How Miami got Mark Richt to become its new coach

When Miami introduced Mark Richt as its new head coach last Friday, it capped a whirlwind five days in which the Hurricanes did everything they could to lock in their top target.

So how did Miami get its coach?

Seeds were actually planted back in October. Shortly after Al Golden was fired, athletic director Blake James reached out to Richt’s agent, Mark Carmony, to gauge whether Richt would have any interest in the job. James had identified Richt as his No. 1 target and already had a working relationship with Carmony, who also represents Miami men’s basketball coach Jim Larranaga. Carmony told James that Richt was happy at Georgia and not interested in leaving.

In the month that followed,…