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Randy Shannon has officially be let go as the head coach at the University of Miami. Offensive coordinator Mark Whipple has also been released and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland will take over as interim coach.

Obviously there’s more to come. The Jon Gruden rumors are still percolating and you have to believe there’s a game plan in place if Shannon was fired hours after today’s 23-20 overtime loss to South Florida. Some are reporting that Donna Shalala gave Kirby Hocutt and the Board Of Trustees the green light after combined losses to both Florida State and Virginia, lending credibility to the “win out or bust” talk that kicked up weeks back.

First and foremost, if you are a true fan of this program, you are feeling Shannon’s pain. There’d have been no better story for the University of Miami and this city than the hometown boy, former player and long-time assistant making good and turning this thing around. Had Shannon been able to get it done, Miami would’ve had a perennial lifer. Whoever takes over next, it could be two years, five years, maybe a decade if this program is lucky – but they wouldn’t have had the staying power of a successful Shannon.

This is a man that gave his all to this program for the past three decades and he is forever one of our own. That said, he was simply in over his head as the leader of this program and after a 28-22 run over four seasons, made it painfully obvious that he wasn’t the right guy for the job.

I am a Randy Shannon fan, but I my heart is with this university and this football program and no man is bigger than the greater good of ‘The U’. I was rooting for Coach Shannon and will continue to do so wherever he ends up (unless it’s Gainesville or Tallahassee). He gave it his all, but it simply wasn’t enough.

I stated from day one that Shannon deserved four to five years to right the ship and that as long as Miami continued improving under him, I was on board. I also stated that if the Canes began to backslide on his watch or if he didn’t have this thing turned around in five years, I’d be on the front line stating that he needed to go. I’m not happy it came to this, but I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that 7-5 isn’t acceptable at UM.

For all of those who said that the Shalala / Hocutt duo “don’t care about football” or were “satisfied with four-loss seasons as long as kids stay out of trouble”, you were way off.

ACC revenue splits and shared BCS money don’t make up for almost two dozen losses in four seasons, pissed off donors / boosters and the smallest home crowd (just over 26K) since Larry Coker’s Thanksgiving finale in 2006.

Shalala and Hocutt are out to build a winner and we’ll see what continues to unfold in the coming days. This firing came hours after the overtime loss, so again, one has to believe there is a plan in place. Signing Day is two months out and during these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it isn’t necessarily time to launch a full-blown search.

When the top brass acts this quickly, you have to believe someone has already been targeted and if the green light was given over a month ago (post-Virginia), you also have to believe conversations and preliminary chats are underway.

Also newsworthy, talk that the buyout wasn’t as large as some originally thought (possibly half the previously mentioned $1.5M) and that there might’ve been a clause regarding number of losses. The point? The fact that the extension was given doesn’t mean there weren’t stipulations made to protect the university.

It was the right call months back, for the sake of recruiting and stability – but when the rubber met the road and a job was not well done, Miami did what it needed to do and from the sounds of things, did what it needed to do to protect itself.

Georgia’s Mark Richt and former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach have been mentioned, but I personally can’t see how either happen as Richt is still coaching the Dawgs and word from day one is that Shalala isn’t a Leach fan and has been adamant behind closed doors that he’ll never be ‘the guy’ at UM.

Still hearing Gruden, which I know the Miami media isn’t feeling. (A bud told me the Palm Beach Post’s Jorge Milian said, “don’t believe that” and the Herald’s Manny Navarro mentioned Richt and Leach.)

I’ve heard Gruden from three different, in-the-know individuals – two close to the program and one with NFL ties – but in the wake of all that’s happened in the past few hours, no one knows. A ton of rumors running rampant, so take everything with a grain of salt.

Either way, a new era is officially underway.

A hearty thanks to Randy as he is orange and green through and through and best of luck to the UM’s top brass in making a solid hire that takes Miami football to the next level.

UPDATE: A statement from Randy Shannon on Sunday morning.

“I am proud of the last four years at the University of Miami and what we have been able to accomplish. I have a deep respect and appreciation for the young men who have played here during my tenure.

“We established three winning seasons; continually improved in the Atlantic Coast Conference over the last four years; brought in strong recruiting classes; and just as importantly, made tremendous strides off the field with our academic progress rate and graduation success rate among the best nationally.

“I believe that I leave the Hurricanes football program with a stronger foundation upon which they can continue to build. I thank President Shalala for the opportunity. Those that know my history know of my passion and dedication to the ‘U’, and only want success for this University moving forward.”

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