Randy Shannon to Arkansas?

He's certainly not a good head coach. I'm as furious about the job he did here as HC as much as anyone, but lets not get emotional.

He was he national assistant of the year as a DC (yes, I know he had world class talent) and was well regarded when he was the LB coach with the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

If his head is on straight, and his ego is in check, it's a good hire at LB coach. You're getting a proven NFL guy at the position, a guy with success at coordinator, a lot of experience. I'm sure Beliema checked into how he was regarded this past year at TCU and he checked out.

He was a great player and assistant here. I wish him well, except when he's recruiting against us. Then he can diaf:)

For someone who is a "proven NFL guy at a position" (that's a stretch, by the way) and a "national assistant of the year as a DC," why is he bouncing around mid-level programs as a position coach? Seriously, that doesn't raise some significant red flags?

I don't think that's a stretch. I knew a few people there at the time through a work thing and he was well regarded. Remember that he was promoted internally when he was with the Dolphins, from a defensive asst to full time LB coach. JJ also vouched for him based on the job he did for the Fins.

And I don't think he's "bouncing around" as you said. Working under Patterson at TCU is no small gig, and then going to a good SEC staff? Those are good programs. And he most certainly improved his stature and no doubt his salary with this move, and has only made one move.

That said, I certainly agree with you that there are some red flags. Which is why he hasn't gotten a coordinator let alone a HC offer. He's certainly set himself back, as deservedly so. But as a LB coach? I think that's a great get, especially since you're not the Guinea Pig for his return to coaching as he just had a successful year at TCU.


@BFeldmanCBS: Good pick-up for Arkansas & Bret Bielema landing Randy Shannon as LB coach. Quite a staff Bielema has assembled.

So Randy Shannon, based on the people you met through a work thing, was a well-regarded NFL LB coach (by none other than Jimmy Johnson and his coaching tree types), yet voluntarily, 12 years later and with a lot more "experience," decides to take multiple college LB coach positions? Let's be real here, man. The proof is in the reality of it all: if Randy Shannon were anything close to a legitimate NFL LB coach, he'd be more likely to be an NFL LB coach than a college LB coach. Sure, you may say he "prefers the college game and just wants to get back into a top position," but this is now his second position coach job in college.

He can be the greatest LB coach in the history of college (he won't be, because he's a notoriously poor technical teacher, as many, many former players can attest), and it'd all look extremely weird to me anyway. Why? Because the guy was an NFL LB coach, defensive coordinator for the top team in College, and a college head coach.

In short, I think the market has spoken as to what it thinks about Randy Shannon's value. Forgive me if I don't have a soft spot for a guy that, intentionally or not, contributed to a deep wound this program is still recovering from.

RS was with the dolphins for 3 years and only 1 as a LB coach. I can't argue hearsay. "I heard he was well regarded." What is the source? As LU said, if he was so well regarded then and has far more leadership experience now...why doesnt he have an NFL position coach job?

Here are the facts....All 4 head coaches prior to Coker leaped directly into professional HC jobs in the NFL. Schnelly (USFL at the time), JJ, Erickson, and Butch. If you look back at their coaching staffs, a large percentage of them all ended in OC/DC/HC jobs in college and NFL...the list is enormous...Chud, Pagano, Wannstedt, Tuberville, Schiano, Campo, Bratkowdki, Lubbick, Tressman...etc. Coaching at Miami is like working at Goldman Sachs...built-in competitive advantages and a rich history of turning out top tier talent.

Coker took the titanic and turned it towards the ice berg and Shannon steeped on the throttle and crashed us head on. Look at Shannons staff...
Whipple - NFL QB coach. Went back to his old job.
Lovett - DB Coach at Texas Tech
Aubrey Hill - WR coach at Florida and now out of coaching due to NCAA investigation
Clint Hurtt - DL coach at Louisville
Wesley McGriff - DB at Vandy
Stoutland - OL coach at Bama
Pannunzio - Football Operations - out of coaching
Tommie Robinson - Arizona Cardinals RB coach
Michael Barrow - LB coach at UM
Rick Petri - DL coach at Duke

The only success Shannon had was his 2008 recruiting class and it isn't like he barnstormed the country and cherry picked the top talent in the country. He convinced a bunch of kids from the Miami area to stay home. After that one year...every recruiting class he had **** the bed. He assembled a terrible staff and you all know the rest of the story. Our program went from a record 1st round draft picks in the early part of the decade to not having one 1st rounder since 2008 and only 2 2nd round picks in that time! At MIAMIIIIIIIII. That is awful. His only success to date was at the DC at Miami and he inherited one of the most talented and deep defenses in the country from Butch Davis staff. He didn't come in and innovate or run a complicated defense. He came in a ran a very vanilla 4-3 defense and the ridiculous talent inherited made plays.

The college and pro coaching marketplace right now is the ultimate free market and their is consistent high turnover. 7 NFL coaches just were fired in the NFL. Cant even count the number of HC and coordinators who are bouncing around in college. And now, Shannon 3 years later is moving to Arkansas to be a LB coach? That tells you all you need to know about what his industry thinks about him.

This pretty much sums it all up.
 
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Most coaches who are highly regarded or well thought off, dont go from a program like UM to being position coaches 2 years later

Also, look at Coker, he had to wait years to get a job at a small start-up program

Stuff like this is telling
 
Randy Shannon coaching lb's is a steal imo. I'm not a big Randy guy but u just got to keep it 100.

As bad as he was as a hc, he can do work as a lb coach/dc depending on the team. Working under Patterson, and now Bielema also wont do harm. I dont think Randy just wants to be the hc for some random college, think dude realized he f"d up and he is learning on the job and taking gigs under some big time hc's and getting paid well for it (ARK).

As BAD as Randy is as a public speaker, recruiter etc.....i would STILL take him over our current DC/ LB coach we have now gun to my head.

Randy wasnt ready for the big time..he downgraded the program..etc...but he is a solid position coach and a cane.
 
Most coaches who are highly regarded or well thought off, dont go from a program like UM to being position coaches 2 years later

Also, look at Coker, he had to wait years to get a job at a small start-up program

Stuff like this is telling

its a situation by situation case.

Coker is/was older and looking to retire or go back to the area he is from.

Randy just got done getting paid from um..he's a miami guy...hasnt been much places other than dallas coaching wise...dont even think he has put his name in the hat at much places. I thnk he made good choices heading to tcu and now ARK..dude trying to build his rep back up...
 
He can completely redeem himself with me if; his goal is to bounce around from school to school in the SEC, gather intel on cheating practices by each institution, and act as an agent for the NCAA in turning each of them in. I'd consider the slate wiped clean.
 
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Arkansas' program is a sinking ship anyway.

The fact that Shalala hired two guys that have never been offered HC jobs by anyone else, ever, says so much about the "footbqll expert".
 
For someone who is a "proven NFL guy at a position" (that's a stretch, by the way) and a "national assistant of the year as a DC," why is he bouncing around mid-level programs as a position coach? Seriously, that doesn't raise some significant red flags?

I don't think that's a stretch. I knew a few people there at the time through a work thing and he was well regarded. Remember that he was promoted internally when he was with the Dolphins, from a defensive asst to full time LB coach. JJ also vouched for him based on the job he did for the Fins.

And I don't think he's "bouncing around" as you said. Working under Patterson at TCU is no small gig, and then going to a good SEC staff? Those are good programs. And he most certainly improved his stature and no doubt his salary with this move, and has only made one move.

That said, I certainly agree with you that there are some red flags. Which is why he hasn't gotten a coordinator let alone a HC offer. He's certainly set himself back, as deservedly so. But as a LB coach? I think that's a great get, especially since you're not the Guinea Pig for his return to coaching as he just had a successful year at TCU.


@BFeldmanCBS: Good pick-up for Arkansas & Bret Bielema landing Randy Shannon as LB coach. Quite a staff Bielema has assembled.

So Randy Shannon, based on the people you met through a work thing, was a well-regarded NFL LB coach (by none other than Jimmy Johnson and his coaching tree types), yet voluntarily, 12 years later and with a lot more "experience," decides to take multiple college LB coach positions? Let's be real here, man. The proof is in the reality of it all: if Randy Shannon were anything close to a legitimate NFL LB coach, he'd be more likely to be an NFL LB coach than a college LB coach. Sure, you may say he "prefers the college game and just wants to get back into a top position," but this is now his second position coach job in college.

He can be the greatest LB coach in the history of college (he won't be, because he's a notoriously poor technical teacher, as many, many former players can attest), and it'd all look extremely weird to me anyway. Why? Because the guy was an NFL LB coach, defensive coordinator for the top team in College, and a college head coach.

In short, I think the market has spoken as to what it thinks about Randy Shannon's value. Forgive me if I don't have a soft spot for a guy that, intentionally or not, contributed to a deep wound this program is still recovering from.

RS was with the dolphins for 3 years and only 1 as a LB coach. I can't argue hearsay. "I heard he was well regarded." What is the source? As LU said, if he was so well regarded then and has far more leadership experience now...why doesnt he have an NFL position coach job?

Here are the facts....All 4 head coaches prior to Coker leaped directly into professional HC jobs in the NFL. Schnelly (USFL at the time), JJ, Erickson, and Butch. If you look back at their coaching staffs, a large percentage of them all ended in OC/DC/HC jobs in college and NFL...the list is enormous...Chud, Pagano, Wannstedt, Tuberville, Schiano, Campo, Bratkowdki, Lubbick, Tressman...etc. Coaching at Miami is like working at Goldman Sachs...built-in competitive advantages and a rich history of turning out top tier talent.

Coker took the titanic and turned it towards the ice berg and Shannon steeped on the throttle and crashed us head on. Look at Shannons staff...
Whipple - NFL QB coach. Went back to his old job.
Lovett - DB Coach at Texas Tech
Aubrey Hill - WR coach at Florida and now out of coaching due to NCAA investigation
Clint Hurtt - DL coach at Louisville
Wesley McGriff - DB at Vandy
Stoutland - OL coach at Bama
Pannunzio - Football Operations - out of coaching
Tommie Robinson - Arizona Cardinals RB coach
Michael Barrow - LB coach at UM
Rick Petri - DL coach at Duke

The only success Shannon had was his 2008 recruiting class and it isn't like he barnstormed the country and cherry picked the top talent in the country. He convinced a bunch of kids from the Miami area to stay home. After that one year...every recruiting class he had **** the bed. He assembled a terrible staff and you all know the rest of the story. Our program went from a record 1st round draft picks in the early part of the decade to not having one 1st rounder since 2008 and only 2 2nd round picks in that time! At MIAMIIIIIIIII. That is awful. His only success to date was at the DC at Miami and he inherited one of the most talented and deep defenses in the country from Butch Davis staff. He didn't come in and innovate or run a complicated defense. He came in a ran a very vanilla 4-3 defense and the ridiculous talent inherited made plays.

The college and pro coaching marketplace right now is the ultimate free market and their is consistent high turnover. 7 NFL coaches just were fired in the NFL. Cant even count the number of HC and coordinators who are bouncing around in college. And now, Shannon 3 years later is moving to Arkansas to be a LB coach? That tells you all you need to know about what his industry thinks about him.

This pretty much sums it all up.

And then some.
 
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