Mark Richt is a legend in Athens. He was the head coach at Georgia for 15 years and won two SEC titles while in charge of the program. Richt however didn't retire at the end of his Georgia career as he went south to coach at Miami for a few years.
Richt never found the same success at Miami as he did at Georgia, but he did lay the groundwork to help the Hurricanes find the success they are today.
Georgia legend Mark Richt is still helping Miami
Richt was only the coach at Miami for three years. Most people would assume that he didn't have enough time to have a major impact on the trajectory of their progam, but that is not actually the case.
During his time at Miami he made a point to visit local youth teams. This gave him a chance to become a known figure in the community and get as many kids interested in Miami in one of the hottest recruiting grounds in the country.
That strategy, for better or worse, has worked as seen in the below picture where Richt is pictured with Malachi Toney.
When @MarkRicht took the Miami job, he made it a point to visit the local youth teams. It wasn’t necessarily going to pay off during his tenure, but he did it for the long-term health of the program.
— CanesInSight (@CanesInSight) January 13, 2026
The young man to his left is still throwing up the U. Malachi Toney. pic.twitter.com/4UGww9LwTW
Toney is a freshman wide receiver for the Hurricanes who has had a tremendous season. So far this year he has recorded 99 receptions, 1,089 yards and nine touchdowns. That not only is one of the best seasons this year from a freshman, but from any wide receiver in the country.
Toney is from Miami, and Richt visiting him as a kid at his practice could have played a small role in him choosing to stay home and play for the Hurricanes. And who knows how many other kids out there are thinking about going to Miami because Richt made a good impression on them when he was the Hurricanes head coach.
Richt will always be a Georgia guy. That is the program that he loves the most and Georgia fans will always admire him as well. But this strategy he used while he was the head coach at Miami is helping the Hurricanes today, and that could cost Georgia a recruit or two in the long run.