I think Shannon is definitely setting the bar high at Miami. He suspended guys last season for missing study hall and wearing hats to class (he banned the hat thing). Does it amount to more wins on the field? No. Does it change the mindset at Miami? Definitely.

People will laugh off the weight of this suspension, but the truth is… banning your starting QB in week one… before a big game with UF… for something he did last season while redshirting… that’s a harsh penalty.

By Kevin @ Fanblogs on 08.25.08 9:48 am

I still don’t know if Shannon will be a particularly good coach when it comes to the win/loss side of things but I will give the man credit for being serious about cracking down on the wild discipline issues Miami has had. He took over a team that was completely out of control and mostly have them towing the line now, or at least has managed to keep any non-towing out of the public spotlight.

As far as UF being the next Thug U… don’t be absurd. I worry about that win first mentality and would like to see a bit tougher stance on some of these issues… but the 7th floor crew we are not.

By SC_Gator on 08.25.08 10:05 am

The suspensions have to be compared with the offenses in the first place.

A lot of people forget that the academic scandal at FSU went beyond football. There were a lot of athletes who got information on the class in question.

However, as the marquee sport at the school, football got the headlines.

Shannon appears to targeting members of his team alone. And Meyer’s team GPA has risen every semester that he has coached.

And as long as those student-athletes take a variety of majors, I don’t see any problem with him not suspending anyone.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.25.08 10:52 am

Shannon is showing exactly how “no nonsense” he can be…

Meyere could learn a thing or too from Randy in the discipline department…

For some reason I doubt that Ron Wilson would be even walking on downthere if he had had a similiar incident to his deal at UF…

I’m honestly liking Shannon more and more…

By gatorhippy on 08.26.08 4:59 am

Yeah, what can I say? It’s a good example of something done right in college coaching. Shannon knew he’d be hurting his chances to win at UF by suspending his players and did it anyway.

I’m not really thrilled with Meyer’s third chance program. In my opinion you should get one chance to screw up — and maybe not even that many if the offense is serious enough. Ron Wilson might turn out to be a good story but I really didn’t want him back, and I think it hurts the perception of our program. For all the talk of Meyer being a disciplinarian, it’s hard to see from afar.

By GatorPilot on 08.26.08 8:50 am

I’d hate to see what would happen if Tebow or Harvin messed up.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.26.08 9:01 am

I don’t think you have to worry about Tebow messing up. Hopefully Harvin learned his lessons in high school and knows that his stock is too valuable to mess it up now.

I admire Shannon for actually doing what Urban claimed he would do.

By skigator93 on 08.26.08 12:35 pm

I sincerely believe the decision to allow Wilson to walk on was as isolated as it was misguided. The only other serious set of standing charges against any Gator were those against Jamar Hornsby.

By This Guy on 08.26.08 3:07 pm

Urban’s tougher on the fumblers than the felons…now THAT’S how to get benched for the rest of the season! If he put the pressure on the players in trouble with the law that he does on his ball carriers, they’d shape up or ship out with no second chances.

By Phyl Brown on 08.26.08 4:41 pm

Here’s another spin…

Shannon’s “tough” discipline is not only teaching his players a lesson, it’s also helping to show the media that he’s “serious” about this and planning on getting UM players to behave…
Of course, it’s also a convenient excuse for him to lean on as to why they got destroyed by UF - “If we didn’t have all of those suspensions in week one…”

This is mostly PR and very little to do with UM cleaning up.

By UFGatorDMD on 08.27.08 10:26 am

I think Shannon’s actions are quite admirable. It is a needed step at a program like Thug U. In fact, the nickname is already starting to sound absurd. I really like hating Miami, damn you Shannon, damn you . . .

On the Gators: I think Urban Meyer is Bear Bryant compared to Larry Coker. So no, I don’t think we are the next “Thug U”. My worry is that we may become a lesser minion of “win first”. Something more like the next “free shoes university”, if ya know what I mean.

I think Urban should be a little stricter. But I am a UF grad who is more concerned with our academic reputation being upheld than our football reputation . . .

By corey on 08.27.08 6:42 pm

Corey, my man, your heart is in the right place.

As of last spring, football posted a 2.86 GPA, a 10.8% increase from when he first arrived in Gainesville.

If it’s because the football team is honestly studying harder, kudos to Urb. If it’s due to students taking easier majors, then I have a problem. If it’s both, well, I don’t know what to say.

Until then, here are majors of 10 top players:

Tim Tebow: Family, Youth, & Community Sciences

Percy Harvin: Social & Behavioral Sciences

Brandan Spikes: Social & Behavioral Sciences

Chris Rainey: Humanities & Letters

Joe Haden: Humanities & Letters

Cornelius Ingram: Anthropology

Kestahn Moore: Sport Management

Pick-a-Pouncey: Social & Behavioral Sciences

Brandon James: Sociology

Ron Wilson, Aaron Hernandez, Cameron Newton, Wondy Pierre-Louis, Marikhe Anderson, Dustin Doe, Ahmad Black, Chas Henry, and Jacques Rickerson, amonst others, also take Social & Behavioral Sciences.

Except, I can’t find S & B *anywhere* on the undergrad majors OR minors.

Something smells very, very, very fishy here.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.27.08 10:50 pm

Uh oh. I can’t find “Humanities and Letters”, either.

And none of the seniors (true or redshirt) or redshirt juniors (except for Wilson) take either of these two majors.

So almost all the players who are taking S&B and H&L were recruited by Meyer.

My spidey senses are tingling.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.27.08 11:47 pm

You know it couldnt ACTUALLY be an academic scandal like FSUs. It could never happen to us.

I think your heart is in the wrong place Corey. Football is much more important than academics. Have you read the sermons on FRZ? That guy was getting depressed. Academic decline cant do that to you.

By Gator Boys on 08.28.08 1:38 am

Actually, it HAS happened to us, GB.

The last time it happened, Charley Pell and Galen Hall coached. While Pell built up the program, he was also found guilty of a litany of recruiting violations, and more. The resulting mess paved the way for Jeremy Foley to hire the OBC, a notorious stickler for following the rules.

By the way, several months ago, Harvard fired hoop coach Tommy Amaker for breaking the rules. And in my mind, if it happened to Harvard, and if it happened to UF so long ago, it can definitely happen to a public school that accepted less than 24% of its freshman applicants, is ranked 17th amongst public school in U.S. News, and prides itself on being the flagship educational institution in the state.

You’re right, it probably doesn’t involve student-athletes across multiple sports like FSU’s did. But if the NCAA were to find football, and only football, guilty of major rule-breaking, it would still be a crippling blow to the university.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.28.08 7:18 am

I’m saying it could never happen to us like kids say drunk driving crashes could never happen to them. I just can’t imagine it.

By Gator Boys on 08.28.08 5:42 pm

Frankly, me neither. The possibly worries me, though.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.28.08 8:32 pm

Opening day is tomorrow O & B Hue how about an article or two?

By Donnie Young on 08.29.08 9:22 am

I’ll see what I can do for someone who blocked for Danny Wuerffel. In fact, I have a draft up.

By Vince Gagliano on 08.29.08 10:19 am

Gagiano you are an idiot. Humanities and Letters, Social and Behavioral Sciences are ‘exploratory majors’ for first year students. Check out the UF Catalogue. The fish smell is on our fingers. Wash your hands.

rj

By Richard Johnston Jr on 09.01.08 10:06 pm