ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Miami coach Randy Shannon needs to hire a defensive coordinator. There's no question he can run the defense -- he did it remarkably well for six seasons -- but Shannon needs to complete his staff so he has time to be the head coach and so that the Hurricanes can finally start to build some staff stability and figure out which direction they're headed.

There is a reason Shannon didn't want to continue coaching the defense after he fired former defensive coordinator Tim Walton, and it's because Shannon thought his current job required all of his attention. At this point in the rebuilding stage of the program, it does. Nick Saban can run Alabama's defense because he's already got the program in contention for a national title. Shannon needs to concentrate on winning the Coastal Division before he starts creating more work for himself.

The double duty of being a head coach and a coordinator is a very tough task. Just ask Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who was also the Terps' offensive coordinator for two years. He'll be the first to tell you how much more productive he is as head coach since relinquishing the reigns of the offense to James Franklin.

Miami won five straight games this season and looked capable of winning the conference in November, but it now seems as if the program has since taken a step back for every game it won this season. The Canes already lost their starting quarterback and both of their coordinators. They don't need to lose the full attention of their head coach, too.