Right arm of QB Kaaya key to Miami’s hopes

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Mark Richt and Brad Kaaya hit it off quickly when they started forging a relationship, which is the first good sign for the Miami Hurricanes.

Of course, neither has seen the other under fire — yet.

That’ll change soon enough. Richt, the former Miami quarterback, is now the Hurricanes’ coach because 15 successful years at Georgia didn’t merit a 16th with the Bulldogs. His fortunes this season are probably tied to the right arm of Kaaya, the brilliant junior quarterback and undisputed leader of a program that went 8-5 last season but hasn’t enjoyed a bowl win in a decade and still is looking for its first Atlantic Coast Conference title.

“Brad is really fun to coach,” Richt said. “Real smart. Coachable. Teachable. That guy is as coachable of a guy as I’ve been around. He loves football. He loves his teammates. He is a very nice person.”

He’s also eager for a breakthrough 2016.

The Hurricanes aren’t the Hurricanes of lore anymore, now 15 years removed from their last national title and entering a season where expectations aren’t exactly high. But few would argue that Kaaya isn’t good enough to carry Miami closer to the top. While he’ll have a decision after this year about whether to go pro, he’s insisting that his sole focus is leading the Hurricanes back to the upper echelon of the ACC.

“That’s the plan as of right now. Right now it’s a Coastal (division) and ACC championship,” Kaaya said. “You can say all the things you want about Miami and all the championships we’ve won getting back to years past. One thing we’ve never done is won an ACC championship and a Coastal championship. That’s our goal for the season, yes.”

Here’s what to know about Miami:

For as good as Kaaya is, there are serious depth issues. The offensive line is very thin, and if Kaaya goes down Miami would face huge problems. Miami should be able to score in bunches, though the defense is still suspect. And the penalty problems that embarrassed the Hurricanes a year ago simply can’t be back; Miami isn’t good enough to give tons of yards away again. All that said, they can win the Coastal. The pick here is a 9-3 season, if all goes right.