Randy Shannon rejects Maryland: Unemployment is a better business decision

If your team had a defensive coordinator opening this offseason, odds are you've thought to yourself at some point over the last two months, "You know who we should hire? Recently fired Miami head coach Randy Shannon!" Texas fans wanted him. Michigan fans wanted him even before Rich Rodriguez was fired. UCLA fans still want him.

Over the weekend, though, it looked like Shannon was set to take his talents from South Beach to Maryland, of all places, which reportedly offered Shannon the job last week after unexpectedly losing longtime coordinator Don Brown to UConn. Today, the Terps join the ranks of the rejected: Shannon turned them down. You would, too, if you stood to make more money by remaining unemployed. Per the Baltimore Sun (emphasis added):

Shannon had been offered the job last week, and had returned to his home and talked with representatives of his old school.

When he got back in touch with Maryland, he told the school that he stood to lose about $1.5 million in Miami buyout money if he signed on with Maryland, the source said.

Let's accept the premise here tha tShannon went through the interview process without realizing a key provision of his buyout until he consulted with his former employer. Presumably Maryland could have offered to cover the buyout, but seeing as $1.5 million (the same number reported by multiple Miami outlets in December) is about twice the going rate for a good defensive coordinator even by the inflated salary scales of certain other conferences, Maryland politely told Shannon "good luck."

What isn't clear is whether Miami exercised its financial veto in this case for Maryland, specifically, as an ACC rival that appears at the top of the 'Canes' 2011 schedule – the most likely explanation – or as some kind of perfunctory middle finger. If it's the latter, Shannon might as well a) Get a new agent, becase that is one terrible contract, and b) Go ahead and buy some sweatpants with an expandable waist, embrace his old college soap opera habit and wait it out.

[UPDATE, 6:06 p.m. ET] The Baltimore Sun's Jeff Barker tweets that, per a Miami source, Shannon's contract did indeed include a clause that invalidated the university's buyout payment if he accepts any new football job. He really is better off, financially, not working.

At any rate, it's looking increasingly like Shannon is going to be sitting 2011 out, now that the only other high-profile opening has finally been filled at UCLA, by former Cincinnati and South Florida defensive coordinator Joe Tresey. Assuming it's too late for Bruin fans to exercise veto power this time, Shannon might want to consider investing in a few long books, dusting off that neglected DVD player and angling for a seat in Mike Leach's weekly poker game.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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