UM officials on Wednesday were finalizing a deal to make former Hurricanes quarterback Mark Richt Miami's next coach, according to multiple sources.

Nothing was signed as of 4 p.m., but three sources --- including a high-ranking UM official --- said Richt told Miami he was taking the job.

The sides were hoping to finalize an agreement by Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

A source said UM came up with "Southeastern Conference money" to lure Richt. He was making more than $4 million a year at Georgia, which is in the range of salary for SEC coaches, with some earning more.

Richt was expected to sign a deal for at least four years in length, possibly longer.

The source said Miami always was his first preference, contrary to an ESPN report that said he leaned toward Virginia.

The sides have been in conversations for the past two days, with UM athletic director Blake James making clear to Richt that Miami wanted him.

"This is a great day for Miami," said one UM official who was informed that Richt is coming to Miami.

We were first to report on Twitter in the past hour that Miami was optimistic about a deal being struck with Richt, and Peter Ariz was first to report that a deal was expected to get done.

Richt, 55, emerged as UM's No. 1 target as soon as Georgia announced on Sunday that he would not return next season.

Richt, who played quarterback at UM from 1978 to 1982, won between 10 and 13 games in his 14 full seasons at Georgia and was 9-3 in this, his 15th season.

He was 145-51 at Georgia and the Bulldogs finished in the top 10 seven times during his tenure.

A high-ranking UM official said Richt fills all the boxes: successful, proven, untarnished by any scandal, an excellent recruiter who has lured top players from South Florida.

Richt plans to be very involved in UM's offense, a source said. He said Sunday that he plans to call the plays in his next job.

Richt intends to find someone qualified to fix the defense, though it would surprise associates if Georgia defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt came along with him to Miami.

Miami might now be in play for some of the players who had orally committed to Georgia, with the Bulldogs' class rated sixth by Rivals.com.

That recruiting class includes Washington-based Jason Eason, rated the No. 1 quarterback in the country by Rivals.com. Eason, a Georgia committment, visited Florida this week.

UM was prepared to hire one of three other men --- Greg Schiano, Dan Mullen or Butch Davis --- if Richt declined the job.

One UM official said if Richt had turned Miami down, he expected Schiano would have been the hire, though Mullen was also under consideration.

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