Miami has always been a special place for Clint Hurtt. Louisville, too, for that matter.
Hurtt endeared himself to many University of Louisville fans in 2011 when, after UofL had defeated Kentucky 24-17. he noted the cockiness of some Louisville players in practice the following week: Reminding them, “Get real. It was only Kentucky.”
Hurtt was among the more popular assistants while Charlie Strong was head football coach at the University of Louisville. Friendly, approachable and relentless on the recruiting trail, Hurtt was effective in luring Miami high school players. At one point, UofL had almost 30 players on the roster from south Florida.
Hurtt was the defensive line coach at UofL from 2010 through 2013. Among his best recruits was a young quarterback named Teddy Bridewater from Miami Northwestern High School. Teddy would help turn UofL’s football fortunes around before heading to the NFL after his junior season.
Hurtt was a former player and an assistant coach at the University of Miami, leaving the program to join Strong just as the NCAA was focusing on recruiting violations at his old school. He was expected to stay in Louisville, to join Bobby Petrino’s staff, but the Chicago Bears came calling before the 2014 season.
The Miami Dolphins recently hired former Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase as their head coach. A blogger who follows the Bears reported that Gase wanted to offer Hurtt the defensive line coach position and a chance to return to Miami. The Bears, however, were wanting Hurtt to stick around and are expected to try to keep him.
Hurtt has to be giving Miami some serious thought, with temperatures hovering in the teens in the Windy City.