UM offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson says playoff prep trumps other job opportunities

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CORAL GABLES — It has been a memorable coaching carousel across college football this year, and Miami offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson reportedly considered joining the ranks of moving coaches.

Dawson was in the mix for the open head coaching positions at Tulane and Coastal Carolina, according to reports from The Athletic and FootballScoop, respectively.

Both teams ultimately hired other coaches, with the Green Wave promoting assistant coach Will Hall and the Chanticleers hiring Missouri State head coach Ryan Beard.

Despite the potential move, Dawson remained focused on his work with the Hurricanes, letting his hired representation take care of the initial stages of considering other jobs.

“It’s easy (to balance other job opportunities with UM preparation) because I don’t do anything in that area unless … it gets to a certain point,” Dawson said Monday. “You have people hired to handle all that stuff. And so if it gets to a certain point and things have to be talked about, then you do it on days you’re not doing anything. It’s very simple. It’s not complicated. Our calendar is challenging because everything kind of merges together at the end.

“But my focus is on one thing. And so I have people in my life that take care of that. And if it gets to the point where I have to address it, it gets addressed in times where I’m not doing anything here because this trumps anything that would ever come in that world.”

Cristobal credited Dawson with handling other potential jobs in the correct way, and he said it is a sign that things are going well for the Hurricanes that other programs are considering hiring people on his staff.

“People always kind of peck away at programs that have good people,” Cristobal said.

“I was in similar positions way back,” Cristobal added, “and I always benefited from head coaches that were about promoting their assistants. And if there are the right opportunities to help them in any way that we can, while at the same time, every staff member has to understand that — as well as every single player, everybody in the building — you cannot be distracted. And there’s a way to handle things. And I credit him. You know, we don’t report everything that goes on, but you can imagine what this time of year looks like.”

Other teams in the playoffs have been much more severely affected by coaching changes than Miami. Ole Miss lost coach Lane Kiffin to LSU after a protracted courtship between Kiffin, LSU, Florida and Ole Miss. After Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter refused to allow Kiffin coach the team in the playoffs, he promoted defensive coordinator Pete Golding to be the program’s new head coach.

Other situations have been less messy. Florida hired Tulane coach Jon Sumrall, and UCLA hired James Madison coach Bob Chesney, but both coaches will coach their former teams in the playoffs. Miami’s opponent on Saturday, Texas A&M, lost offensive coordinator Collin Klein to Kansas State and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman to Kentucky, but both of those assistant coaches will stay with the Aggies through the playoffs, too.

“This is the time of year where you get this,” Cristobal said as he simulated knocking on a door. “‘Hey, Coach, you got a second?’ And it’s not to give me a Christmas present.”

The combination of the coaching changes, transfers, playoffs and Early Signing Period have caused consternation among many coaches, with former coach Nick Saban giving voice to the issue on ESPN’s “College GameDay,” but Cristobal said coaches just need to roll with the punches.

“I don’t think any coach would feel sorry for themselves,” Cristobal said. “The job is what it is. And until they figure everything out and how to make a counter make sense, you do what you’ve got to do. I don’t think you could sit up here in front of a podium and demand all the things we demand of our players and our staff and then all of a sudden, January (is) December’s kind of hell for you, and you come up here and complain about it.

“You just deal with it. You do what’s best for people, for the program. You do it straight up. And it’s just business. It’s not personal — straight business.”

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