Division Coastal Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix (1st year) | 2007 record 5–7 (2–6 ACC) Offensive scheme Pro-style | |
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Conference Atlantic Coast Conference Head coach Randy Shannon (1st as head coach, 6th overall year) | ||
The 2007 Miami Hurricanes football team, representing the University of Miami was Randy Shannon's first as head coach of his alma mater. It was also the last in which Miami played its home games in the Miami Orange Bowl. Miami was 5–7 for the season.
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Changes
Miami finished the 2006 season with a 7–6 record, their worst since 1997's 5–6 campaign. Former head coach Larry Coker was fired, after continuous regression following a national championship his first season in 2001. Following a brief coaching search, Randy Shannon, previously the team's defensive coordinator, was hired by the University of Miami.
Since his hiring, Shannon has made several reforms. He has banned firearms, declaring any player carrying one will be dismissed from the team and the school. He also banned the use of cell phones during class, confiscating them from anyone caught with them for two weeks. He requires players maintain a 2.5 grade point average in order to live off campus, and any player who skips class faces extra conditioning as well as demotion on the depth chart. On July 24, Shannon announced to the press that the Hurricanes were stripping the names on the back of their jerseys for the 2007 season, which is highly unusual in Division I football. The Miami Herald then labeled Miami a "no name offense and defense".
Shannon has also hired with six new coaching assistants, headlined by offensive coordinator Patrick Nix, who held the same position in 2006 with Georgia Tech.
During meetings with the ACC media, Shannon stated he believes the team can rebound and win the ACC, saying "I don't expect anything less."
Recruiting class of 2007
In the pre-season, ESPN listed incoming running back Graig Cooper as one of the top-10 impact freshman for 2007.
Pre-season
Miami began the 2007 season unranked for the first time since 1998.
Three team members were selected to the ACC Pre-Season team: Senior G Derrick Morse, Junior DE Calais Campbell, and Junior S Kenny Phillips.
On August 28, 2007, Head Coach Randy Shannon named Kirby Freeman the starting quarterback over Kyle Wright for the season-opening game against Marshall University.
Schedule
The schedule was ranked as the #7 toughest road schedule.
After this season, the Hurricanes moved their home games from Orange Bowl Stadium to nearby Miami Gardens and Dolphin Stadium. They had been at the Orange Bowl for seventy years.