On the latest CanesInSight podcast, Mike Ryan said Miami’s athletic director search appears to be narrowing, and he pointed to a new name with real traction: Brian Herbst.
DMoney said he had heard the process might be moving toward a candidate, or even a short list of one, based on information from last week. He added that he had not received a fresh update, but the sense he got was that the search was moving fast and could reach a conclusion soon.
Ryan said he had since confirmed with sources at Miami and at NASCAR that Herbst is among the finalists for the AD job. He described Herbst as a respected figure in NASCAR circles and said Herbst helped negotiate a major media rights deal there, involving multiple partners and most prominently FOX, which Ryan noted is tied to the Big Ten.
Ryan also said Miami’s current leadership seems comfortable handling the conventional parts of the athletic director role, pointing to the extensions for Jai Lucas and Mario Cristobal and the school’s Nike deal. In his view, the bigger issue for Miami is media rights, and that may be the area the university wants its next AD to address.
At the same time, Ryan stressed that nothing is finalized and said Miami is still looking at other candidates. He said Herbst came into the picture late, after another candidate being considered may have indirectly put Herbst on Miami’s radar.
Ryan added that people in NASCAR think highly of Herbst, that he is younger, and that the move from his current position to Miami would be unusual because he has no real Miami ties. Still, he said Herbst is a name to watch and may have momentum now.
The conversation then shifted to the Protect College Sports Act and the lobbying battle around it. DMoney said Miami’s leadership is working hard on the political side, while Florida senators have come out strongly against the bill. He also brought up Jim Phillips, the ACC commissioner, and asked about his role.
Ryan said he had heard Notre Dame was behind the original poison-pill language that would have forced any school leaving its conference to wait six years as an independent. He said that was later changed to three years, which he described as not much of a compromise because of the money a program would lose by missing even one year.
Ryan then said the push is now being driven by Phillips, not Notre Dame. He noted Phillips does have Notre Dame ties, but said the commissioner is the one trying to make things difficult for the three or four ACC programs valuable enough to draw interest from the SEC or Big Ten if the market ever opened up.
DMoney said Florida’s political power could make a difference if the state stays united, and he argued fans care about the issue because they are also voters. He said people want certainty around NIL, which is why the bill exists, but added that realignment is already beyond reversal. In his view, that makes realignment the easier target for a state like Florida trying to influence the debate.
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Miami Fans Are About To Relive One Of The Programs Best Looks
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Wake Forest Exposed A Miami Problem The Hurricanes Can't Ignore
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Zechariah Poyser and Damon Wilson II both said the coaching staff has kept the focus on those basics as Miami turns toward Central Michigan. It is the kind of correction period every team talks about in September, but for the Hurricanes it carries a little more weight, since the margin for defensive sloppiness narrows fast once conference play gets closer. [Read more 🡒]