Memphis adding former Miami coach Randy Shannon to Charles Huff staff

Days before his team opens its 2026 season, Memphis coach Charles Huff is making a significant hire to his coaching staff.

Two people with direct knowledge of the situation tell USA TODAY Sports that Huff is adding former Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shannon as an senior defensive analyst and assistant to the head coach.

Memphis opens the Huff era Saturday on the road in Week 0 at UNLV — the first of two demanding, early-season non-conference games against fellow Group of Six foes with potential College Football Playoff aspirations. The Tigers play at Boise State in Week 3.

Most recently, Shannon served on the Florida State coaching staff of Mike Norvell. With the Seminoles, Shannon held multiple defensive roles — including defensive coordinator. His last season at Florida State was 2024.

As a player, Shannon won national titles with Miami as both a player and assistant coach; he garnered the Broyles Award in 2001 as college football’s top assistant coach.

Shannon posted an 28-22 mark as Hurricanes head coach and later was 1-3 as interim head coach at Florida in 2017 when the Gators parted ways with former coach Jim McElwain. 

Huff has quickly ascended the coaching ranks since first becoming a head coach at Marshall prior to the 2021 season.

He won 32 games in four years at Marshall, a run that included an upset on the road at Notre Dame and concluded with the program’s 2024 Sun Belt Conference Championship. 

That crown marked the Thundering Herd’s first-ever SBC title.

He was hired away by Southern Mississippi and went 7-6, delivering just the second bowl berth this decade for the Golden Eagles.

When Ryan Silverfield was hired by Arkansas this offseason, Huff quickly was lured away by Memphis.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Memphis adding former Miami coach Randy Shannon to Charles Huff staff