. One that can strike quickly and more efficiently. I expect an attacking defense, hungry to force turnovers and wear the turnover chain.
Leaders like Jaquan Johnson, Shaq Quarterman, Mike Pinckney, Malik Rosier, Demetrius Jackson and Joe Jackson — and surely some I left out — I think are poised for a big year.
I think you’ll see a team motivated by its head coach.
