For myriad reasons -- ties to the school, looming NCAA sanctions at his current school -- Al Golden has been mentioned repeatedly as a viable candidate to replace Joe Paterno at Penn State.
Golden has consistently denied any interest in the job, saying he’s happy in his current situation with the Hurricanes. Friday evening, the school confirmed steps have been taken to make their football coach even happier.
In a release, Miami announced that they have reached an agreement with Golden on a four-year contract extension. While no financial particulars were given, Golden’s deal will now run through Feb. 1, 2020.
“I look forward to working side-by-side with Coach Golden for many years,” said athletic director Shawn Eichorst in a statement. “Al has done a fantastic job of rebuilding and solidifying the foundation of our football program while fostering success both on and off of the field. He has been a first-class representative of our University and I am confident that with Al leading the way, our future is very bright.”
“My family loves it in South Florida, we have embraced the community and we could not be more excited about the future of the Miami Hurricanes football team,” said Golden. “I can’t thank President Shalala and Shawn Eichorst enough for their support and commitment to our student-athletes and staff. We are ready to hit the recruiting road and begin our preparations for the 2012 season.”
Golden is 6-5 in his first season at Miami, but the Hurricanes are trailing Boston College 24-14 midway through the fourth quarter of the regular season finale.
The team will not play in a bowl game following the 2011 season, self-imposing a postseason ban earlier this month ahead of any sanctions that may be handed down by the NCAA.
