SI’s Stewart Mandel chimes in on Shannon

“Miami makes a change”

The failed tenure of Miami coach Randy Shannon goes down as one of the all-time mysteries.

On paper, he was everything “The U” could have hoped for — a ‘Cane through and through, with national title rings as both a player and assistant; a morally scrupulous man who eradicated the program’s tarnished culture and achieved the highest APR score (977) of any BCS-conference coach; and a South Florida native who reasserted the program’s dominance in backyard recruiting. (His top five class in 2008 included 12 players from Miami high schools.)

Yet there’s no question the school had to make a change. Progress had stalled, and excitement over the program had eviscerated. The image of 26,369 fans at 73,000-seat Sun Life Stadium watching the ‘Canes (7-5) lose to a USF team playing with a freshman walk-on quarterback (Bobby Eveld) was presumably the final straw.

“Simply stated, winning is important at the University of Miami,” AD Kirby Hocutt said Sunday. “It always has been and always will be.”

There are any number of X’s and O’s reasons behind Miami’s struggles. Quarterback Jacory Harris was often either injured or interception-prone. The running game was often non-existent. The defense didn’t dominate like it did when Shannon was coordinator. But really, the Hurricanes’ single most notable trait under Shannon was losing their famed swagger. They did not remotely resemble their brash, relentless predecessors who won those five national championships.

The question then becomes whether a new coach can reignite that swagger and win titles at Miami without sacrificing the academic and off-field progress Shannon made. I believe so. And the one overwhelmingly obvious candidate is Mike Leach. The former Texas Tech coach pushed hard for the job the last time it came open. (Friend Donald Trump lobbied to president Donna Shalala on Leach’s behalf.) He graduated players in Lubbock. He’d give the program an unmistakable identity. And we’re all curious to find out what his Air Raid offense is capable of with access to the type of athletes Miami can recruit.

Who knows whether Shalala and Hocutt will give Leach another chance. Hocutt has retained decorated search consultant Chuck Neinas, who will no doubt attract a bevy of interested national stars. Think Georgia’s Mark Richt (an alum), Mississippi State’s Dan Mullen and Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, among others. All would be excellent hires.

Saturday night, ESPN’s Mark May railed against the school for firing Shannon and blamed the school for unrealistic expectations. “Miami in 2010 is not Miami in 2002,” he said, primarily citing the school’s underwhelming facilities and unwillingness to pay big dollars. That’s absolutely preposterous.

Miami won five national titles with worse facilities, and nearly any available coach would gladly accept a slightly lower salary for the opportunity to coach such a prestigious brand in such a fertile recruiting area. With the right hire, Miami’s next coach will do a whole lot better than 28-22.

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