South Beach took a hit this summer with the departure of Lebron James. Maybe there can be some solace in that if the Miami Hurricanes return to power.

When Al Golden took over as head coach for the Hurricanes in 2011, what was initially supposed to be a rebuilding project turned into one of the toughest jobs in college football.

The program got rocked with the Nevin Shapiro scandal and then self-imposed a two-year bowl ban. During that time the Hurricanes struggled to 6-6 and then 7-5.

Throughout that period, Golden still showed his ability to recruit, continually putting together Top 20 classes, and last year the Hurricanes jumped up to a 9-4 finish. But they were not close in any of their 4 losses last year, so it’s hard to say how much they could improve this year. And with the loss of quarterback Stephen Morris and leading receiver Allen Hurns, Golden has more work to do to keep building up the program.

Dec 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden yells on the sidelines against the Louisville Cardinals in the Russell Athletic Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

There’s plenty of new talent coming in thanks to the No. 12 recruiting class for 2014 on Rivals, and there are other guys ready to step in and fill the voids left by departing players.

To win the ACC Coastal, the Hurricanes will have to hurdle over Virginia Tech and Duke, both of whom stood in their way last year and return a good bit of talent this year.

If they are going to be in the mix, they’ll have to answer questions about the offense.