Miami Hurricanes Recruiting Targets Excited About New OC Shannon Dawson
The new Miami Hurricanes offensive coordinator will look to bring a more explosive brand of football to The U in 2023.
The Houston Cougars ranked 16th in scoring last season with Shannon Dawson calling plays. They produced a 4,000 yard passer, a 1,400 yard receiver and over 1,800 team rushing yards.
Compare that to Miami's offense, which ranked 97th in scoring last season under Josh Gattis.
Miami recruiting targets are taking notice of Dawson's arrival.
Air Noland is a 4-star quarterback in the class of 2024. He led Langston Hughes (GA) High School to a state title as a junior. Miami has been recruiting Noland heavily, and he told 247 Sports that he's very pleased about the Dawson hire.
VIP: Top247 QB Air Noland reacts to Miami hiring Houston's Shannon Dawson as their offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
— Gaby Urrutia (@GabyUrrutia247) February 14, 2023
"[Dawson] recruited the heck out of me while at UH."https://t.co/Wa0YOnvXPt pic.twitter.com/uQVcrCcqco
"Man. I knew Coach Cristobal was going to hire a great OC and that’s exactly what he did," Noland told Inside The U.
5-star 2024 receiver Jeremiah Smith from Chaminade-Madonna reacted to a tweet from his cousin Geno Smith. Dawson was Geno's QB coach and OC at West Virginia.
— Jeremiah Smith (@Jermiah_Smith1) February 16, 2023
Jeremiah is an Ohio State verbal commit. He won't be easy to flip, but perhaps cousin Geno can put in a good word for Shannon Dawson at the next family reunion.
I sat down with recruiting analyst John Garcia Jr. on a new Locked On Canes to discuss the feedback he's hearing on Dawson from Miami recruits.
"This is a breath of fresh air for recruits, there's no doubt," Garcia said. John pointed out how difficult it was for Miami to appeal to receivers and quarterbacks in recent months after Gattis' offense lacked excitement in 2022, and Gattis himself was largely absent from the recruiting trail in January. Now, Miami can grab some momentum heading into spring football, when several 2024 targets will be visiting. Air Noland, for example, will be visiting Miami in March.
"It's just an easier sell to recruits when you start to look back at Dawson's history and production at many different places. It gets recruits excited," Garcia noted.
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