The 2011 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Hurricanes' 86th season of football and 8th as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Hurricanes were led by first-year head coach Al Golden and played their home games at Sun Life Stadium. They finished the season 6âÂÂ6 overall and 3âÂÂ5 in the ACC to finish in a two-way tie for fourth place in the Coastal Division. The Hurricanes served a self-imposed bowl ban due to an ongoing NCAA investigation.
The Hurricanes faced adversity even before the first down of football as twelve players were forced to pay restitution and eight players were suspended for accepting money and gifts from former booster Nevin Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi schemer serving a 20-year prison sentence. The players suspended were Jacory Harris (one game), Sean Spence (one game), Travis Benjamin (one game), Marcus Forston (one game), Adewale Ojomo (one game), Ray-Ray Armstrong (four games), Dyron Dye (four games), and Olivier Vernon (six games).
On November 20, Miami announced it was withdrawing from bowl consideration due to an ongoing NCAA investigation into the Shapiro affair.
Al Golden's first game as head coach.