Donna Shalala
The U Part 2
“History has a way of repeating itself.”
2014
1h 42m
Director: Billy Corben
Overview
Part 2 picks up where the original film left off, with the program trying to recover from the devastation left by NCAA sanctions and scandals that had some calling for the school to drop football. The Hurricanes rose from those ashes to win another national championship, only to face new controversies when a booster used a Ponzi scheme to win favor with the program.
Cast
Reviews
4 min readThe Ghosts of the Orange Bowl
I keep thinking about the way Billy Corben’s The U Part 2 opens—not with a roar, but with a whisper. The camera lingers on the empty seats of the Orange Bowl, the sun bleaching the concrete, the wind rustling through the stands like a half-remembered chant. It’s a ghost story, really.
Not of the team that once filled those seats, but of the idea of Miami football itself: something glorious, something tainted, something that refuses to stay buried.
This is a documentary that understands its subject isn’t just a football program, but a living, breathing contradiction. The University of Miami Hurricanes of the 2010s weren’t the swaggering, gold-chain-wearing outlaws of the 1980s and ’90s—the ones who turned the Orange Bowl into a nightclub and the NCAA rulebook into kindling. They were the kids who inherited the ashes of that legacy, who had to decide whether to rebuild the fire or let it die.
Corben, ever the Miami chronicler, doesn’t just document that struggle; he lets it breathe, lets it ache. The film’s greatest strength is its refusal to simplify. Revival isn’t redemption.
Success isn’t absolution. And in Miami, history has a way of repeating itself—just ask the guy running the Ponzi scheme.
The first The U (2009) was a wild, kinetic ride—a celebration and a cautionary tale rolled into one. It was about excess, about a program that played by its own rules until the rules finally caught up. Part 2 is quieter, more introspective. It’s not about the fall this time; it’s about the climb back.
Audience Opinions
Broad evidence
Audience 7.0/10
"A well-received but niche documentary sequel that delivers on its promise of chronicling the Miami Hurricanes' turbulent post-scandal resurgence, though it may feel overly familiar to viewers who followed the original film closely."
Viewers generally agree that *The U Part 2* (2014) effectively picks up where its predecessor left off, documenting the University of Miami football program's struggle to rebuild after NCAA sanctions and scandals nearly derailed it. The film captures the Hurricanes' dramatic rise to another national championship, only to face fresh controversies, including a booster's Ponzi scheme that further tarnished the program's reputation. Audience reactions highlight the documentary's ability to balance triumph and turmoil, though some note it lacks the shock value of the original. The inclusion of key figures like Donna Shalala adds credibility, but the story may feel repetitive to those already familiar with the team's history. latestnetflix.com's view is that Streaming availability on Netflix has made it accessible to a broader audience, though its appeal remains strongest among college football fans and documentary enthusiasts.
What viewers praise
- Compelling narrative of resilience and controversy The film effectively chronicles the Miami Hurricanes' journey from scandal to redemption, culminating in another national championship, while also exposing new controversies like a booster's Ponzi scheme.
- Strong documentary storytelling Viewers appreciate the film's ability to balance triumph and turmoil, making it engaging even for those less familiar with college football.
- Accessible streaming options The documentary is available on Netflix, making it easy for audiences to watch and stream.
Common complaints
- Lacks the shock value of the original Some viewers feel the sequel doesn't deliver the same level of surprise or revelation as the first film, making it feel less impactful.
- Niche appeal The documentary's focus on college football may limit its audience to fans of the sport or the Miami Hurricanes, rather than a broader viewership.
- Repetitive for informed viewers Those who closely followed the events covered in the film may find the storytelling overly familiar.
Recommended for
College football fans, particularly those interested in the Miami Hurricanes Documentary enthusiasts who enjoy sports narratives Viewers who appreciated the original *The U* and want to see the story continue
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsThe booster showed up a year late. ESPN still built the sequel around him.
Billy Corben sat in an editing bay days before air and put the line on tape for Miami New Times. Nevin Shapiro only got involved with the University of Miami in 2002. He jumped on the coattails of the 2001 title team. People try to taint that roster with the stench of this guy, Corben said, but that is not fair. latestnetflix.com's read is that if they were cheating when Shapiro was around, they were not any good at it, because they were not winning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lu5QWJXQHCk
That argument is the gossip. ESPN Films billed The U Part 2 as the first 30 for 30 sequel and parked it after the Heisman Trophy presentation on Saturday, December 13, 2014, at 9 p.m. ET. The original The U, also Corben, had used the same slot in 2009 and pulled 2.37 million viewers, more than any of the six films before it. Awful Announcing later called that post-Heisman window a ratings lock. Corben, a Miami alum shooting with Rakontur partners Alfred Spellman and David Cypkin, started interviews on May 16. TMDB lists 1 hour 42 minutes and a tagline that does the whole job. "History has a way of repeating itself." , , ,
He wanted swagger back. The cut wanted a Ponzi scheme.
Corben told New Times the first movie was a rise and fall that ended around 1992. Anyone in the know knew the Hurricanes would rise again. That is what they never got to. He had a line for the second drop. "The thicker and fatter the dynasty gets, the harder it falls." ESPN's press copy quotes him calling the 2001 team the greatest college football team of all time, bookended by scandal and NCAA sanctions. Variety's Brian Lowry, two days before air, said the film does not hide its admiration for the school's success, then spends its best minutes on NCAA hypocrisy. Shapiro in a Hurricanes jersey, greeting players as they break from the tunnel. Rival schools using the cloud over Miami to steal recruits. , , 
The talking heads were the 2001 class. Jonathan Vilma, Phillip Buchanon, Santana Moss, Ed Reed, Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Antrel Rolle, Bryant McKinnie. Butch Davis, then an ESPN analyst, got a starring role. Corben's leftover reel is almost better gossip than the broadcast. Portis buying the offensive line dinner every week he hit a stats threshold, something like $2,000 that season. Linemen hauling Florida Power and Light logs because they had watched Rocky IV. Brett Romberg, a Canadian center who skipped a campus visit, married a Latin woman, and never left. ,
Awful Announcing's Ben Koo ranked the sequel in the mid-40s of 68 films, his lowest 2014 30 for 30, and said the Shapiro section rushed the Yahoo Sports bombshell. Yachts, strip clubs, the rest. He wanted Cocaine Cowboys depth and got a recruiting tape. Variety still called the arc epic. In September 2015 the 2014 30 for 30 slate, including Corben's sequel, won the Emmy for Outstanding Sports Documentary Series. Corben tweeted congratulations to all the ESPN filmmakers on "our first Emmy." The original had made the brand. The sequel made the trophy. Netflix later filed the 102-minute cut in the US catalog. Same swagger, same booster, same stubborn claim that 2001 was clean of him. , , ,
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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