Randy Shannon was named the new head football coach at the University of Miami on December 8, 2006. Shannon, 41, had served as Miami’s defensive coordinator for the last six years and is regarded as one of the finest defensive coaches in college football. In his six years as coordinator, five of Miami’s defenses were ranked nationally in the Top 10.

A native of Miami, a former Miami Hurricanes player and graduate of the University, Shannon becomes the 20th head coach in school history. He played for the Hurricanes from 1985 through 1988 and had been an assistant coach at UM for 13 seasons. He either played or coached on three of the school’s five national championship teams. In 2001, he became the first UM coach to be named the winner of the Frank Broyles Award, presented annually to the nation’s top assistant coach.

In his six seasons as defensive coordinator, the Hurricanes had seven All-America players. Shannon has coached in 11 bowl games with the Hurricanes. Despite Miami’s 7-6 record in 2006, the Hurricanes ranked 7th in the nation in total defense, fourth in rushing defense and 13th in scoring defense. In 2005, Shannon’s aggressive 4-3 scheme led the nation most of the season in nearly every category and finished No. 1 in pass defense efficiency and pass defense, fourth in total and scoring defense. His defenses ranked second in the nation in total defense in 2003, 7th in 2002 and 6th in 2001.

As a player at Miami, he was a four-year (1984-88) letterwinner at linebacker and a starter on Miami’s 1987 National Championship team. Drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 1989, he played two years for Dallas before becoming a graduate assistant coach at Miami in 1991. In 1992, he became a full-time assistant at UM and from 1993-97 he coached Miami’s linebackers. He left the Hurricanes briefly in 1998-2000 to coach with the Miami Dolphins. He came back to assume the defensive coordinator position one year later.

A 1989 graduate of Miami, he attended Norland High School and is a native of the Liberty City area of Miami. He was born Feb. 24, 1966 in Miami.

By Al Featherston for theACC.com

Randy Shannon knows exactly what's expected of him.

The lifelong Miami native started at linebacker for a national championship team at the University of Miami, back when Jimmy Johnson was coaching the Hurricanes. He was in his first year on Dennis Erickson's staff when the Hurricanes won the 1991 national title. He was in his first year as Miami's defensive coordinator when the 'Canes won their most recent national title in 2001.

Shannon knows he wasn't promoted to head coach just to lead the Miami program to a bowl every year.

"Miami is a different place - we're held to higher standards," the first-year coach told reporters at the ACC Football Kickoff. "If you go 9-3 in some places, that's a great season. Go 9-3 at Miami and they try to fire you. That's just the bottom line."

Shannon saw what happened to Larry Coker, who won that national title in 2001 and was 53-9 in his first five seasons.

"Think about it," Shannon said. "It was 12-0, 12-1, 11-2, 9-3, 9-3 -- everybody in the world can take that. Then you have one off season, 7-6, and you usually don't get fired for that."

So Shannon understands the task confronting him: Don't have an off season.

Going into his first season as the man in charge, the new Miami coach sounds supremely confident of his ability to kick the Miami program out of its doldrums. He's assembled a young, aggressive staff and he's taken steps to change the culture in Coral Gables.

One symbolic step is removing the players' names from the back of their jerseys.

"We're trying to build a team," Shannon explained. "We're trying to get individualism away from everybody."

Shannon's other new rules include no cell phone use of any type in classrooms and meetings and maintaining a minimum 2.5 cumulative grade point average to live off campus. Sophomores, unlike in the past, have also been told they must live on campus.

"It's important," Shannon said. "It's about character more than anything. Going into homes last year, I let every kid's parent know what our rules were and what we were going to expect out of the kids. I didn't even talk playing time. I was talking about what things they had to bring to the University of Miami. If you can't live and die by those things, don't come to Miami."

The Miami players appear ready to embrace Shannon's new regime and anxious to restore Hurricane football to its rightful place among the nation's elite.

Junior Defensive End
Calais Campbell

"You come here to win games," junior defensive end Calais Campbell said. "You come here to be a part of something great. When people count us out and say that we're not a part of something like that, it hurts. It's like saying we're not good enough to do it. Right now, it's motivation for us."

Shannon has to channel that anger and frustration into productive channels. He inherits a solid core of proven players, including seven starters off a defense that finished seventh in the nation last season in fewest points allowed.

That's nothing new - in Shannon's six years as Miami's defensive coordinator, his defenses finished in the top seven nationally in total defense six times. The 'Canes led the nation in scoring defense once and in passing defense three times.

New defensive coordinator Tim Walton, promoted from his post as defensive backfield coach, appears to have the pieces in place to continue that streak of excellence. Campbell is a preseason All-American after recording 10.5 sacks a year ago. He'll be flanked by senior tackle Terez McCray and backed up by veteran linebackers Glenn Cook and Tavares Gooden.

The secondary lost All-American safety Brandon Meriweather to graduation and potential All-American Anthony Reddick to off-season knee surgery, but still retains a star at safety in junior Kenny Phillips.

Senior Quarterback
Kyle Wright

If anything, the offense returns even more experience with nine starters back from last year, including two-year starter Kyle Wright at quarterback.

The only problem is that offense fell far short of Miami offensive standards last season, ranking 88th nationally in total offense and 87th in scoring offense. Wright, once one of the nation's top quarterback prospects, finished sixth in the ACC in passing efficiency and spent most of last season trying to hold off backup Kirby Freeman, who led the team to two wins in his four starts and was voted MVP of the MPC Computers Bowl.

Wright threw for 1,655 yards last season with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. Freeman finished with 872 passing yards with seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Shannon has brought in Patrick Nix, a 35-year-old former Auburn quarterback, to revamp Miami's offense and to sort out the competition at quarterback. The Miami coach won't rule out any possibility, including the option of using both quarterbacks equally.

"Whatever gives us a chance to win, we'll do," he said.

Whichever quarterback wins the job, he'll have the luxury of working behind a veteran offensive line and alongside sophomore running back Javarris James. The cousin of former Miami star Edgerrin James started 10 games as a true freshman and rushed for 802 yards - the fourth highest total for a true freshman last year.

The 'Canes also boast a core of talented, experienced wide receivers. Although tight end Greg Olsen - now gone to the NFL - led the team in receiving last season, wide outs Lance Leggett and Sam Shields combined for 75 catches for 1,085 yards and eight touchdowns. Shields, whose 37 catches were the most for a true freshman at Miami since Reggie Wayne in 1987, looms as a potential game-breaking player.

So the pieces appear to be in place for a run at the ACC title. Of course, Miami fans have been expecting a run at the conference championship since joining the ACC before the 2004 season. Unlike rival Florida State, which entered the ACC and dominated for a decade, the Hurricanes have struggled in the new league which has seen its level of play as a whole elevated.

"I almost feel embarrassed," senior offensive guard Derrick Morse said. "Jonathan Vilma [a former Miami teammate, now with the New York Jets] came back the other day, and he was talking to us about how it hurts him just as much as it hurts us when we lose a game. When we hear something like that, it really puts it in perspective that it's not just us. It's all the (former) players hurting - alumni, fans, everybody.

"This year, especially after last season, we have a lot to prove. We just want to come back and be great again."

That's all Shannon has to do to be successful at his alma mater - just be great.

STRENGTHS: The returning core of one of the nation's top defensive teams ... a veteran offensive line and proven playmakers at running back and wide receiver.

CONCERNS: Getting consistent play from either Kyle Wright or Kirby Freeman - or both - at quarterback .... replacing veteran kickers Jon Peattie and Brian Monroe.

EARLY BELLWETHER GAME: The Hurricanes travel to Oklahoma on Sept. 8 to take on a projected Big 12 power in a game that will be nationally televised on ABC.