Miami booster kicks off social media campaign to fund for Hurricanes
Miami booster Marcus Lemonis, the CEO of Camping World, launched a Twitter campaign Saturday to raise money for the Hurricanes. He vowed to donate $250 to the university for every retweet he received up $3 million.
To reach that amount, Lemonis would need a total of 12,000 retweets.
The fundraiser comes after news broke Friday that the Hurricanes are prepared to hire Dan Radakovich from Clemson as their next athletic director. They parted ways with James Blake on Nov. 14, and many believe the move to be linked to the football program’s lack of success.
Many believe that coach Manny Diaz will be the next to go following a 7-5 finish in the 2021 regular season.
In three seasons under Diaz, Miami has never failed to make a bowl game. However, aspirations from fans and administrators are much higher, as they believe they belong among the country’s best. Despite a winning record (21-15) with the Hurricanes, it seems all but certain that he is gone.
After claiming five national titles between 1983-2001, Miami has made one major bowl game in the past decade (the Orange Bowl in 2017). Its last conference championship came in 2003, when it was still a member of the Big East. The Hurricanes have managed just one 10-win season since 2004, which came in 2017 under Mark Richt.
Diaz was the third Miami football coach in Blake James’ tenure, and the second hire that he made. Unlike the previous hire in Richt, he had no head coaching experience.
Lemonis isn’t the only Miami booster to attempt to provide the program with a big-idea campaign. Fellow booster Dan Lambert started a “Bring Back The U” program for the 2021 season that offers $500 per month to every scholarship player on Miami’s roster. The hope is to help attract recruits who can help the program return to its glory days.
Radakovich has yet to officially be announced as the next athletic director of the Hurricanes. However, once he is, rebuilding the football program will become his top priority. Could that start with a new head coach?