From Mark Whipple at today’s press conference:

It’s going to be pro style, a little of what the Steelers do, a little of what Arizona does, Whipple said. I’ve taken a lot of it, have to put it in a package that our guys can handle here. And it’s not how much I know, it’s what our guys know. What I learned a great deal in the NFL is you can always challenge guys more. I believe in balance. I think you have to run the football.

It just felt right, Whipple said. (Reid) said you don’t want to be a quarterbacks coach anymore. I said `You’re right. I’ve learned a lot and want to put it to work.’

On Jacory Harris:

I’ve met him. I think he’s a great, great kid. I have to figure out what Jacory is really good at. Ben (Roethlisberger) and Donovan (McNabb) are different. Ben and Kurt Warner are different. Jacory’s got a base. I have to look at it, visit with him, see him on the field, what he’s comfortable with, then build an offense around him, the running backs, tight ends and receivers.

Tight ends??? Tight ends??? We have tight ends??? Holy crap…it’s a new day.

Jacory is going to be a better player two years from now. I think he’ll be a better player tomorrow because he had a good workout today. And that’s all we’re looking for, improvement. I have to figure out what we do best and accentuate that.

A bit more from Heather Dinich’s ACC blog linked on the sidebar:

To me it’s about being the best, he said. I believe in the saying, ‘No one rises to low expectations.’ … If you play to be runner-up, you’ll probably wind up third. … I feel like I’m at a place that’s what the expectations are, and that’s what I really believe in.

From Dinich:

Whipple did a lot of NFL name-dropping. A lot. While it might go a long way in impressing recruits and players, it was clear he’s got to refamiliarize himself with the college game quickly. He isn’t wasting any time. He hit the recruiting trail today.

Bryce yourself, Whip is coming for you.

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I am excited to work with Randy Shannon, Mark Whipple said. I feel like we’re going to be a great team. Coach Shannon and I have been on the same page from day one. Our goal is to win a national championship. The one thing I haven’t done is win one at the I-A level. It’s been a goal of mine for a while now. I couldn’t think of a better place to work toward that goal than the University of Miami.

Earlier this decade the Miami Hurricanes offense was one of the most feared squads to ever take the field. Miami’s offenses had speed that could take your breath away; they were loaded from top to bottom at nearly every position, and they could strike from anywhere on the field. From 2000-2004 Canes fans watched nine offensive players go in the first round. In 2001 the Hurricanes averaged fifty points a game at home. The Hurricanes haven’t scored fifty points in a single game since the Duke game of 2005. That was three coordinators ago.

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There is no denying that there has been a drop off in the depth of the talent over the years. But there is also no denying that there is a remarkable amount of young talent on this team and that they have shown the same flashes that the Canes showed in the 1999 and 2000 season before maturing and winning it all in 2001. Travis Benjamin, Sam Shields, Davon Johnson, Thearon Collier and Kendall Thompkins are every bit as fast as Santana Moss, Roscoe Parrish, Sinorice Moss and Devin Hester were. Well, maybe not Hester. But this team has the talent, it just has not been developed the way that they once were.

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Miami has had four different coordinators since the 2004 season. The past few years have been frustrating to the Hurricane faithful because the raw talent brought in was not coached properly and put into situations that suited them to the best of their ability. The offense has regressed year after year and the play calling has resulted in vacant spots at the coordinator position because firing after firing. Miami has not had the luxury of bringing in a proven veteran play caller and more importantly a proven winner.

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Those days are now over. Mark Whipple, who has over twenty years of coaching experience, has decided to leave the NFL and be the next offensive coordinator of the Miami Hurricanes.

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Mark has been successful in every phase of his career, Randy Shannon said. He developed a Super Bowl quarterback in Ben Roethlisberger, won a national championship as the head coach at UMass and created an effective and potent offense most recently for the playoff bound Philadelphia Eagles. Aside from being innovative at his craft, Mark is a tremendous individual who will positively impact our student-athletes on and off the field.

Watch the press conference under Free Events.

Malcolm Bunche – an Offensive Tackle from Delaware – has committed to the University of Miami, the fifth Offensive Lineman to do so. The Hurricane coaches have stressed just how important it is to have a strong class especially at that position. He projects to play Offensive Tackle with the Hurricanes and at 6’6 and 315 pounds is considered a raw talent but has the potential to be a great player down the road. Bunche visited this weekend with a group of prospects including some other top Offensive Lineman.
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Bunche was down to Rutgers, Miami, and Maryland before he arrived for his official visit at Miami. After visiting Miami over the weekend he was excited about how well the visit went.

It went awesome, man, Bunche said. It was lots of fun. I’m more open. With this visit my decision got a lot tougher.

However, despite his enthusiasm he still planned on waiting until National Signing Day to announce his decision. But today he could not wait any longer to join the Cane family. He committed to Coach Shannon and is now a Miami Hurricane. As exciting as this all is for him, he still realizes just how much work he will have to put in to get on the field as a freshman and help the Hurricanes win games.

I committed to coach Shannon first, Bunche said. I told him `Coach, I made my decision.’ I told him I was going to play for him and the University of Miami. He just was in awe, was excited for me, was happy and said `Welcome to the family.’ Right then I saw I was part of this team.

Once I get down there I’ll bust my butt in practices, get to know the plays so I can maybe start and become a freshman All-American, Bunche said. After that I’ll go from there.

Shayon Green was one of several high profile recruits to visit the University of Miami this weekend. Green came to Miami committed to Purdue but before leaving had a change of heart and is now committed to the Hurricanes.
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From Eye on the U:

It was just a great visit. I saw it with my family and from the moment I got there I knew I wanted to be a Cane, Green said. I had come here last year and stopped by and I liked it then. But after I talked with Coach Shannon, he made me realize this was the place I needed to be. I’m excited.

Green is from the state of Georgia and is somewhat of a hybrid athlete with the versatility to play either Defensive End or Linebacker. Green expressed early in the recruiting process that he would be willing to play either position. Green has a great size-speed ratio at 6’2 and 223 pounds while running a 4.6 40. He chose Miami over offers from Purdue, Ole Miss and Auburn among others. Green is the 19th commitment of the near complete Hurricanes recruiting class. Miami is expected to bring in around twenty six total players in this year’s class. On National Signing Day (February 4th) we will be doing a recap of the entire class.
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Check #90 in the video.
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Wicked awesome guitar solo, bro.

1/26, 1am update…from ESPN:

The University of Miami is expected to finalize the hiring of Mark Whipple as offensive coordinator, a person close to the situation said Sunday night.

The only thing holding up an announcement is human resource procedures, according to a source.

Mark Whipple is on the move.

From Philly newspaper, The Mercury:

Boyko also suspects reporters confused Mornhinweg with Mark Whipple, the Eagles’ offensive assistant who sources say has sold his house and will leave the nest. Whipple likely will be named offensive coordinator of the University of Miami.

Canespace is projecting Whipple to be the new OC as well.

For some information on Whipple check Iggles Blog where you can read some great quotes about him. Like this one from a Boston Globe story, scroll down a bit til you see “Championing cause: Whipple’s team best”:

He is also an offensive nut. He instructed his team to begin the game with an outrageous five-receiver flood set called, ”Chattanooga.” He promised the players that they would run that play to begin the game, regardless of starting position. He said he did it to ”break up the tension” on the sideline.

Then there is Whipple’s play-calling. He likes to go for it on fourth down, even if he can feel the shadow of his own end zone. Against Lehigh, the Minutemen went for it on fourth and 1 from their own 28. They made it. Yesterday, Whipple was about to go for an onside kick late in the second quarter and his team up 17 points. Georgia Southern coach Paul Johnson noticed this and put his hands team on the field. Whipple was in their heads early. They couldn’t make halftime adjustments because what exactly were they going to adjust to?

Whipple has been credited with helping in the development of Ben Roethlisberger when he was quarterbacks coach for the Steelers. This all sounds great for Jacory Harris.

Now Whipple is the position coach of arguably the hottest commodity in the NFL, Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. With the Steelers one win away from the Super Bowl, lots more people now know about Whipple, who last spring was the person on the Steelers staff who first pushed the idea of using the No. 1 draft pick on Roethlisberger.

Bill Young has left the University of Miami for a considerable pay raise and the opportunity to coach at his alma mater.

“I could not have worked for a finer man than Coach Shannon. It was a privilege to be associated with him and be part of an outstanding staff of coaches. Coach Shannon welcomed me and my family into the program from day one. I don’t think everyone realizes the caliber of kids that play at Miami. Not only are they great athletes but their character is what stands out the most and is something I will remember. The draw to go back home, be near family and coach at my alma mater was just too great to pass up.”

He will be coordinating the Oklahoma State defense and now Miami is left with vacant spots at both the offensive and defensive coordinator positions. With National Signing Day just around the corner (15 days to be exact) it is crucial that the University of Miami gets two top notch coordinators in place. If Randy Shannon does not fill these spots with proven coordinators, it could potentially cost him his job.

“I appreciate Bill’s contributions to our football program and thank him for that. I understand and respect Bill’s strong ties to his alma mater and his family’s ties to Oklahoma. I wish him and his wife, Lawana, nothing but the best. I will be looking for the best possible defensive coordinator to replace him. If that candidate is not out there, those responsibilities will fall to me.”

Shannon and his young staff have done a phenomenal job of bringing in the top talent each year in recruiting. However, there has not been much stability in the coaching staff. Once Shannon brings in these new coordinators he will have gone through five coordinators in three seasons.
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There have been plenty of names thrown around as possible candidates for each coaching position. But the leaders seem to be Mark Whipple and Willie Martinez. Whipple is currently an offensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles and has also coached for the Pittsburgh Steelers as well as being the head coach of the University of Massachusetts when they won the national championship. Willie Martinez is currently the defensive coordinator for the University of Georgia. Martinez played for the Hurricanes and was a member of the 1983 National Championship team.
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With a boatload of talent currently on the line in this recruiting class, specifically Bryce Brown of Kansas, who has already said that he will not make a final decision until Miami hires an offensive coordinator, this uncertainty is the last thing the Hurricanes need at this time of year. The Canes have gone through a string of less than spectacular coordinators and finally hit one out of the park with Bill Young only to have him leave after one year. It is now up to Randy Shannon and the University of Miami to find the next two coordinators and reel in a top recruiting class. The clock is ticking.
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-Chris

Bill Young just completed his first season as the Defensive Coordinator for the Miami Hurricanes and took one of the youngest defenses in the country and made it one of the best defenses in the country. Miami ranked 28th nationally in total defense. They also ranked 7th nationally in passing defense. Miami may have more young talent than any other defense in the country. Bill Young did a terrific job on using his infamous zone blitzes to confuse offenses and put pressure on the quarterback. We saw it early and often throughout the year starting with Miami holding Florida’s high-powered offense to just 9 points through three quarters. In the end Florida scored just 26 points which was the least they scored all year until the National Championship game where they scored 24. The young talent mixed with Young’s play calling proved to be deadly all year.
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Now, this bright future for the defense could be in jeopardy. Oklahoma State has offered Bill Young $ 700,000 a year to leave the Hurricanes and coordinate Oklahoma State’s defense. Young has moved from job to job throughout his career and been effective everywhere he has been. He has been a top notch coordinator at Oklahoma, Ohio State, USC, Kansas, Tulsa, and Miami. Oklahoma State looks to steal him from the Canes and do the same for them. The salary offered by Oklahoma State is believed to be double what he is currently being paid by the Hurricanes. Will the young talent at Miami be attractive enough to keep Coach Young in Miami or will the Canes have to pony up to keep him? If it comes to that, the better question may be, will the Hurricanes pony up to keep him? The Hurricanes are currently searching for a high-profile offensive coordinator and may not have to funds to provide that, as well as give Young a substantial pay raise.
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Oh and one more thing….Coach Young got his first coaching job at Oklahoma State and is an Oklahoma State alum.
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-Chris

Miami Hurricane Football has always been about three things – speed, swagger, and winning.  This play had it all.  It was a task that most would view as impossible or even laughable before they saw the result of the play.  3rd and 43.
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It was November 25, 1989 and the hated Notre Dame Fighting Irish were in town.  The two teams played in one of the most memorable games in the history of college football the previous year when the number 4 ranked Fighting Irish beat the number 1 ranked Miami Hurricanes 31-30.  Before the game even started there was a pre-game fight in front of the tunnel that resulted in Miami’s starting quarterback, Steve Walsh, needing stitches.  The game was most remembered for the controversial call that cost Miami the game.  The officials ruled that Miami had fumbled the ball on the one yard line midway through the fourth quarter, Notre Dame was awarded the football.  The Notre Dame student newspaper stated the next day that it did not appear to be a fumble.  Notre Dame went on to win the National Championship and Miami finished the season 11-1 and ranked number 2 in the polls.
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It was now a year later and Notre Dame came to the Orange Bowl with a 23 game winning streak.  Meanwhile, Miami was riding a 32 home game winning streak.  There was over 81,000 in the stands that night which was a record at the time.  It has long been referred to as the most hostile crowd in Miami Hurricane history.  Fighting Irish head coach Lou Holtz often told his team that you can’t let the crowd beat you.  But after getting into the locker room and seeing the crowd outside the Orange Bowl Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Barry Alvarez told Holtz, “ I’m not too sure these people aren’t coming out of the stands. They may think it’s World Cup soccer.”
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Miami started out fast by going up 10 with a Dale Dawkins touchdown reception and a field goal.  But the number 1 ranked Fighting Irish would tie the game up at 10 in the second quarter.  A Steven McGuire touchdown run put Miami up 17-10 at the half.  At the beginning of the third quarter Miami put together a touchdown drive that lasted eleven minutes.  At one point in the drive the Hurricanes faced a 3rd and 43 situation from their own seven yard line.  And the record crowd witnessed a play that defines Hurricane Football.
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The announcers joked about the situation before the play saying, “every yard they gain now on this third down adds a yard to the punt.”  When asked what the coach should call the announcer laughed and said “touchdown.”  But the play resulted in the announcer yelling, “Randall Hill out there….FIRST DOWN MIAMI!”
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Randall Hill used his Miami speed to blow by Notre Dame defenders and haul in a long pass to convert on 3rd and 43.  He then proceeded to face the crowd and raise his fists in celebration.  The celebrations and swagger that Miami players made famous was something that made ‘The U’ the envy and enemy of all of college football.  With Randall Hill’s fists raised the record crowd erupted in celebration and the Notre Dame player’s jaws hit the floor.  Miami went on to win the game 27-10 and got their revenge on Notre Dame.  Miami won their third National Championship that year.  It is one of the most famous, recognizable, and symbolic plays in Miami history.  The phrase “3rd and 43” is one that will silence any knowledgeable Notre Dame fan.
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-Chris