Miami's Shannon Dawson named among top offensive coordinators by On3

Shannon Dawson’s place among college football’s elite offensive coordinators has been recognized by a recent ranking from On3’s Andy Staples, placing him at No. 3 nationally. He is behind only Oregon’s Will Stein and Notre Dame’s Mike Denbrock. The full list goes as follows:

1. Will Stein, Oregon
2. Mike Denbrock, Notre Dame
3. Shannon Dawson, Miami
4. Mike Shanahan, Indiana
5. Garrett Riley, Clemson
6. Andy Kotelnicki, Penn State
7. Marcus Arroyo, Arizona State
8. Buster Faulkner, Georiga Tech
9. Jake Spavital, Baylor
10. Drew Cronic, Army

Dawson, now in his third season leading the Miami Hurricanes’ offense, has dramatically transformed the unit into the nation’s top-scoring attack. Under his guidance, Miami surged from 96th in scoring offense in 2022 to the No. 1 offense in the country in 2024, averaging a staggering 43.9 points and 537.2 yards per game.

Since taking over in 2023, Dawson has overseen Miami’s offense climb steadily from the bottom tiers of national performance to top-level production in just two seasons. His success at prior stops (like Houston and Southern Miss) added to his reputation, but the leap at Miami has gained national attention.

Despite high praise, the current season brings fresh challenges. Miami will now look to prove that Dawson’s earlier success wasn’t solely built around NFL-caliber quarterback Cam Ward. With Carson Beck now under center, Dawson’s ability to adapt his scheme will be under scrutiny in 2025.

The upcoming season will be Dawson’s most critical yet. Without Ward, with significant turnover on offense, and with Beck adapting, the pressure will be on to prove that Miami’s success is sustainable. If Miami remains inside the top 15 nationally in scoring, as many fans hope, the ranking will feel well-earned. If not, more questions will crop up about the offensive identity and ability of Dawson.