What to do if you are out for a year
Many coaches wonder what they would do if they were out for a season. If you are Randy Shannon, you decided to spend time at different programs across the country, learning how different programs are run.
This season, Shannon packed his bags for a week at a time to travel to Alabama, TCU, North Carolina, UNLV, Oregon, Iowa State and Minnesota; but he didn't necessarily go to talk Xs and Os, he went to see how others ran their programs.
"I spent my money and went to college," Shannon said in the ESPN article. "I met with the strength coaches, the policemen who are around some teams, compliance people, athletic directors, support staff. It wasn't just football. It was very little football. I needed to see other things, see a lot of ways to do different things, and it made me a whole lot better."
Shannon said that the reason for the trips was to broaden his horizons. His only coaching (and playing) experience is at Miami, so he felt he needed to get a better feel for how other programs operate from staffing and security to scheduling.
No doubt in our mind this was time and money well spent. Great opportunity to learn and excellent networking as well. Clearly this isn't inexpensive; but if you can afford it, this sounds like a great way to spend a football season.
