When Randy Shannon Speaks, Randy Shannon Speaks

"The Communicator"

National and local media continue to pepper Miami head coach Randy Shannon as the 13th-ranked Hurricanes approach their Sept. 2 home opener against Florida A&M. Shannon is of the general persuasion that questions shouldn’t exist, let alone reporters. But since he is at the helm of a major college program, the usually tight-lipped fourth-year man graciously throws a bone to those pesky sportswriters every once in a while.

The following are Shannon’s word-for word responses to an amalgam of wide-ranging interrogations he’s endured at the mics of Rivals.com, the Miami Herald, the Palm Beach Post and the Orlando Sentinel in recent weeks.

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On what would constitute a successful 2010 season:

“Getting better. Just getting better.”

On expectations surrounding the team after last year’s 9-4 season:

“I can’t tell you 9, 10, 11 [wins]. I can’t tell you those things. You can not win this ACC conference and still go to a BCS bowl game. Is that a victory or not a victory? Is that improvement or not? You can’t classify what it takes to be successful.”

On increased roster depth contributing to heightened competition in practice:

“We always say that you can talk about things you can do, but who is going to step up and lead that group?”

On junior defensive tackle Marcus Forston, who did not record a tackle last season after a successful true freshman campaign:

“I told him, ‘You had some success as a true freshman, then your second year thought the world was going to be yours and you forgot about the process of working hard…”

Adding:

“Last year, he worked hard, he just expected big things without understanding what to do.”

On LeBron James joining the Miami Heat:

“It took a lot of pressure off me. They’ve got to win the championship now.”

On James as a recruiting tool:

“That’s illegal. You’re trying to get me in trouble.”

On the Sept. 11 game against second-ranked Ohio State in Columbus:

“The only thing I’ve got to concern myself about is August.”

On what the above game, a rematch of the 2002 BCS National Championship, would mean to the program:

“It’s a game.”

On highly-touted offensive lineman recruit Seantrel Henderson’s first practice Thursday:

“It’s a start. You know, he’s got to do what he has to get done.”

On how he expects to use Henderson, Rivals’ No.1-rated high school tackle in ’09:

“We have a plan for him.”

On whether sitting out spring practice with a thumb injury hurt quarterback Jacory Harris:

“No. It helped. He was able to stand there and watch.”

On injured senior running back Graig Cooper, who blew out his knee in last season’s Champ Sports Bowl:

“He’s running, he’s squatting, he’s lifting, he’s jumping. He’s full board everything. We’re going to take it slow. If he’s healthy he’ll play. If he’s not ready, we won’t play him.”

And 10 days later:

“Like I said before, I can’t tell you guys when Cooper is going to be ready to go. If his body heals tomorrow, then he’ll be ready to go. If it heals in three weeks, he’ll be ready.”

On whether he knows about the parties in Miami that have embroiled student-athletes with the NCAA:

“I get abreast on things that come up.”

On Miami’s potential return to the dominance of the ’80s and early ’90s:

“I don’t think ‘dominance’ is the word you want to use. You want ‘we’re improving.’”

On the team’s philosophy after losing 6 of its last 7 in ’07, its last 3 in ’08 and 3 of its final 7 after starting 5-1 in ’09:

“The first thing we’ve got to do is make sure we finish. That’s going to be our big motto.”

On the development of fifth-year senior TE Richard Gordon, who was awarded an injury hardship for last season and caught three passes in ’08:

“He’s the leader of the tight ends, is doing a great job, is really settling in now. He’s doing an awesome job, and we’re excited the way he’s going. If Richard comes along, we’re going to be really, really good.”

On whether the biggest obstacle to a freshman playing immediately is more mental or physical:

“Both.”

On Sunday’s fourth practice in the rain at Greentree Field:

“Sunday was a hump day. We looked at last year and it was a three-game stretch. We won some games and then we got a little lax. So now it’s the same situation. This is our fourth — it’s raining. And last year [at Virginia Tech] it was raining.”

On educating players about Internet use:

“Every year there’s going to be a freshman who comes in and I’m going to have to sit them down and tell them to clean up their Internet.”

On the perils of new media, which have recently lead to an NCAA investigation into Miami’s potentially “impermissible texts”:

“I don’t do Facebook. I don’t do Twitter. I’m the wrong guy. I know a lot of other coaches use it. I’m kind of old-fashioned… You get the right kind of kids in your program by communicating face-to-face and being verbal.”

The Hurricanes completed their fifth fall practice Monday. Coach Shannon was not available for further verbiage at the time of posting.

- Robbie