Randy Shannon putting his stamp on Gators defense

Randy Shannon at the University of Florida Orange and Blue Debut. / Gators Country photo by David Bowie

By NICK DE LA TORRE

MARCH 2, 2017

When Geoff Collins took the head-coaching job at Temple it was merely a matter of time, a formality really, that Randy Shannon would be tabbed as his successor to run the Florida Gators defense. Shannon was given the interim role for the Outback Bowl and the Gators’ defense didn’t miss a beat.

Florida held Iowa to just 55 passing yards — the lowest total yards the Hawkeyes threw for all season. They also surrendered just three points, the lowest points allowed by a Gator team in a bowl game since 1998 (Citrus Bowl).

The defense was a formidable unit all season. They allowed just 1,931 passing yards (148.5 per game) — the least amount of passing yards allowed since 2001. Much of that credit went to player who are currently getting ready for the NFL Scouting Combine and NFL Draft as well as Collins’ and his defensive scheme and play calling. Shannon served as co-defensive coordinator, but his first opportunity to call plays was the Outback Bowl. Shannon didn’t take long to put his own stamp on the defense either.

We’re going to do good because Coach Shannon is one of the best coaches in the nation. In the nation, country and world,” linebacker Vosean Joseph said. “We just gonna keep it going.”

Shannon’s credentials are undeniable. He’s been a defensive coordinator at two stops in the college ranks and coached linebackers for the Miami Dolphins as well. He’s coached football legends, developed some of the best linebacker n the country and has a National Championship as both a player and a coach. Shannon received the Broyles Award in 2001, recognizing him as the best assistant coach in the nation.

The Gators are losing a lot of talent on defense, eight starters to be exact, but the defense is used to the rumors and talk of a drop in production at Florida.

“You know, that’s every year,” defensive end Keivonnis Davis said. “They be saying the same little rumors and stuff like that, but you know, you come in with a chip on our shoulder ready to prove all them wrong. So we can’t wait.”

The Gators will get back a lot of leadership in defensive backs Duke Dawson, Nick Washington and Marcell Harris. They’re young up front on the defensive line and at linebacker, so Shannon is changing the way the defense communicates. With Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone in the fold last year the defense had two smart, experienced leaders to look to when the bullets started flying and the game got going. Florida simply doesn’t have that luxury in 2017, so Shannon is changing how the defense will communicate on the field.

“Pretty different than last year,” Joseph said of the new style of communicating. “Everybody is more vocal, from the D-line like when they see a formation – we’re going over formations and everything – when they see a formation they call it out and communicate it to us, so we communicate to the secondary and stuff and everybody just talks to each other and makes it way easier and play faster.”

The goal is to play fast, be physical and not let the departures from last year hold the defense back. With Shannon leading the way the group has all the confidence they need to start spring camp.

I feel very confident in our defense and in those young guys because they play as well,” said Davis. “It’s just about bringing everything together. I feel very confident.”

Shannon a key for the Florida Gators in landing Reese

Randy Shannon has helped the Florida Gators increase their recruiting presence in South Florida. / Gator Country photo by David Bowie

By ANDREW SPIVEY

DECEMBER 21, 2015

Friday was a big day for the Florida Gators as linebacker David Reese (6-1, 235, Farmington, MI High) committed to Florida and the big time linebacker spoke to GatorCountry about why he made that decision.

“My last meeting with Coach [Jim] McElwain and Coach [Randy] Shannon was what sealed my decision,” Reese said. “They took me through all of the academic stuff that I need to know and showed me how the defense was going to be run and they showed me how thin the depth chart was. I already had a great relationship with Coach Shannon so I felt it was the best move for me.”

Reese had previously told Gator Country that he thought of Shannon as a legend and that relationship between the two of them is what helped the Gators land Reese.

“Coach Shannon just told me that he needed linebackers bad in this class,” he said. “He said that he saw the potential in me to become one of those guys that he coached in the past and he has coached some great guys in the past so it was an honor to be offered by Florida. It’s an honor to be recruited by Coach Shannon who’s a guru at coaching linebackers and he’s a big reason as to why I picked Florida.”

Prospects all year have said that McElwain has taken an easy going approach with them when talking about picking a school and Reese says the same thing, plus says McElwain’s personality helped him pick the Gators.

“I had some very important talks with Coach McElwain about what being a Gator is all about,” Reese said. “Coach McElwain seems like a very family oriented guy and when I went down on my visit, he welcomed me into his house with his family. He kept telling me that he wanted to welcome me into the Gator family but that he didn’t want to pressure me into a decision because he wanted me to make the best decision for myself and I think I did that by picking Florida.”

There is no hiding the fact that Reese, who early enrolls in January, will be looked at to contribute next year and he says that he knows what he must do in order to play early.

“I think I need to keep working hard and follow what Coach Shannon tells me to do and then I think I will be able to get on the field early,” he said. “I think if I better myself as a person and a player then the rest will come along with it.”

Now that Reese is committed to Florida, he will turn his attention to another top target from the state of Michigan.

“My biggest target in recruiting right now is Donovan People-Jones, he’s a 2017 receiver,” Reese said. “He likes Florida a lot and he’s the one that I want to get down there with me.”

INSIDERS TAKE: Reese is very polite and humble guy that really did his homework in making his decision to commit to Florida. Reese and his father both have a tremendous amount of respect for Randy Shannon and that played a large part in getting Reese to Gainesville.

The Guru: When Gators Assistant Randy Shannon Speaks, Everyone Listens

Gators assistant coach Randy Shannon will face Florida State for the 23rd time on Saturday. (Photo: Tim Casey)

By SCOTT CARTER
November 25, 2015

GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- More than 10 months have passed since the day Randy Shannon walked into a room full of reporters dressed in Gators attire, their first glimpse at the University of Miami icon in Florida’s orange and blue.

Several snapped photos on their smartphones to share on social media, as if to verify, yes, Shannon really is a Gators assistant.

In the time since his official introduction at Florida, Shannon has quietly gone about his business far from the spotlight he once occupied as head coach of the Hurricanes. Shannon was dismissed by his alma mater after the 2010 season.

He spent a year working as a TV analyst, returned to coaching in 2012 at Texas Christian, worked on Bret Bielema’s staff at Arkansas in 2013-14, and accepted an offer from first-year Gators head coach Jim McElwain to return to his native Florida in January.

Well-regarded for his character and straight-forward approach by high school coaches around the state, Shannon helped the Gators salvage a respectable recruiting class in his first month on the job, the initial sign he would make a difference in the reshaped program under McElwain.

“The one thing you have to do in recruiting is be honest,’’ Shannon said. “I try to be up front and honest with all the coaches, all the parents and all the kids. If it doesn’t fit with what we’re trying to do, I’ve got to be honest with them. I think that is the one thing that coaches respect about me.”


Gators assistant coach Randy Shannon has quietly made an impact in his first season with the Gators. (Photo: Tim Casey)

A year ago Shannon never imagined he would be at Florida.

Other than for a brief exchange with McElwain during a trip to Alabama the year he spent out of coaching, Shannon had no connection to the former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator. Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different.

Shannon grew up in Liberty City, the hardscrabble neighborhood in Miami that took a devastating toll on Shannon’s family growing up. McElwain is from Montana, where he was a two-sport standout in high school who later played at Eastern Washington.

Despite the unknowns, the 49-year-old Shannon viewed the opportunity as one that worked professionally and personally.

“I didn’t have any concerns,” he said. “One thing I’ve learned in this business is don’t have an ego, just keep working, and you can work with anybody if you have an open mind. I have an open mind about everything I do.”

As the No. 12 ranked Gators (10-1) prepare this week to face No. 14-ranked Florida State (9-2), no one on Florida’s staff can match Shannon’s history against the Seminoles. His first matchup against FSU was 30 years ago as a freshman linebacker for the Hurricanes.

Shannon was 4-0 against FSU as a player from 1985-88, helping Miami win the 1987 national championship. He spent two seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys -- drafted by Jimmy Johnson, his college coach -- before returning home to join Miami’s staff as a graduate assistant in 1991, earning a second national championship ring.

In his three stints at Miami as a player, assistant coach and head coach, Shannon went 14-8 (including one bowl game) against the Seminoles over 21 seasons.

Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis, who is having a breakout season, calls Shannon the “guru.”

“It’s like he has a lot of secrets to the game,’’ Davis said. “I feel real close to Coach Shannon … just the way he approaches business every day. He knows how to specifically reach each and every one of us. That really adds something special to me. Everything he says I really pay close attention to.”

Florida’s unexpected success in McElwain’s first season has turned attention toward the staff he assembled. Shannon, who is the team’s associate head coach/co-coordinator and linebackers coach, and defensive coordinator Geoff Collins are reportedly drawing interest as potential candidates to become UCF’s next head coach.

McElwain made no secret of the importance of Shannon’s hire when he brought him on board.

“He was a guy that was at the top of my list from a standpoint of the people and how they speak about his integrity, his discipline and his organization and ball-coaching ability,” McElwain said. “This guy is a great ball coach. I feel it was an unbelievable hire to be able to get that done.”

Once Shannon got settled and evaluated the players Florida’s defense had returning, he was confident the Gators could have one of the top units in the country. The Gators have lived up to those expectations, ranked sixth nationally.

Shannon also sees the impact McElwain’s approach has made on a team that many projected to win no more than seven games.

“His swag, the way he’s handled himself, the way he’s handled this football team, he is very confident,’’ Shannon said. “His mindset is to win 15 and that’s our mindset. He’s also held guys accountable. The biggest thing he stresses is the ‘why.’ If you can give a person ‘why’ you are doing something, or the reason ‘why’ this happened, they will respect you and do everything they can for you.”

The players say Shannon has played an important role, too.

“When he talks, everybody listening, everybody in the room, including Coach Mac,’’ sophomore cornerback Jalen Tabor said. “He's meant a lot, you know not only on the field, but he's kind of a mentor for some of us guys off the field. I go talk to Coach Shannon at least once a week just for him to drop some knowledge on me.”

At his introductory press conference at UF, Shannon said he would like to be a head coach again one day. But he also said he doesn’t know when, or if, that will happen.

Like he tells his players to, Shannon keeps an open mind.

He has enjoyed the transition to Florida and the surprises that have come with a turnaround season for the program.

“It’s been great. I’m having fun,’’ he said. “Being part of something that is unique and means something at a special place like Florida, that you’ve seen do a lot of great things and continues to progress, a lot of enthusiasm every day.”

Randy Shannon Named Senior Associate Head Coach

By Chris Breece

February 5, 2014

Linebackers coach Randy Shannon has been named Senior Associate Head Coach at the University of Arkansas, head coach Bret Bielema said Wednesday.

Shannon, who was head coach at the University of Miami from 2007-2010, was a fan favorite to take the defensive coordinator job for the Hogs. However, Bielema’s statement Wednesday dismissed that notion.

According to 5NEWS content partner Bo Mattingly, Bielema will make Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant Robb Smith the new defensive coordinator.

Smith, 38, spent the 2013 season with Tampa Bay as the linebackers coach. Before that he served as the defensive coordinator at Rutgers in 2012. The Scarlet Knights ranked No. 4 nationally in scoring defense, No. 6 against the run and No. 10 overall that season. Smith previously served as Rutgers’ secondary coach in 2010-11 and as the program’s outside linebackers in 2010.

The Arkansas defensive coordinator job was vacated by Chris Ash when he left for the same job at Ohio State last month.

TCU excited about Randy Shannon’s arrival

August 5, 2012

By Tim Griffin

FORT WORTH — TCU made a big national splash last month when former Miami coach Randy Shannon was hired as the Horned Frogs’ new linebackers coach.

TCU coach Gary Patterson said that Shannon has barely arrived at TCU after visiting with his daughter who is serving in the military in Europe. But he expects Shannon’s expertise to quickly impact the Horned Frogs.

“It’s unbelievable,” Patterson said. “Here’s a guy who turned down eight to 10 coordinator jobs in about every conference in college football.”

Shannon worked under Larry Coker at Miami, where he led helped lead two teams to national championship games and had three defenses that led the nation in total defense.

He later served as Miami’s head coach for four seasons before he was fired at the end of the 2010 regular season. He went 28-22 in four seasons as the Hurricanes’ head coach.

Patterson and Shannon have been friends for many years. He visited TCU twice on spring fact-finding visits since leaving Miami and also watched several of TCU’s bowl practices before the 2011 Rose Bowl.

“We coach a lot of the same kind of principles that he did,” Patterson said. “It’s the way we do our schemes.”

In a way, being able to attract Shannon to join Patterson’s coaching staff is an indicator of TCU’s growing influence in college football.

Several TCU defensive players said Sunday they can’t wait for his arrival.

”Talking to our linebackers, they are excited,” TCU sophomore strong safety Sam Carter said. “We know by him being at Miami and some of the players who came from there that he’s an amazing coach. We’re glad to have him here.”

Former TCU linebackers coach Tony Tademy resigned after spending seven seasons on Patterson’s staff to spend more time with his family. Tademy has taken an assistant coaching job at Duncanville High School.

To clean up its image, North Carolina should hire Randy Shannon

By Gregg Doyel

August 23, 2011

The ideal hire for the scummy North Carolina football program would be the guy from scummy Miami.

And I'm dead serious.

North Carolina should replace Butch Davis with Randy Shannon.

That's something I first thought months ago, well before North Carolina found the backbone to get rid of Davis, and that thought hasn't been shaken by the sleaze that Yahoo found under 70-plus rocks in Coral Gables. Actually, that thought has been strengthened by the UM scandal, because there was one guy at Miami -- and only one guy -- who sniffed out Nevin Shapiro as the jock-sniffing piece of scum that he is.

And that person was Randy Shannon.

Shannon also is the same person who replaced a long line of impotent Miami coaches -- one of them being Butch Davis, come to think of it -- and put his, um, foot down and said, "No more."

No more arrests. No more academic embarrassments. No more of the stuff that had been going on since Jimmy Johnson begat Dennis Erickson begat Butch Davis begat Larry Coker.

No. More.

And you know what? There was no more. Well, almost no more. In his four years as head coach at Miami, one player was arrested. One! Contrast that to what was happening up the road in Gainesville, a city with fewer temptations than Miami, where the Florida Gators endured 25 or 30 arrests -- accounts vary because there were so damn many players arrested under Urban Meyer -- in the same time period.

At Miami, Shannon also had the third-highest lifetime APR among active coaches in Division I-A. The only coaches ahead of him were at Navy and Air Force. Not at Duke or Vanderbilt or Stanford, by the way. Only two service academies. That was Miami's academic company under Randy Shannon.

But he won only 28 games in four years, so Miami fired him. Before that could happen, though, Shannon saw through Nevin Shapiro -- the same guy you've seen smiling in this photograph with the Miami president, Donna Shalala, who is such an astute judge of character that she ran off Randy Shannon but embraced Nevin Shapiro.

Shannon didn't embrace Shapiro -- he loathed him. He told his players multiple times to stay away from that snake, and he told his coaches he would fire them if they associated with Shapiro.

That's how clean Randy Shannon is as a football coach -- and North Carolina needs somebody spotless. North Carolina football is very much like Oklahoma basketball after the Sooners were dragged into the swamp by Kelvin Sampson, then held there by a staff member under Jeff Capel.

Oklahoma needed the cleanest coach it could find, and it found him in Lon Kruger. The guy doesn't have a Hall of Fame résumé, but Kruger wins a lot more than he loses, and he's so clean that he squeaks when he walks. Oklahoma needed a guy like that to restore public confidence in its program, and Oklahoma got him.

Now it's North Carolina's turn, but I'm not confident the Tar Heels understand what they need. Lord knows they didn't know it was time to get rid of Butch Davis when it was clearly time to get rid of Butch Davis -- a year ago, when the NCAA was investigating separate scandals, when nearly 20 percent of the team was suspended and when Davis' close friend and recruiting coordinator, John Blake, was being exposed as a longtime runner for an agent.

North Carolina needs Randy Shannon, but North Carolina was the last to know it didn't need Butch Davis. Then again, a different athletic director will be making this hire at UNC, so there is hope. Also, the list of realistic candidates for the job won't be impressive, given the NCAA sanctions sure to be facing the Tar Heels. There will be some ambitious head coaches at smaller schools willing to do anything to get into a BCS conference. There will be veteran assistants at big-time football schools who've never been able to land a BCS head-coaching gig.

And there will be the guy who went to three bowls in four years at Miami, graduated his players, kept them out of arrest reports and was the only person on campus who tried to steer the UM football team away from Nevin Shapiro.

If North Carolina can do better than Randy Shannon, do it. But I'm telling you, it can't. North Carolina needs the cleanest good coach it can find -- and Randy Shannon emerged from the muddy mosh pit at Miami without a grain of sand on him.

Shannon reaches out to players with handwritten notes

By Steve Gorten

December 6th, 2010

CORAL GABLES – Miami Hurricanes players found a surprise in their lockers Monday when they arrived for a team workout.

It was a postcard from former coach Randy Shannon. One side had “U” printed on it. On the other side, there was a handwritten note from Shannon personalized for each player.

Some of the players got their postcard from Shannon, who was fired hours after the final regular season game Nov. 27, on Friday.

“It was the nicest thing he ever said to me since I’ve been here,” senior LT Orlando Franklin said. “He was just telling me to keep my head up and don’t get sidetracked.”

Franklin added, “I’m going to re-wrap it and put it under my Christmas tree so I can open it on Christmas morning.”

CB Ryan Hill, a fifth-year senior, said he was surprised to find his postcard.

“It just shows not only his compassion, but his character,” Hill said. “He took time to do that and I really appreciate it.”

“It was great to know that’s what he thought of me,” junior C Tyler Horn said.

Hill said he had already spoken to Shannon on the phone and planned to call him again later Monday.

“I’m going to ask him why he did it because I don’t need this sad stuff anymore,” Hill said with a smile.

Shannon, Ferentz, Pelini boast programs with top graduation rates

From Steve Wieberg's "NCAA football grad rates at all-time high"

October 28, 2010

Reshuffling this week's Bowl Championship Series football rankings according to each program's graduation rate:

Randy Shannon has Miami on the right track

Miami Hurricanes: Has Past Success Put Too Much Pressure on Randy Shannon?

By David Mayer

August 19, 2010

We do it all the time. Go back to the glory years of Miami Hurricane football. Pure dominance in every aspect of the word.

There was a time when other teams across the country had flat out lost the game before it was even played.

When Howard Schnellenberger took over the team in 1979, he set the bar high. He took a dying program and gave it life. He did the impossible and made them champions.

Then, along came Jimmy Johnson and he took the program to another level. He brought in the attitude and made them winners, going 52-9 during his tenure.

Next up was Dennis Erickson, who inherited the amazing talent Johnson had recruited and ran with it. Gaining two national championships and their second (of three) perfect season.

Butch Davis was the next coach and a lot of fans and players were upset on how Butch did at Miami, but I do not blame him at all. He had a rough couple years, there is no doubt, but Davis was a recruiting master (still is at UNC) and gave Larry Coker the best team in NCAA history, the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.

The problem with Larry Coker is he didn't have to do much with the talent. When his talent started to deplete, he was at a loss. His recruiting tactics were flat out horrible. He lost, in many peoples eyes, south Florida. The "State of Miami" that Schnellenberger built was slowly shrinking.

Along came Randy Shannon. Honestly, he inherited a soft and weak team. There were good players, don't get me wrong, but he knew what he needed to do to get the Canes back to contention—take back south Florida.

He has and is doing a wonderful job. The problem isn't Shannon. The problem is history.

You see, Schnellenberger, Johnson, Erickson, Davis, and Coker went 267-69, a winning percentage of .792. They won five national championships, with three of them being perfect seasons.

Shannon has gone 21-17, .553%, and doesn't even have a bowl victory. The difference is his recruiting and he knows what he is doing.

Randy has the chance to bring the national championship back to Coral Gables. With the right coaches in place, there is no doubt this year's team has the talent.

The problem is the dynasty and history of the Miami Hurricanes. It's amazing what those teams did during the 18 years between the first and last national championship.

So before you pass judgement and pressure on how Randy Shannon is doing, don't look at the past.

Look to the present and future, because Shannon has Miami on the right track.

Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon: ‘This is a joyous time’

By Jorge Milian

May 13, 2010

Randy Shannon just concluded a telephone news conference with reporters regarding his new four-year contract. Here is what Shannon had to say:

Opening statement:

”I’m really excited about the signing of my new contract. I can’t wait to get started and finish out this recruiting month of May. The coaching staff and myself are very excited about the [direction] we’re going in. We’re very excited about that we have the opportunity to continue the progress that we’ve done over the last three years of building this program and we feel like we’ve established some very strong pillars with the upperclassmen we’ve developed through this process. I’m just so excited about today and can’t wait to get started. I wish August was here today, but it’s not. We still have a couple of months to get back on the football field and coach.”

Can you discuss the financial terms of the contract?

“I respect the question but it’s something personal to me. It’s a confidential matter. I’m just excited that the deal is done. I’m excited about to get back recruiting. I’m excited about coaching this season. I’ve been getting calls all morning from the coaches on the team. They’re getting a lot of feedback. Recruits have been calling since last night and also this morning. A lot of coaches throughout south Florida and the state of Florida have been calling myself and the coaches because they’re excited for me.”

How nice is it not to have to deal with this subject any longer?

“It’s a great thing. Now I get to build. My first three years here were a building process, 5-7, 7-6 and 9-4. Now I get the opportunity to see another class through. I’m probably one of the few coaches [at Miami] to see another class through. If you look at over the years, the most that somebody has been here has been 5 or 6 years over the last five coaches. So this gives me an opportunity to build on and coach guys that I’ve recruited. And I’m excited about it.”

Did the process ever become frustrating?

“I got to give a lot of credit to my attorney, Neil Cornrich. He said the one thing when we started this process, ‘This is a business, Randy. This is nothing personal. This is a business.’ Me and Kirby (Hocutt) have had a great relationship throughout this process. That’s the one thing that really, really shows you what kind of character Kirby had and what character I had. We would talk, not even about contracts. We would talk just about things in the department, things we need to improve on, things he could help me with. It was always, what can we do at the University of Miami to get better. It was a business, nothing personal. It was a great situation for all of us.”

Did any recruits or parts tell you they couldn’t commit because of the contract situation?

“It was part of it. Nothing I’ve never gone through before. What can anybody say about the University of Miami now? They have stability, they have a coaching on a second tenure. You know and I know that there hasn’t been a coach that’s stayed more than five or six years. That’s one of the things the university showed – that they’re dedicated to me and dedicated to what I’m doing at the University of Miami. It showed that everybody has confidence in what we’re doing. That’s the one thing that’s great about being at the University of Miami.”

How does this compare to when you were hired as UM coach in 2006?

“This is a joyous time, a happy time. This is one of the greatest times to be around at the University of Miami. I’m excited because it shows what dedication the university has in myself and the coaching staff. It goes a long ways when you get [high school] coaches from all the way from Jacksonville over to Tampa to Orlando all the way down to south Florida and Fort Myers. I’m thrilled. This is a great time.”

How difficult would it have been to enter the season without a new contract?

“There’s always distractions. I’m glad it’s behind us. I’m excited about where we are right now. I’m excited about the contract, thrilled. It could have been a distraction, but I knew it would get done. Now we look forward to doing some great things at the University of Miami and continue to build on the things we’ve accomplished over the last three years.”

How bad did it get on the recruiting trail?

“It’s part of it. Anytime somebody can use things against you, that’s part of it. I always say this and I think this is the one greatest thing about me is that I would never bad mouth a school or use anything toward another coach. I know some coaches do that toward the University of Miami. We just sell our program. That’s what has helped us turn the corner because we sell what we have at the University of Miami. Not to be cocky or anything, but we don’t worry what other people say.”

Miami Hurricanes coach Randy Shannon signs four-year deal

After years of uncertainty, the University of Miami and Randy Shannon agreed to a four-year contract.

BY SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

May 13, 2010

It took a while - a really, really long while - but University of Miami football fans finally know who their coach will be in 2011 and beyond.

The same one as the past three seasons.

After months -- even years -- of waiting and wondering when and if he would get a contract extension, Randy Shannon has been rewarded with a new four-year contract, the university announced Wednesday night. Shannon was about to enter his final season of the original four-year deal.

``There's no other place I'd rather be than coaching Hurricanes football,'' Shannon said in a statement. ``I'm excited about the momentum we continue to build and our strong recruiting classes. We have dedicated student-athletes and an experienced and committed coaching staff, a strong athletic program and the university leadership's support -- all important components consistent with long-term success.''

The financial terms of the contract were not announced. It is believed Shannon started his first season as the coach in 2007 with a salary approaching $800,000 and made about $1 million in 2009. The Associated Press reported that Shannon's new salary will be ``around the midpoint'' of coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

``I think it's tremendous that we have agreed to a new contract,'' UM athletic director Kirby Hocutt said by phone. ``I couldn't be more excited and pleased with the direction our football program has made and will continue to make under Randy Shannon. There was never any doubt in Randy's mind or my mind that we were not going to be able to get this done. It's a testament to Randy's continued leadership that this was announced on the same day that the NCAA announced that the UM football team's Academic Progress Rate scores in the top-10 percentile in the country.

``Randy, as I've said all along, is going to continue as our football coach. We can now turn all our focus and attention to the summer and upcoming fall.''

Shannon, 44, is 21-17 since taking over the program after Larry Coker was dismissed. He finished 9-4 last season, with the Canes losing to Wisconsin in the Champs Sports Bowl.

The 2010 season will be Shannon's 17th on the football staff at Miami. He was the defensive coordinator for six seasons, linebackers coach for five and defensive line coach and graduate assistant for one year apiece.

In an e-mail to The Miami Herald, UM president Donna Shalala said having Shannon for four more years ``means stability and reassures recruits and their families that Coach Shannon has a long-term commitment.''

As delighted as anyone to hear the news: UM quarterback Jacory Harris, who will enter his junior season with UM expected to be ranked in the Top 25.

``I'm happy,'' said Harris, who celebrated his 20th birthday Wednesday. ``That's cool. He deserves it because he's a great coach. He does so much for the program, and he has since he's been here.Recruiting-wise, guys who are looking at Miami will know they'll have a head coach for the years they'll be here.''

Chavez Grant, a former cornerback who just finished his final season, said the extension will only make the program stronger. ``It will give us stability and give Coach more confidence knowing the university believes in him. He has shown progress over the years and instilled a lot of discipline into the team.''

Former UM defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy, 41, whose name is enshrined in the UM Ring of Honor and played with Shannon for one season in 1988, was ecstatic when he learned the news.

``If it weren't for Coach Shannon, I wouldn't be where I am,'' Kennedy said. ``He got me in shape going into my senior year and stayed in my apartment, sleeping on the living room floor at night to make sure I didn't go into my refrigerator.

``That's my boy. I just left a message and said, `Congratulations!' and hung up. He'll call me back. I'm sure he's tickled to death.''

Miami gives football coach Randy Shannon new four-year deal

May 13, 2010

By Thomas O'Toole

Miami (Fla.) football coach Randy Shannon has signed a new four-year contract that goes into effect this coming season.

"This is an important contract for us," President Donna Shalala told USA TODAY Wednesday night. "We believe that Randy Shannon will get us back to where we belong, competing for a national championship year after year."

The Hurricanes, who went 9-4 in 2009, last won the national title in 2001.

Shannon, 44, took over in 2007 and has led Miami to two bowls. Last fall, the Hurricanes defeated three top-25 teams and played in the Champs Sports Bowl.

"We are very proud of the positive steps our football program has taken under the leadership of Coach Shannon," Miami athletics director Kirby Hocutt said in a news release. "With a commitment to excellence in the classroom, in the community, and in competition, we are well on our way, once again, to the top of the college football world."

Salary numbers were not released.

"There's no other place I'd rather be than coaching Hurricanes football," Shannon said in the release. "I'm excited about the momentum we continue to build."

Miami's team also has been recognized for a strong performance in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR), which combines graduation and retention numbers. Under Shannon, the team has been in the top 10% of major college programs.

"Randy has done it all," said Shalala.

Shannon, Miami hope to take next step

Things are looking up for Randy Shannon and Miami as they gear up for 2010, when the Hurricanes should be a top 25 team.

By Tom Dienhart

March 11, 2010

Randy Shannon is having fun. It's March, and his Miami Hurricanes are deep into spring practice.

"This is a critical time of the year," he said. "We have to get some things figured out. But we are getting closer. We are getting better."

This is a big spring in Coral Gables, a spring that may serve as the opening salvo in a big season for Shannon and his Hurricanes.

The brush strokes of Shannon's first three seasons have been bold and dramatic. They had to be. He inherited a listing program that was broke, a roster that had grown talent-poor.

Look at Miami now. The Hurricanes will enter 2010 as a top 25 team capable of winning their first ACC title -- and their first league crown of any kind since the 2003 Big East crown -- and perhaps even contending for a national championship.

"You look at our records -- 5-7, 7-6, 9-4 -- you hopefully can take that next step and get two more wins," said Shannon, who led the 'Canes to their first nine-win season since 2005 last fall. "It seems like in this conference, you have to get 11 wins to win it. We will strive for it and work for it."

This spring, it's all about fine-tuning the roster. Shannon's to-do list includes shoring up an offensive line that must replace both tackles. The running back situation is a bit dicey, as Graig Cooper's status is unknown after he suffered a knee injury in the Champs Sports Bowl. And the Hurricanes are operating this spring without quarterback Jacory Harris, who is out while recovering from an injury to his throwing hand.

"They used to be young guys," Shannon said. "Now they have played two years and are in their third year. From watching them develop and watching how they respond, I think they are ready to take that next step."

If they don't, will Shannon be around? He has only one year left on his contract. There have been reports of Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt and Shannon discussing a contract extension, but nothing has transpired. Hocutt didn't respond to an interview request for this article.

"It would be nice if it gets done in the near future," Shannon said.

Shannon was promoted from defensive coordinator and took over after Larry Coker was fired following the 2005 season. Shannon inherited a team that largely was devoid of talent. Miami had 11 players drafted in 2002, including five first-rounders. There were eight draftees -- with four first-rounders -- in 2003, and nine in 2004, with a record six going in the first round. But there have been just six first-rounders in the past five drafts and just four total picks in the past two drafts.

Miami has made inroads on the recruiting trail, topped by the nation's No. 5 class in 2008.

Miami has made progress in the classroom as well as on the field. Miami and Notre Dame were awarded the AFCA's Academic Achievement Award at the end of 2009 for graduating 100 percent of the eligible class of 2002 freshmen.

Shannon also has operated a clean program, with only two Miami players having been arrested -- on misdemeanor charges -- since 2005.

"We have worked hard and think we have things pointed in the right direction," Shannon said.

Miami also has climbed back to respectability despite sub-standard facilities and the lack of an on-campus stadium. Shannon is doing his part, as he personally has raised $1.8 million for facilities.

Shannon is the lowest-paid coach in the ACC, making around $900,000; he is the only one making less than $1 million a season.

That Shannon has just one year left on his contract has had a negative impact on Miami's recruiting. The Hurricanes had their lowest-rated recruiting class in 2010 under Shannon, finishing fourth in the ACC.

"People will always look to try and create some advantage and may have tried to use that as a talking point," Shannon said. "But my focus was on the student-athletes, connecting with them, and getting them to understand what a great family we have here, have always had in the football program, and that we are building something special that they can be a part of."

Some of that building process has involved coaching changes. Shannon fired offensive coordinator Patrick Nix after the 2008 season and hired Mark Whipple off the Philadelphia Eagles' staff to run the offense.

Whipple developed the Miami passing game into something to be feared. He also played a big role in developing Harris, who emerged last fall as one of the nation's most promising quarterbacks in leading Miami to victories over the likes of Oklahoma, Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Miami's offense ranked fourth in the ACC (399.9 ypg) and 45th in the nation in 2009, a big step up from 2008, when the Hurricanes averaged 326.0 yards and were 89th in the nation.

This season's offense should be more productive than last season's attack. The staff is excited about a talented trio of receivers in LaRon Byrd, Leonard Hankerson and Travis Benjamin. The key is finding two new starting tackles and developing young running backs such as Lamar Miller and Damien Berry.

"I feel like it's my time to show the fans and my coaches what I have, so I'm just trying to come out here and compete and make myself and the team better," said Miller, who redshirted last season. "I want to improve my blocking and pass protection. In high school, we didn't do that much pass-protection because we ran the ball a lot."

The defense, which is Shannon's bailiwick, returns 11 players who made at least six starts last season. Now, it's time to deliver big results.

"Do I feel pressure?" Shannon asked. "All the time because it's Miami -- the pressure of winning and just the pressure of knowing what expectations are. But at Miami, you don't just have to win games, you have to win championships.

"You can't win eight, nine or 10 games; you have to win it all to have any success. And the following year, you have to do it again. But it is fun."

Draft winds
Last year, Miami saw its record 14-year streak of producing at least one first-round NFL draft choice end. And it ended with a resounding thud, as the Hurricanes had just one player selected: linebacker Spencer Adkins in the sixth round by the Atlanta Falcons.

The streak began in 1995, with defensive tackle Warren Sapp being picked 12th overall by the Buccaneers. It ended with safety Kenny Phillips being chosen 31st overall in 2008 by the Giants.

Most draft experts think Miami will have five or six players picked in the April draft, but none look to be first-round selections.

Tight end Jimmy Graham is regarded by most as Miami's top prospect, and he played just one year after football after arriving at Miami on a basketball scholarship. Others who figure to get drafted are offensive tackle Jason Fox, linebacker Darryl Sharpton, running back Javarris James, cornerback Sam Shields and tight end Dedrick Epps.

Who could be Miami's next first-round pick? It may be defensive lineman Allen Bailey, offensive lineman Orlando Franklin or quarterback Jacory Harris (if he comes out) in 2011.

Hall of Fame nominee Kennedy "wouldn't be where he is today" without Randy Shannon

Former Miami Hurricanes lineman Cortez Kennedy up for induction into Hall of Fame

By Jorge Milian

February 5, 2010

By the end of his junior season at Miami, the only Hall of Fame that Cortez Kennedy seemed destined to make was for eating.

At one point, Kennedy's weight had hit 370 pounds.

"We called him, 'Three-play Tez,' " said UM coach Randy Shannon. "He was done after three plays."

With Shannon's help, Kennedy dropped the weight and turned into one of the best football players UM has produced.

One of 17 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Kennedy will learn today if he will be inducted. Rickey Jackson, a Pahokee native and former New Orleans linebacker, and Boca Raton resident Cris Carter are among the group of finalists that also includes Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

"You look at the names, just to be on the ballot is amazing," said Kennedy, an eight-time Pro Bowler who played 11 seasons for the Seahawks and was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. "I'm excited."

Whether Kennedy will be selected for induction this year is up to the Hall of Fame's 44-person voting committee. That Kennedy is even under consideration surely didn't seem possible when he showed up at UM as a junior-college transfer in 1988. He played just two seasons for UM and was so out of shape his first year that he saw only limited action.

"When he was fresh, nobody could block him," said Shannon. "But he couldn't keep it up. Cortez was a big guy who liked to eat."

The summer before Kennedy's senior season, Shannon moved in with the defensive tackle. For a month, Shannon ate every meal with Kennedy, often selecting what they consumed. At night, Shannon would sleep by the refrigerator to keep Kennedy from snacking.

"If he left the house, I would go with him," said Shannon, a UM linebacker from 1985-88. "I didn't let him out of my sight, unless he was with his girlfriend."

Shannon also put Kennedy on a running program. Five days a week, Kennedy draped himself in a plastic garbage bag and ran up and down hills for an hour at a park.

By the start of his senior season, Kennedy was down to 295 pounds.

"I thought it was insane, but look where it got me," Kennedy said. "I tell everybody now, if it weren't for Randy Shannon I wouldn't be where I am today."

With Shannon at the helm, 'Canes only climbing higher

Miami coach Randy Shannon talks via his headset during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Florida State, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, in Tallahassee, Fla.

By Dave George

November 12, 2009

Miami coach Randy Shannon talks via his headset during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game against Florida State, Monday, Sept. 7, 2009, in Tallahassee,

Somewhere in between Florida's drive for a third national title in four seasons and FSU's shocking slide into irrelevance is a college football story that's not getting enough play in this state.

I'm not saying that Miami's 7-2 revival has gone completely unnoticed, but there just aren't enough people who fully appreciate its worth.

Blame it on the lingering haughtiness of another Hurricane era, the notion that no season is memorable or even particularly remarkable unless it ends in a national championship.

Randy Shannon bears some responsibility, too, for yanking the emergency brake any time fans and media start getting ahead of the game on expectations. He wants his guys to earn everything they get, as clearly indicated by Miami's season-long pattern of 5:45 a.m. Wednesday practice sessions.

There's no denying, however, that Miami has become one of the best jobs in America again. Shannon has made it so by doing all the heavy lifting required after Larry Coker's firing.

Randy recruited South Florida hard and well, working the Miami neighborhoods where he grew up, and he endured the frustrations of a 5-7 record in his first season as head coach. Nothing could have been more jarring to the sensibilities of a man who won one national title as a Hurricanes linebacker and two more as a Hurricanes assistant coach.

Stubbornly, though, he toughed it out, and last year's 7-6 record, too, even as Butch Davis, Shannon's old boss at Miami, returned to the college game from the NFL and started kicking the Hurricanes around, too.

Well, Butch is back on the schedule Saturday as Miami travels to North Carolina. There's no guarantee that the Hurricanes will win the game but, either way, this much is certain. Davis would be much better off at Miami than where he's working today, and that statement is going to become more obvious next season, and the season after that.

Shannon's team stands at No. 14 in the BCS standings and is positioned, with young leaders like Jacory Harris and Travis Benjamin and Sean Spence, to rejoin the nation's elite in 2010.

Davis, on the other hand, has a 2-3 record in the ACC. He's coaching at a basketball school. He's remembering, too, what he left behind at Miami for the sudden money and swift disillusionment of the Cleveland Browns.

Butch got the Hurricanes all the way to No. 2 in the final AP poll of 2000. His last game was a 37-20 Sugar Bowl thumping of Steve Spurrier's Gators. His roster, inherited by Coker and led by Ken Dorsey, produced a 12-0 record and a national title in 2001.

While at Miami, Davis coached or recruited stars like Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, Santana Moss, Reggie Wayne, Jeremy Shockey, Willis McGahee, Sean Taylor and Vince Wilfork. This is a partial list, of course, but Butch could recruit at North Carolina for a lifetime and never approach its quality.

Coker is the head coach of a new program at the University of Texas-San Antonio that is tentatively scheduled to begin play in 2011. He started out better than Shannon at Miami but ended up worse.

Then there's Dennis Erickson, who won two national titles at Miami. Shannon's got a better job today that he does, too, for Erickson is headed for his second consecutive losing season at Arizona State.

Any way you slice it, Shannon and Miami are farther along the road to consistent major bowl contention than the vast majority of Div. I programs.

Short view? Miami's probably not going to make the ACC title game this year, but Georgia Tech, the team that's close to locking up the Coastal Division, is No. 7 in the BCS rankings and would be even higher without a 33-17 loss to the Hurricanes.

If we don't start learning to appreciate that, then a 10-2 and an at-large BCS bowl bid probably won't be given the proper value in this market, either.

Shannon's got to work with that, too, and, thankfully, he seems to be up to it, just like he's been up to everything else at a job that for a time was pretty rough but is close to being regal again.

'Canes rallied around walk-on Chris Hayes when father died

Chris Hayes (49) is carried off the field after the Hurricanes defeated Wake Forest Oct. 25, 2008 in Coral Gables, Fla. (JC Ridley, University of Miami / October 25, 2008)

By Dave Hyde

August 16, 2009

No agents. No TV cameras. No marketing teams. Just a kid no one knew, getting in a play no one noticed, screaming atop teammates' shoulders in a moment no one else cherished, "I'm so happy!"

Every so often in an athletic world bulging with egos and millionaires you find a story that still cuts to the essence of sport.

You've never heard of Chris Hayes. There's no reason you would. In a sports world of big names and oversized headlines, he's 5 feet 9 and 170 pounds of agate type.

Four years ago, he came out of a Sarasota high school that didn't have a football program with this wild notion of walking on as a University of Miami receiver. Friends thought he was nuts. His mom said, "Don't get killed." His dad, though, beamed that his son had such big, brass ambition.

When Hayes not only survived the tryout but was one of four walk-ons to make the team, his father let loose with a celebratory string of curses over the phone — "Something he never does," Hayes said.

It didn't matter if Hayes was raw meat on the practice field the next few seasons. Didn't matter if teammates jokingly nicknamed him "Make-A-Wish" to explain his presence. Didn't matter that he never dressed in uniform for a game or made the traveling squad.

Hayes took his role seriously. He did whatever was asked. He retrieved footballs. He did computer work for coaches. Once, when the Hurricanes played a night game in Gainesville, he drove up with friends since he wasn't on the travel squad, watched the game and drove back all night to make the next morning's practice.

"The coaches don't want any excuses about missing practice," he said.

Then, one day last October, Hayes got the kind of phone call all of us fear. His father was dead. He had killed himself.

The details aren't important to this story, other than to say the son was stunned, and broken, and lost as to what to do or how to react. His father was always so full of life. Now this?

"I was a wreck," he said.

And here's the point: What happens to a player on a team's fringe when he needs help? Is the team there for him? Is anyone? Does he just drift away?

Well, Hayes got the news about his father on a Monday, the funeral was that Friday and almost every hour in between he got a call or text message from someone: a teammate. A school official. Special teams coach Joe Pannunzio. Someone.

When Pannunzio updated Randy Shannon and suggested maybe Hayes could stand on the sideline for that Saturday's game, Shannon said nothing doing.

"He's going to dress out," Shannon said.

Teammates high-fived him in the locker room when he arrived an hour before the game. Coaches patted his back. Then they went out and played Wake Forest in a game that looked like a typical college Saturday until the final play.

That's when Shannon told Pannunzio to get Hayes in the game. So while the rest of the stadium was counting down the seconds, Hayes was running into the huddle to replace the tight end — a position he'd never played — and saying a prayer to his father. His one goal: Don't screw up.

Aaron Curry, the Wake Forest linebacker who became the fourth overall pick in the NFL draft, lined up opposite him. Hayes was so numb he doesn't remember the play, only the aftermath, when someone said, "Pick him up!"

Suddenly, he was going up on teammates' shoulders. Suddenly, he was being paraded across the field. Suddenly, tears began falling, tears he'd been holding all week, surprising tears of joy for a moment his dad would appreciate above everyone else.

"I'm so happy!" Hayes began yelling up there. "I'm so happy!"

It was a Rudy moment, only better. When Hayes was set down, he sprinted to the stands where his mom stood, crying. They hugged and cried some more. And Hayes kept crying when Shannon handed over the game ball in the locker room.

See, sports isn't just about a guy who toe-taps both feet in the Super Bowl end zone or the one who swishes two free throws on national television. It's also about the Chris Hayeses out there. It took a while for him to talk about the day no one's forgotten.

"Probably the neatest thing I've been involved in in 20 years of coaching," Pannunzio said.

"I get emotional thinking of it now," Shannon said.

"I always kind of questioned, 'Why did I get put on this team?'" Hayes said. "Why did this happen? I was never going to be a player who did anything on the football field that was so great. I think that day when they were there for me, that showed me why."

As a senior this year, Make-a-Wish remains a long shot to play a down or even make the travel team. That's OK. He'll be at every practice. He'll do whatever is asked.

"There's a lot of ways you can help on a team," he said.

His one play is proof of that.

Miami's Shannon winning off the field

July 28, 2009

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Despite the mounting pressure for him to win, there are certain things Miami coach Randy Shannon doesn't have to worry about entering his third season as head coach. He doesn't have to go into the locker room to make sure the players are keeping it neat. He doesn't have to be on campus making sure the players are in class. He trusts the players who are of drinking age know when to call it a night.

"That's easy for me now," Shannon said.

Not all of the positive changes at Miami during Shannon's short tenure have showed up in the win column. At the ACC Football Kickoff, I got a chance to ask him what he thought about his neighboring rivals being in the news so much for off-field incidents when Miami has had no reports of legal troubles. That's right, none. Florida State and Florida, however, could combine to field an entire team of players who have run into trouble with the law in the past year.

"I feel bad for other schools because we're all coaches and we're part of a coaching family and everybody goes through it," Shannon said. "When it hits you, you just have to weather the storm and get back in control of it. That's one thing we've done -- we went out and recruited the right type of players that are great athletes, great students, and the only thing they believe in is Miami. What I mean by that is they're going to represent the University of Miami, they love the University of Miami and the players on the team and that's the only thing they think about.

"Also we go into places that have winning programs," he said. "If you go look at what we've done in three years, you're going to see a lot of players from winning and state championship programs, and it's like anything -- if you're used to winning, it's going to come, and when it comes, it's going to be hard to stop."

It's only a matter of time before it starts.

Randy Shannon to Receive Prestigious Keith Tribble Trailblazer Award

By Alice Meikle

April 20, 2009

The Orange Bowl continues its community outreach effort in South Florida, as its reaches out to citizen’s young and old recognizing their contribution in education and sport. The ”OBC” especially placed their focus on youth academic and athletic programs says Lynn Washington, co-chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Orange Bowl Field of Dreams Committee.

The Orange Bowl Committee has been celebrating with America’s future leaders and the OBC’s legacy has been realized for some 75 years or more.

The Orange Bowl Committee will host its seventh annual Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Field Of Dreams Scholarship Benefit on Friday May 8 at the Broward County Convention Center, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida commencing with a reception at 7 p.m. followed by dinner and entertainment at 8 p.m.

The Orange Bowl Keith Tribble Trailblazer Award is annually presented to an innovator, pioneer and ground breaker, a person who has helped open doors, blazed trails and prepared a way for others to have better lives.

So it was only fitting when the OBC decided to select the 2009 recipient for this prestigious award, as University of Miami Head Football Coach Randy Shannon. The OBC feels that Randy Shannon has made an individual contribution, which has significantly impacted the South Florida community at large.

Shannon was named head football coach of the University of Miami on December 8, 2006. A native of Miami, Shannon, played at Norland High School before moving on to the University of Miami where he was a four-year letterman and starting outside linebacker on the 1987 National Championship team.

After graduation, he played for the Dallas Cowboys before moving into coaching at the University level, before joining the Dolphins staff. He returned to UM as defensive coordinator for six years, coaching top 10 defenses in five of those six seasons before being named the 20th head coach in school history.

Shannon, 43, played on or was a coach for three of the school’s five national championship teams. He is one of only seven African American head coaches from among the 119 schools in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division 1-A).

Other recognitions include Barrington Irving, the youngest and first black person to pilot a plane around the world solo, Christopher L. Smith Florida State Senator District 29 and founder of The Chris Smith All-star Football Classic, and Clarence Anthony former Mayor of South Bay and is presently the Chief Marketing Officer and Presiding Director of the Board of Directors for Post Buckley Schuh & Jernigan, Inc.

“Everything is in place for one of the more successful, star-studded and meritorious group of honorees since the Field of Dreams began. This promises to be one of the premiere events of the season.

Now part of the Orange Bowl Committee’s 75 year legacy, our Field of Dreams offers a can’t miss night of entertainment, recognition and the generous spirit of South Florida,” comments Antonia “Toni” Williams-Gary, Co Chair of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Orange Bowl Field of Dreams Committee.

The Field of Dreams Scholarship Benefit is an annual Orange Bowl Committee event with a purpose of providing college scholarship funding for deserving high school seniors.

The program has awarded individual scholarships, and contributed over $300,000 for African-American scholarships to organizations such as the Tom Joyner Foundation, The Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund, Florida Memorial University’s Athletic Scholarship Fund and the UNCF.

The Orange Bowl Committee is a not-for-profit, 330-member, primarily-volunteer organization. It is a self-sustaining, independent organization that supports and produces activities and events that enhance the image, economy and culture of South Florida. The Orange Bowl Festival features a year-round schedule of events culminating with the FedEx Orange Bowl on Jan. 5, 2010.

In 2013, the OBC will again double-host both the FedEx Orange Bowl and the BCS National Championship. Other OBC core events include the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic, Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance, Orange Bowl International Tennis Championships and Orange Bowl Sailing Regatta Series.

For more information on the 2009-10 Orange Bowl Festival and its events, including promotional and volunteer opportunities through the Ambassador Program.