If the behind-the-scenes chatter about Kirby Hocutt is true -- that his immediate family never took to South Florida, and he wants to be close to his extended family in Texas -- you can fully understand his decision to leave his job as the University of Miami's athletic director to take the same position at Texas Tech.
It makes perfect sense to everyone but UM conspiracy theorists.
Hocutt, the 39-year-old Texan who is considered a rising star among athletic directors, only spent 2 years at Miami. He hasn't yet explained his decision beyond a statement released by UM. Efforts to reach Hocutt were unsuccessful, and, predictably, the voicemail on his cell phone is full.
"It was a very difficult decision to make," Hocutt told the Miami Herald Friday, hours after the announcement was made.
Maybe it was a difficult decision, but maybe not.
We all know there's a huge difference between living in Lubbock and Miami, and there's a Grand Canyon of a difference between rearing children in Lubbock and Miami.
The chatter from those close to UM says the Hocutt family much prefers Lubbock. And they prefer Lubbock by a Grand Canyon margin.
Beyond that, Hocutt's dream job, according to that same chatter, is to be the athletic director at Oklahoma, where he once served as associate AD. Being at Texas Tech makes for a smooth transition to OU, a fellow Big 12 institution.
But the UM conspiracy theorists don't believe that. They don't believe anyone would leave a sun-splashed football factory in Coral Gables for the dusty plains of Lubbock. So they've concocted what they think is the 'real' story.
The top two conspiracy theories:
--Hocutt didn't get along with UM president Donna Shalala. It's always fashionable to assume this when an athletic director leaves, but there's no indication it's true in this case. In fact, Shalala and others made a last-ditch appeal to keep Hocutt, which, according to one source, meant matching Texas Tech's money.
Shalala only became irked, the source said, when Hocutt refused to stay. But Shalala trusted Hocutt so much she followed his advice to fire football coach Randy Shannon, something she didn't favor because Shannon graduated players, and they didn't get in trouble.
Don't believe the Hocutt-Shalala rift theory.
--The triumvirate of former UM quarterback Bernie Kosar, former UM running back Alonzo Highsmith and big-money booster Paul DiMare -- one of the nation's largest tomato growers and a South Florida mover and shaker -- were getting a bit too powerful. This one is interesting because it has all the elements a good conspiracy theory needs.
As this version goes, the Kosar-Highsmith-DiMare trio, shall we say, 'encouraged' Hocutt to fire Shannon in December, hours after a disappointing loss to the University of South Florida. They were the ones who raised the buyout money.
And the trio, ahem, 'supported' hiring Al Golden, the former Temple coach now charged with resurrecting the once-mighty football program.
As this conspiracy theory goes, Hocutt left because Kosar, Highsmith and DiMare were now trying to wield power in other areas (there was no response to a voicemail left on Kosar's cell phone).
It's a juicy theory. And according to people close to the program, the part about backing Shannon's firing, raising the buyout money and backing Golden's hiring is all true.
But Hocutt didn't leave because this clan was trying to wield too much power. It's simply not true.
So here's another theory about why Hocutt left Miami:
Hocutt seemed intent on staying at Miami. A few months ago he turned down overtures from Kansas. But then the right job, the Texas Tech job, came along.
The draw of the Texas lifestyle is very strong. UM football fans don't have a clue about its gravitational pull.
Hocutt is a West Texas/Midwest guy. He was born in the small town of Sherman, Texas, located about an hour north of Dallas and about 300 miles east of Lubbock. He graduated from Sherman High School. His parents and a sister live in McKinney, about 40 minutes north of Dallas.
Hocutt played football at Kansas State. He was athletic director at Ohio University. Everything about him screams West Texas/Midwest.
UM fans remember a couple of scrappy Texas Tech alums who played for the Miami Dolphins -- linebacker Zach Thomas and wide receiver Wes Welker. But Texans such as Hocutt, who grew up with the old Southwest Conference, remember Texas Tech defensive lineman Gabe Rivera, a.k.a. Senor Sack.
They remember the tradition of throwing tortillas on the field. They remember when coach Spike Dykes packed his homespun wisdom and folksy style and left Midland Lee High School for Texas Tech. They know dinner at The 50 Yard Line Steakhouse in Lubbock is just as symbolic as Cuban coffee at Versailles Restaurant in Miami. Texans love that stuff.
And, more than anything, a Texan such as Hocutt knows in Lubbock, Texas Tech football is King. It's always King (OK, there was a time when coach Marsha Sharp, All-American Sheryl Swoopes and the Lady Red Raiders basketball team ran the town, but those days are long gone).
UM football only rules South Florida when it wins national titles. Otherwise, the 'Canes are always a significant No. 2 behind the Dolphins. And sometimes, such as now, UM football sits at No. 3, way behind the star-studded Miami Heat.
Face it, it's tough for any college team to compete against the NFL. And it's almost impossible to compete against the Big Three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It was the same way years ago when Shaquille O'Neal was in town.
UM fans are rolling their eyes and cursing right now. They don't care about tortillas, Spike Dykes, or anything along those lines. They just want to collect national titles and party.
And that's a big part of the reason the Hocutt family is leaving Miami for Lubbock.
