By TIM REYNOLDS
AP Sports Writer
CORAL GABLES (AP)-- His voice nearly cracking, Miami athletic
director Kirby Hocutt somberly laid out some of the many reasons why
Randy Shannon was right for the Hurricanes.
The academic success. Improved recruiting classes. His decades as part of the Miami family.
Then there were 22 reasons that Hocutt couldn't ignore -- the games
Miami lost under Shannon. In the end, those carried more weight than
anything else.
A coach who left an
indelible mark on Miami's past will not be part of its future, and the
Hurricanes started the process of moving on Sunday, with former
offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland taking over on an interim basis, and
players gathering for a tearful meeting.
"Change is difficult and change is hard," Hocutt said Sunday. "But
change, sometimes, it's necessary. And this time, this change was
necessary."
Hocutt fired Shannon on
Saturday night, hours after Miami lost to South Florida in its
regular-season finale. The Hurricanes fell to 7-5, still have yet to
play for an Atlantic Coast Conference title and lured only 26,369 fans
-- many of them rooting for the visitors -- to Sun Life Stadium on
Saturday, the smallest home crowd since Larry Coker's last home game in
2006.
That crowd, or that loss, was not the final straw.
The sum of the parts -- no ACC titles and no bowl wins -- helped Hocutt make his decision.
"It was not made on 60 minutes of football," Hocutt said. "It was made with the total body of work in mind."
Miami moved swiftly, with Hocutt already enlisting the help of Chuck
Neinas -- a consultant who specializes in finding the right coaches for
schools -- and giving him an initial list of candidates. Hocutt would
not divulge who the initial targets are, and stressed that Miami will
take as much time as it needs to make the right hire.
Speculation has centered on Mike Leach, Mark Richt, Tommy Tuberville and Jon Gruden -- each of whom would be a splashy get.
"We need somebody that's experienced and understand what it takes to
win, and understands the great tradition around here," defensive lineman
Adewale Ojomo said.
Shannon left with
three years remaining on his contract, and even until his final day had
plenty of support from many top university officials -- president Donna
Shalala included.
"Better days are ahead. Great days are ahead for this program," Hocutt said.
Shannon went 28-22 in four years. No assistant coaches were fired and
Hocutt says all have committed to stay through the Hurricanes' bowl
game, although with a new regime coming in, their Miami futures are
shaky at best.
"I'm very disappointed," quarterback Jacory Harris said. "Coach Shannon is like my father figure."
Players were told formally Sunday morning by Hocutt, although they
all learned of the shakeup when the news broke late Saturday night.
The Hurricanes expect to have a bowl destination, possibly the Sun Bowl, by week's end.
"We are in a tough situation," Stoutland said. "There is no doubt,
but that does not change our commitment to the young men on this team.
Everyone on this coaching staff remains fully committed to this program
and finishing this season the right way."
Since the start of the 2007 season, 47 teams have more wins than Miami
-- including four from the state of Florida. The Hurricanes were 16-16
in the ACC under Shannon, the sixth-best mark in the 12-team league. And
barring a wild turn of events, Miami will finish out of the Top 25 for
the fourth time in five years.
The truest consistency was inconsistency.
Miami's longest winning streak under Shannon was five games during
2008, and three of those victories came against teams that finished the
year with losing records. The Hurricanes went 1-7 away from home against
ranked teams since the start of 2007. The only win over a top-10 team
was last season, when Miami beat Oklahoma -- a game Sam Bradford sat out
with a shoulder injury.
"Randy Shannon
is and always will be a part of this family and will always be a Miami
Hurricane," Hocutt said. "However, we must move forward at this time."
Shannon released a statement through the university, saying he
believes he left the program on better footing than it was when he
arrived.
"I am proud of the last four
years at the University of Miami and what we have been able to
accomplish," Shannon said. "I have a deep respect and appreciation for
the young men who have played here during my tenure."
Shannon is expected to receive a buyout of about $1.5 million.
Miami is a private school without the deepest of pockets when it
comes to paying coaches, but it has had a fundraising drive to support
athletics for several years.
Hocutt said finances would not limit Miami's search.
"We're going to do whatever it takes to get back to the top of the college football world," Hocutt said.
