Miami Hurricanes Fire Randy Shannon After Another Mediocre Season

ESPN is reporting that the University of Miami has fired head football coach Randy Shannon following an embarrassing 23-20 loss to in-state competitor South Florida.

After finishing last season with a 9-4 mark, Shannon led the Hurricanes to a 7-5 record this year, including a 5-3 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Poor play by injury-prone quarterback Jacory Harris playing a significant role in that underwhelming mark.

Despite making significant inroads on the recruiting trail in Florida and across the country and pulling in top-25 recruiting classes each year—highlighted by the fifth-ranked class in 2008 according to Rivals.com—the Hurricanes have struggled under Shannon's watch.

In four years in Coral Gables, Shannon's teams have posted a 28-22 overall record, including two losses in bowl games.

Shannon's tenure has been marked by heavy turnover among his coaching staff, highlighted by the firing of offensive coordinator Patrick Nix and the departure of defensive coordinator Bill Young following the 2008 season.

Aside from the defeat to South Florida, Miami's moribund 2010 season included a loss to ACC bottom feeder Virginia and a trouncing at the hands of rival Florida State.

Expect Miami athletic director Kirby Hocutt to seek out a big-name coach with significant winning experience to fill the vacancy in the program, which has struggled in recent years to return to its former glory under coaches like Jimmy Johnson and Butch Davis.