ESPN’s David Pollack explains what went wrong for Miami

ESPN analyst and College GameDay host David Pollack joined College Football Live after Miami’s third loss of the season to explain what has gone wrong for the Hurricanes. After entering the season as a Top 25 team, Miami has fallen to 2-3 with losses against Alabama, Michigan State and Virginia.

With the only two wins coming against Central Connecticut State and at the buzzer against Appalachian State, there is no way to sugarcoat the early struggles of Manny Diaz and his Miami squad.

“It’s interesting, we had this conversation last week on GameDay,” said Pollack. “Kirk talked about the AD, the president, everybody buying in and making football a priority and that they haven’t really done that. So that’s part of the equation. Obviously, Manny Diaz is gonna garner some of the attention. It’s just so different to watch Miami over the years and we’ve wanted them to be back so many different times, but the talent level isn’t what we’ve seen in the past.”

Pollack spreads plenty of blame across the top of the Miami program with criticism for everyone involved, except the players on the field. Despite his frustration with the lack of talent, he views that as a staff issue, whether it involves better recruiting or better development within the program.

Absence of D’Eriq King

Pollack believes one undeniable downfall for Miami early this season has been the lack of playtime for star quarterback D’Eriq King, who has dealt with injuries. While King papered over many of the holes in the offense with elite playmaking, his absence has exposed every crack in the wall.

“I think last year [King] masked a lot of different issues with this offensive line,” said Pollack. “And now coming back off his ACL being banged up then getting his shoulder banged up, he isn’t able to perform at that high of a level. Listen, they’re a transfer destination. You see so many people transferring in left and right at some point they’ve got to build some culture and recruit at a high level and try to get this thing rolling again.”

While Miami’s playoff dreams are nothing but a distant memory, the team still has plenty to play for as it looks to get back on track. The program needs drastic improvement from every level of the organization and it needs to come quickly, before the hot seat starts to reach uncomfortable temperatures.