Shannon Dawson: A deep dive into Miami's Offensive Coordinator's History and Philosophy

Shannon Dawson returns for his third season as the Miami Hurricanes' offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Last season, Dawson coached the No. 1 offense in the country, in terms of points per game (43.9) and yards (537.2). Thanks to Dawson's coaching, quarterback Cam Ward went on to win the Davey O'Brien Award and ACC Player of the Year, before being selected by the Tennessee Titans with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Thanks in part to Ward's play, Dawson was named one of the 15 semifinalists for the Broyles Award which honors the nation's top assistant coach.

Before Dawson's arrival, Miami's offense was mediocre at best, as they finished 85th in total offense in 2022. His impact was felt overnight as they improved to 25th in total offense in 2023. They were also No. 22 in yards per play and No. 35 in scoring offense that season.

Preceding his arrival at Miami, Dawson was with the Houston Cougars for four seasons. He spent his last three as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. He came to Houston as their tight ends coach in 2019 after being the offensive coordinator at Southern Miss for three years.

Dawson will look to create the same level of production from Carson Beck that they saw out of Ward. Fortunately for Dawson, Beck threw for over 7400 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions in two seasons starting for the Georgia Bulldogs.  One thing Ward could not do was lead Miami to the Playoff. Given that Beck was previously coached by Kirby Smart, who has National Championships on his resume, maybe he can infuse championship DNA into the Hurricanes.  

Transitioning from Cam Ward to Carson Beck is, on paper, a relatively easy transition. However, we must also look at the players Beck is surrounded with to have a complete picture. Mark Fletcher will be Miami's starting running back in 2025. He steps into this role after making a name for himself last year in limited action. On only 112 carries, he had 607 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

The Hurricanes' starting wide receivers include sophomore Joshisa Trader, and transfer seniors CJ Daniels, and Tony Johnson.  These three will try to fill the void left by Xavier Restrepo who departed after becoming Miami's all-time leading receiver. We'll see if any of these three can put up similar numbers to Restrepo. However, under Dawson's tutelage, they will be given plenty of opportunities to prove themselves.

As Dawson looks to continue Miami's offensive dominance in the absence of Ward and Restrepo, the Hurricanes know their offensive coordinator is prepared to create new scoring opportunities. As we draw closer to the season, more updates will come. Stay tuned for more breaking Miami news.