James Coley is Miami’s New OC

By Carlos Pineda
SouthernPigskin.com

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The Miami Herald is reporting Miami native James Coley will become the Hurricanes' next offensive coordinator.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Less than a week after the departure of offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch to the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, it appears Miami head coach Al Golden has found his new offensive play-caller.

The Miami Herald is reporting Miami native and Florida State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach James Coley will become the Hurricanes' next offensive coordinator. Coley spent the past five seasons at FSU, including the past three years as offensive coordinator. Despite serving as the offensive coordinator, Coley set the weekly game plan, while head coach Jimbo Fisher handled the play calling duties.

"We’re excited about adding James Coley’s leadership, expertise and passion to our staff and Miami Hurricane Football,” Golden said in a statement. “I’ve been an admirer of his offenses' output and execution, his commitment to student-athlete development as well as his relentless approach to recruiting Dade and Broward counties."

Known as an outstanding recruiter in the South Florida area, Coley will make a reported $500,000 at UM, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He earned a salary of $335,500 for the Seminoles. Coley, an FSU graduate, spent six years coaching high school football in Miami at Miami Senior High and Miami Norland (1997-2002), before spending two years as a graduate assistant at LSU.

Coley will reunite with former FIU head coach Mario Cristobal, who was hired as the tight ends coach at Miami a few weeks ago. Coley spent one season as FIU's offensive coordinator in 2007 under Cristobal prior to joining the FSU staff the following year and serving as the recruiting coordinator during his first two years.

Coley grew up blocks from the Orange Bowl stadium on Northwest 4th street and 18th Avenue.

"As kids in that community, that was our playground, hide and seek and running onto the field and throwing the football," Coley said during the Orange Bowl press conference. "...The bright side of a working-class neighborhood was the games on Saturdays, the games on Sunday when the Dolphins were there."

Coley is the sixth FSU assistant to depart Fisher's staff and takes over a Miami offense that finished 37th nationally in total offense (440.1 yards per game) and 49th in scoring (31.4 points per game). Senior quarterback Stephen Morris threw for career-high 3,345 yards during his junior campaign.

“Coach Coley will be a great asset to the University of Miami and we welcome him, his wife Kenia and their two children back to South Florida,” Golden said.