Florida State and Miami will play their first matchup of the 2024-25 season on Wednesday, but the opposing sideline won’t feature Jim Larranaga for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Larranaga shocked all of college basketball by stepping down as Miami’s head coach on December 26th after getting off to a 4-8 start with losses to Mount Saint Mary’s and Charleston Southern.
Leonard Hamilton was asked about Larranaga’s decision to step down in an ACC Zoom call on Monday morning and ahead of Wednesday’s game.
READ MORE: Former FSU Star Jalen Ramsey Makes Decisive Miami Dolphins Career Statement
“Jim has demonstrated that he’s a class act. He’s a guy who thinks things through,” Coach Hamilton started. “I’m sure the decision didn’t come as a knee-jerk reaction to anything particular. I’m sure it came with a lot of thought over a longer period of time and for him to have the courage to stick with his convictions and what he believed is the best thing to do, not only for his team and for the university, players that have played for him before (and it) is to be tremendously respected. I talked to very few coaches who really don’t feel some of the similar things that seems to have been on Jim’s mind. It’s just where we are. I don’t see anything coming in the future that will eliminate the reasons why he made the decision that he did, and I think I have a lot of respect for him for how he did it.”
Advertisement
Coach Larranaga cited things like exhaustion and the ever-changing NIL market as reasons for stepping down. Coach Hamilton is in his own hot water with NIL after six former players sued him last week over alleged promised NIL money that was never delivered. So Hamilton can relate to some of the issues Larranaga was dealing with.
Larranaga isn’t the only ACC coach to make a shocking untimely retirement, as Virginia’s former coach Tony Bennett stepped down about a month before the season started. Leonard Hamilton was already the longest-tenured head coach in the ACC by a mile with 23 seasons in Tallahassee, with Clemson’s Brad Brownell in second with 15 seasons, but the third-longest tenured coach in the ACC after Larranaga’s and Bennett’s retiring is now Kevin Keatts at NC State, who started in 2017.
Florida State and Miami will play in Coral Gables at 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
READ MORE: FSU Basketball Picks Up First ACC Win of Season, Beats Syracuse 90-74
Stick with NoleGameday for more FREE coverage of Florida State Basketball throughout the 2024-25 season
Advertisement
Follow NoleGameday on and Twitter, Facebook,Instagram, andTikTok
• Florida State Adds FCS Quarterbacks Coach To Off-Field Staff
• Florida State Lands Explosive Tennessee Wide Receiver Transfer Squirrel White
•Florida State Secures Veteran Memphis Linebacker Transfer Elijah Herring
•Former FSU Defensive End, Seminole Legacy Transferring To Third School In Three Years
USA TODAY Sports’ Christian D’Andrea breaks down the top cornerback studs, sleepers and deep sleepers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 2026 NFL Draft will be held Thursday, April 23 through Saturday April 25 in Pittsburgh, and the Miami Dolphins have needs at many positions.
The Dolphins could use players at cornerback, guard, safety, defensive end/edge and wide receiver and/or tight end.
Advertisement
The Miami Dolphins hold 11 picks in the draft, including 11th overall (first round), 30th overall (first round), 43th overall (second round) and three third-round picks.
The second first-round pick was acquired in a deal of Jaylen Waddle to Denver.
First-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and first-year coach Jeff Hafley have replaced Chris Grier and Mike McDaniel.
In previous mock drafts conducted this year by our Joe Schad, the selections have been:
Mock 1.0: CB Mansoor Delane, LSU
Advertisement
Mock 2.0: CB Jermod McCoy, Tennessee
7-round mock draft: Mansoor Delane, LSU
3-round mock draft: Mansoor Delane, LSU
Here is mock draft 3.0 from Joe Schad:
2026 NFL Mock Draft
Advertisement
NFL Draft visit: Miami Dolphins to host Ty Simpson, may draft another QB
Salary cap woes: New Dolphins GM wants to take ‘pay as you go’ approach to finances
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting involving one of its deputies in southwest Miami-Dade.
Assistant Sheriff Fernand Charles Jr., speaking at a press conference, reported that at approximately 3:30 p.m., a call was received about a firearm threat at a park located at SW 216th Street and 113 Avenue.
When deputies responded, they found a group of four juveniles at SW 222nd Street and 112nd Avenue. According to Charles Jr., a confrontation ensued, and one of the deputies discharged his weapon, striking a 15-year-old boy.
Advertisement
The subject was grazed in the ankle, and he was transported by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in stable condition, Charles Jr. said.
Charles Jr. added that police recovered a firearm with an extended clip near where the teen was struck.
The three other teenagers were taken into custody by police. It is unclear what charges they will face.
