CORAL GABLES — Al Golden delivered a strong message on Wednesday's National Signing Day: The University of Miami needs to stand up and be counted.
"It's time we start acting like the University of Miami Hurricanes," he said, "and stop having an inferiority complex."
That statement was meant to resonate in Gainesville and Tallahassee, homes to Florida and Florida State, respectively. They were in Golden's cross hairs Wednesday, even though he didn't call them by name.
"Guys took a shot at us; they did," he said, setting his jaw, referencing what he feels was negative recruiting from rival schools. "That's OK. Get your licks in now. That's how I feel."
Overall, Signing Day was a day for UM fans to celebrate, and Golden led the parade. Hired as head coach in December 2010, he secured his first full recruiting class, and it was a doozy.
Most national recruiting services rank the Hurricanes' class among the nation's top 10.
"I'm probably a little surprised that we're ranked as high as we are," Golden said.
Scout.com has the 'Canes at No. 8 nationally because of outstanding signees such as defensive back Tracy Howard of Miramar (Fla.) and defensive end Dequan Ivery of Lake City (Fla.) Columbia, a pair of top-notch players whom UM didn't secure until Signing Day.
Howard is ranked as the No. 4 defensive back in the nation by Scout.com, which means he's a tremendous talent. But he's also a huge signing because he's local.
"To beat out Florida, to beat out Florida State for this kid when they weren't even in the ballgame two weeks ago tells you a lot about this staff and what they did," said Charles Fishbein of www.EliteScoutingServices.com.
UM's class is considered good largely because it filled needs — specifically at cornerback, safety, defensive line, wide receiver and quarterback — and it did it with quality, local players.
Scout.com has UM with two five-star players and six four-star players, which trails many of the other national top 10 schools. But the 'Canes snagged 11 three-star players, and many were local, which should open doors for the future.
For UM, it's vital that the school re-establishes itself as the dominant team in the tri-county area of Miami-Dade, Broward (Fort Lauderdale) and Palm Beach counties.
Golden, and national recruiting services, think that mission was accomplished.
"I think we made our team better today," Golden said.
But it didn't happen by accident.
Golden, in fact, said this was "probably the most grueling six or seven weeks as a recruiter" in his 17 years in the coaching business. He and his staff worked harder than ever.
Miami is coming off a scandal-plagued 6-6 season and still faces NCAA sanctions. And Golden said those looming penalties played a role for other schools.
Golden claims UM was "absolutely crushed by our opponents" with negative recruiting. He said sometimes it entered the "realm of vicious," even as recently as Wednesday.
According to Golden, most of the negativity came from in-state schools.
"They saw a soft spot and they took it," Golden said of those unnamed schools. "They went after it."
Hmm.
Undoubtedly, the most interesting element to come out of Signing Day wasn't UM's national ranking, or how many in-roads it made with local schools. That's been documented, and it'll take years to see the ultimate results.
The most interesting element of Signing Day was Golden's competitiveness, and how he used the occasion to set a tone for the future. He stopped just short of picking a fight with rival in-state schools.
It was also curious that Golden, who came to UM from Temple, used the term "inferiority complex" twice Wednesday when talking about Miami. He seemed to think the 'Canes undersold themselves in past years. His overriding theme of the day was that UM needs to get back to being the big boys in the state.
"Are we not supposed to beat Alabama down here?" he asked rhetorically. "Are we not supposed to beat Florida and Florida State down here?"
Golden, on a roll, said every day he sees reminders of the five national titles UM has won.
"That's what we're trying to get back to," he said. "Add all those guys (the in-state schools) together, they don't have five rings. Let's be proud of who we are."
Golden was trying to send a message Wednesday. We'll see if the folks in Gainesville and Tallahassee are listening.
