According to multiple reports former Miami Hurricanes Hurricanes Head Coach Randy Shannon has been named the interim Head Coach at the University of Florida. The Gators fired Head Coach Jim McElwain after two and a half seasons in Gainesville.
McElwain’s firing and former Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Shannon being named as the interim Head Coach came after a 42-7 loss Georgia this week. The irony is that Georgia is the former employer of current Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mark Richt. A buyout of McElwain is still being negotiated per multiple reports.
The initial report of the firing was by Football Scoop. It has been rumored all weekend. The blowout loss to the Bulldogs cemented his fate. After beginning the 2017 season 3-1, the Gators have lost three in a row.
Prior to the loss to Georgia, Florida lost to Texas A&M and LSU. He leaves Gainesville with a 22-12 record. The Gators won the SEC Eastern Division in each of the last two seasons. He became the first coach in SEC history to win a Division title in each of his first two seasons in the conference.
McElwain’s downfall was the Gators lack of offense. Florida has been 100th, 107th and 110th in scoring the last three seasons. With the offense struggling the selection of Defensive Coordinator Shannon as the interim Head Coach was a questionable one.
Shannon spent four years as the Miami Hurricanes Head Coach. He was the Miami Defensive Coordinator for six seasons before he succeeded Larry Coker as the Hurricanes Head Coach. Miami went 28-22 during the Shannon era.
The Hurricanes went to Bowl games after Shannon’s second and third seasons in Miami. They lost the Emerald Bowl following the 2008 season and the Champs Sports Bowl after the 2009 season.
Hail Florida Hail
Shannon has been the Defensive Coordinator for Florida during the entirety of the McElwain era. After sharing the position the last two seasons, he was appointed the sole Defensive Coordinator for the 2017 season.
Despite the struggles of the offense under McElwain, the defense was elite in 2015 and ’16. The Gators were 11th nationally in points allowed in 2015 and 11th in 2016. They have fallen to 66th this year.
In addition to the loss to Georgia, McElwain’s allegation that he, his staff and his players all received death threats after last week’s loss to Texas A&M. Asked to provide more information McElwain was unable to. That was the impetus for Florida to search for a cause to fire McElwain and avoid paying him the buyout.
Shannon taking over the Head Coaching Job at Florida Makes him the first person to have been the Head Coach at the University of Miami and Florida. The U filmmakers Billy Corben tweeted that out earlier today.
Randy Shannon: first person to ever be head coach of both the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Gators https://t.co/iQZALvc815
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) October 29, 2017
Like current Head Coach Mark Richt, Shannon is an alumnus of the University of Miami. He was a member of the Hurricaneas 1987 National Championship team. In his first collegiate start Shannon returned an interception for a touchdown against Florida.
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Shannon will finish out this season. He is not likely to be a candidate to replace McElwain long term barring a miraculous finish. The Gators play at South Carolina and Missouri to finish the SEC schedule the next two weeks. They will host Florida State and UAB to finish the season.