“Miami’s next man?”
It’s definitely time for a change in Coral Gables.
Watching Miami warm up last week for its game against Virginia Tech, the volume of pure athleticism on the roster was shocking. Put Miami’s players in generic uniforms next to the players from Auburn, LSU or Oklahoma, and you wouldn’t know who played for which team. Yet in Randy Shannon’s fourth season at the helm, the Hurricanes are 7-5 and have yet to win even the ACC Coastal division.
It’s a shame, because Shannon has done everything right but win. His players graduate. They behave. They represent the school perfectly everywhere except on the field. Saturday’s overtime loss to South Florida was a prime example. Most of the Bulls chose USF because Miami, Florida and Florida State didn’t recruit them. There is no reason players Miami deemed inferior to its own should be able to come to Whatever-It’s-Called-This-Week Stadium and beat the Hurricanes.
The bottom line is this: Shannon produced a seven-win season with an 11-win roster, and The U can do better.
A smart up-and-comer would walk across broken glass to get the Miami job. It won’t pay as much as other marquee jobs, and while the Hurricanes have earmarked money to improve their facilities, they still don’t have the palaces other major programs do. What they do have is a roster that can win the ACC next year and compete for national titles quickly. Even more important is a fertile recruiting ground loaded with exceptional athletes who aren’t so young that they don’t remember when national champions emerged from the smoke at the Orange Bowl.
Who should the Hurricanes pursue? Mike Leach is jobless in Key West, but the Hurricanes don’t need to be an Air Raid team to win. They can collect the talent to run a pro-style system. Which brings us to Miami alum Mark Richt. Richt makes more at Georgia than Miami could ever pay, but Miami could offer a fresh start for a coach who never satisfied Bulldogs fans — even with six double-digit win seasons in 10 years.
Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen is another possibility, especially if he can convince Bulldogs’ defensive coordinator Manny Diaz — the son of Miami’s former mayor — to come along to Coral Gables. Mullen may prefer having an SEC job, but Mississippi State will always chase Alabama, Auburn and LSU for players in the SEC West. Win at Miami, and the four- and five-star athletes will beat a path to your door.
Shannon has had ample opportunity to return Miami to prominence, but he hasn’t gotten the job done. It’s time to give someone else a chance.
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Well written. Couldn't agree more.
Amen.
According to Canesport Donna Shalala has called an emergency meeting to discuss the state of the football program. The end is near my friends....
Richt? Yes. Mullen? No. Mullen runs that spread, gimmic BS that I want no part of. Miami is a pro style program.Period. IF a change is made, he definately needs to have prior experience and having roots in the South would be helpful. I'd go for Richt though, with his history. I think if a change is going to be made however, the sooner the better.
Columbus Cane
We need to recruit some thugs. Players are too soft!
So today's performance left no question if we need new coach(s). The question left is who is going to replace Shannon ... x
If they are gonna do this then it needs to be done this week the fire and starting of the higher hopefully gruden or richt.
We suck , we can't do nothing right , penalities , false starts, drop passes an that mark whipple doesn't seen to have a clue what to do with the offense. Defense can't tackle not physical at all we just Suck
Canesport reporting that Shannon has officially been told that he and his whole staff are gone http://miami.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1158367.
If you are not a subscriber here is the text:
Coach Randy Shannon has met with Donna Shalala and been told that he and his staff are being fired, multiple sources told CaneSport Saturday night.
Word of the decision began filtering through players and coaches in the mid-evening hours that followed the stunning overtime loss to South Florida on Saturday.
Players were said to be very upset, feeling that they let Shannon down.
Stay tuned for more details on this developing story.
UM brass gave out a contract extension and lots of money for nothing when Shannon's contract was not done yet. What was that about? Does the U have tons of cash to pay out for years to come without any rational basis to do that?