Florida Gators add Randy Shannon to staff

Jim McElwain continues to make splashes in the coaching world as he has hired yet another assistant to fill out his staff. Gator Country has confirmed that former Miami head coach and now former Arkansas linebackers coach Randy Shannon will join McElwain at Florida.

After a tumultuous upbringing, was able to make the short trip from home to the University of Miami’s campus where he played outside linebacker from 1985-1988. In 1987 he was apart of the National Championship team.

He spent a brief stint with the Dallas Cowboys then returned home as a graduate assistant in 1991 under Dennis Erickson.

Shannon spent seven seasons with the Canes before moving on to coach linebackers for the Miami Dolphins for three seasons.

Shannon then returned to his alma mater as defensive coordinator in 2000 where his defenses finished ranked 6th, 7th, 2nd, 28th, 4th and 7th nationally respectively.

In 2007, he replaced the man who hired him and became the new head coach. He was the first African American to be the head coach of a big 3 Florida program (FSU, UF, UM) and only the sixth African American head coach in Division I (now FBS) NCAA Football.

Shannon lasted four seasons as the head coach in Miami with each year being more of a roller coaster than the last. He finished with a 28-22 record in Miami, but also raised the schools APR, only had one player arrested in that time and managed to avoid the booster scandal which still haunts the Canes.

He was officially let go by his alma mater after the 2010 regular season and then spent nearly two years looking for a second chance.

He got it at Texas Christian University where he was brought in to coach linebackers for the 2012 season. In that year, the Horned Frogs finished with the 16th ranked total defense (323.92 ypg), while leading the Big 12 conference in total defense and rushing defense.

With his resume restored, he was hired by Bret Bielema to join Arkansas in the same position.

Perhaps Shannon’s biggest attribute will be his ties to South Florida. He is a relentless recruiter and will be able to use existing ties and help the Gators continue to make in roads.

Gator Country’s source would not comment on what position Shannon will coach but believes Shannon will be the recruiting coordinator, a position that Joker Phillips previously held and one that wasn’t filled last year after Phillips’ abrupt departure before the season.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC

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