UM’s Randy Shannon Preps for Thursday Rivalry

Body language specialist Randy Shannon

On the eve of the 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes’ biggest Thursday night home game of the season, head coach Randy Shannon graciously took time out of his hectic schedule to share insights on the season opener against Florida A&M. Occasionally surly, UM’s fourth-year man makes up for his lack of charisma, charm and overall personality with an incomparable sense of brevity and wholly original logic.

Said Shannon of Sunday’s practice, “We were a little bit sluggish today, which was good.”

Miami is a nearly three-touchdown favorite this week, but with a showdown against second-ranked Ohio State just 11 days away, coach expects his team to fly around a little bit, do great things and continue to improve, because that’s all you can do. Which is good.

The following are Shannon’s word-for-word answers responses to a barrage of heavy-hitting questions from local muckrakers at the Miami Herald and Rivals.com.

Was Saturday a work day or were you able to get some rest?

Work day. Always a work day, trying to get better in some way or fashion, which is good.

Now that you’ve settled on a preliminary depth chart, what do you think you have in this team?

Don’t know.

You said [true freshman LB] James Gaines really caught your attention in fall practice. Will he contribute this season?

Don’t know. He’s there. Practicing hard. That’s all you can say.

How many true freshmen could see time this year?

Don’t know.

Have you made a decision on Jacory’s backup?

Nope.

Tell us what it’s like to finally have [late commit, Rivals No. 15 overall, ATH] Latwan Anderson out there?

Didn’t do much. He’s in the pre-trial phase – his helmet – so really couldn’t do anything.

Your plans for him?

He’s a walk-on.

Wait. So you’ve hit the scholarship limit?

He’s a walk-on.

Will you play him?

He’s a walk-on.

What can you tell us about [true freshman DE] David Perry?

He’s a walk-on in the acclimation period.

You’ve moved Kylan Robinson to outside linebacker, correct?

Nickel situations he’s always outside. Sometimes he’s in the middle, sometimes outside.

And in base situations?

He’s been in the middle.

How do you get an idea of what FAMU will do on Thursday?

Just look at last year’s tape. That’s all you can do, and do what they’ve done the last three or four games of the season and base it off that. It’s going to be something new.

Tell us a little more.

We don’t know what FAMU is going to do.

What do you like about your team?

They didn’t hit the wall. The year we went 7-6, we hit a wall against Virginia – there was no way to get those guys out of it. [This year] we had a walkthrough at 10:30 at night, came back the next morning at 6 and they responded.

Will [senior middle linebacker] Colin McCarthy start on Thursday?

Depends on the game. I couldn’t tell you.

Tell us who’s in the mix to return kicks.

About eight of them.

Which unit is the FAMU game more important to?

The whole team.

Editor’s note: Special thanks to insider/Core Team member J. Franklin. Go ‘Canes.

- Robbie

UM receiver LaRon Byrd out 0 to 12 games with leg injury

Randy Shannon before his interrogators.

The 13th-ranked Miami Hurricanes suffered a setback to their receiving corps earlier this month when explosive junior slot man Thearon Collier left school due to “personal issues.” Collier, the team’s best punt returner, will likely transfer to USC to sit under the tutelage of head coach Lane Kiffin and, God willing, an English teacher.

Wrote Collier on Facebook, “THS MY LAST WEEK IN MIA B4 I HEAD OFF TO CALI TO PERSUIT MY FOOTBALL CAREER …”

Departures of this kind are nothing new for the Hurricanes, a team that regularly sees top talent leave to persuit football careers at once-inferior programs. Collier’s West Coast swing does, however, shake up a depth chart that got even thinner Monday when second-leading receiver LaRon Byrd missed practice with a leg injury.

Byrd, a junior, was seen on campus walking with a brace and crutches, but the severity of the injury is still unclear. When accosted by local reporters, head coach Randy Shannon shed some light on the situation.

(Note: word-for-word answers via the Miami Herald in grey)

Coach, how is LaRon doing?

“He’s doing fine. I told you guys the other day some guys are nicked — we’re going to sit them out.”

Hopefully, it’s serious. But we don’t think it is…

“You want it to be serious, though, huh? You go around that corner, you’re going to see about five guys riding [exercise] bikes; they didn’t practice today.”

We’re just trying to do our job, coach. You mad at us?

“You guys try hard. I’m not mad. I’m just joking around with you.”

Wait… so LaRon will be back for afternoon practice?

“Nope.”

Let’s say a player is out for [week two's game against] Ohio State. Would you tell us?

“I keep telling you guys [and] you keep trying. I’m telling you, I will let all you guys know when a guy is going to be done for the season, like I always do.”

Byrd will have an MRI later this week to determine whether or not the leg needs to be amputated.

- Robbie

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.

__________

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