'Canes downgraded by several factors

The Miami team that arrives at The Swamp on Saturday won't be confused with the defending national champions that last visited Gainesville in 2002.

That team, led by veteran quarterback Kenny Dorsey and future NFL stars Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson, Jonathan Vilma and Vince Wilfork, beat Florida 41-16 en route to their second straight national title appearance.

This team, coming off a 5-7 season, will start a quarterback playing his first career game (redshirt freshman Robert Marve) and field a group of talented, but inexperienced players. As a result, the Hurricanes are heavy underdogs against a Florida team ranked fifth nationally with returning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow starting at quarterback.

Miami has not appeared in a BCS bowl since 2004, and failed to make a bowl game last season for just the second time since 1984. More rebuilding is projected in Randy Shannon's second season as Miami coach.

Here's a look at some of the factors that have contributed to Miami's recent slide:

Recruiting

Miami was supposed to reap recruiting benefits after winning a national title in 2001 and coming within a questionable call of another title in 2002.

The recruiting classes since have been rated high, but have lacked the dynamic playmakers on offense and defense that led the Hurricanes to five national titles between 1983-2001.

"I think sometimes, it just doesn't transfer," said former Miami coach Larry Coker, who was fired following the 2006 season after leading the Hurricanes to their fifth national title. "You look at a guy like (Florida receiver) Percy Harvin, well, how many Percy Harvins are there out there in college football. Maybe one. Maybe two."

Larry Bluestein, a football recruiting analyst in the South Florida area for more than 30 years, said the Hurricanes were hurt by a down cycle in high school talent in Dade County in the mid-2000s. The players that could have been difference makers, Bluestein said, didn't pan out.

"You take a look at (linebackers) Willie Williams, Nate Harris, those were two impact players they signed that never really made it," Bluestein said. "Harris has legal issues and transferred to Louisville. Williams ended up going to Louisville, too."

Another player who never displayed his full potential was former Miami quarterback Kyle Wright, who suffered through injuries and inconsistency after being rated with Chris Leak as one of the top two high school quarterbacks in the Class of 2003. Wright, from Danville, Calif., had the size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds) and arm strength of an NFL quarterback. But after throwing 18 touchdowns in his first season as a starter, Wright slumped to just 20 touchdowns and 21 interceptions in his final two seasons on campus.

"On film, Kyle Wright was the best quarterback I ever saw that came to Miami," Bluestein said. "He could make throws to any spot on the field. But what happened? His first year as a starter, the offensive line was terrible and he spent the entire season on his back. Then, when the line eventually got better, he had no receivers that could catch the ball. So his problems I think were more of a product of the team around him.

"Miami hasn't had a legitimate playmaking receiver since Sinorice Moss left in 2004. It shouldn't happen at a school like that, but that's the reality."

Coker, who now works as an ESPN color football analyst, was questioned for not locking down more south Florida players during his tenure as coach. But Coker said he was merely following a recruiting strategy that had helped Miami establish its winning tradition.

"When Howard Schnellenberger won Miami's first national title, his quarterback (Bernie Kosar) was from Ohio," Coker said. "We had eight starters from out of state on our 2001 national title team. Jeremy Shockey was from Oklahoma. Ed Reed was from Louisiana. We tried to do the best we could to keep kids close to home, but we had to recruit nationally, too."

The ACC

Miami's move to the Atlantic Coast Conference was designed to generate more revenue for its non-revenue sports and increase an already high national profile.

But it hasn't translated to success on the football field. Since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hurricanes are 30-19 overall and a pedestrian 16-16 in the league.

When Miami moved from the Big East, it was expected the Hurricanes and state rival Florida State would contend for the league title every year. But Miami has yet to even appear in an ACC title game.

"It is a little bit surprising, given the history of the program," said Bill Hass, who writes a weekly column for the theACC.com after covering the league for 36 years for the Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record. "I know before joining the league, there was some off the field issues they were trying to address, and I just think the talent level has dropped off a bit."

Hass also said Miami joined the league at a time when other schools throughout the league were starting to improve their football programs.

"Florida State had set the bar so high," Hass said. "It took a while, but eventually, everyone else started to catch up."

Coker acknowledged there was a slight adjustment when Miami began playing in the ACC. In their first-ever ACC game, the Hurricanes won easily at Georgia Tech 27-3. But Miami went on to suffer a stunning 31-28 road loss at North Carolina, followed by a 24-17 homecoming loss in overtime to Clemson in the Orange Bowl.

"I would say, top to bottom, it was probably a deeper league than the Big East," Coker said. "Don't forget, Virginia Tech moved with us the same year, and then Boston College moved into the league. Those were two of the better programs in the Big East at the time."

Miami's records in the ACC have gotten progressively worse, going 3-5 in the league in 2006 and 2-6 last season. Meanwhile, schools such as Wake Forest have taken advantage of the exposure that Miami joined the league provided in recruiting. The Deamon Deacons, ranked No. 20 nationally in both polls, currently have 20 players from the state of Florida on their program.

"(Wake Forest coach) Jim Grobe has done a great job there," Coker said.

NFL defections

Miami lost two more underclassmen (defensive end Calias Campbell and safety Kenny Phillips) to the NFL Draft this past offseason. The Hurricanes have lost nine underclassmen to the NFL Draft since 2004, whittling away at the program's veteran experience and depth.

"It's just very disappointing, when you see an underclassmen go in the second round, the fourth round," Coker said. "I'll give someone my blessing if they are a first-round pick. But a guy like Devin Hester, he went in the fourth round, and he probably won four games for us his last season. Frank Gore went in the second round and he's the best running back I had seen outside of Barry Sanders.

"Now on the other side, Bryant McKinnie and Jeremy Shockey could have been first-round picks following the 2000 season, but they came back and we won a national championship the next year. Sometimes, you need things like that to happen."

Despite the most recent NFL defections, there is optimism Miami will return to prominence under Shannon. The Hurricanes brought in the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the nation according to Scout.com this past offseason, following a 13th-ranked recruiting class in Shannon's first year as coach. Shannon has connected with Miami's inner-city high school talent because of his background as a former high school and Hurricane star from Liberty City.

"I don't think they are as far off as people think they are," Coker said. "They recruited an outstanding quarterback (Robert Marve) and I think he's going to make a big difference. They've got athletes all over the field that can play."