Report: Florida State to elevate defensive analyst to linebackers coach

According to a report from Chris Vannini of The Athletic, the Florida State Seminoles are expected to elevate Randy Shannon from senior defensive analyst to linebackers coach. He has been on the road recruiting for Florida State ever since Chris Marve left for Virginia Tech.

Shannon has been all over the state of Florida, coaching for all four of Florida, Florida State, Miami, and UCF. He was the Hurricanes’ head coach from 2007-2010, having a 28-22 overall record. The Gators needed an interim head coach after firing Jim McElwain and called upon Shannon. They finished 1-3.

Arkansas and TCU have also employed Shannon as the linebacker coach. There was even a stint in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins from 1998-2000. Shannon will now take on a new challenge with the Seminoles under head coach Mike Norvell.

Florida State staffer joins Virginia Tech as defensive coordinator

Virginia Tech football is solidifying the new coaching staff since the hiring of former Penn State assistant coach and defensive coordinator Brent Pry.

On Tuesday, the Hokies announced the hiring of Virginia Tech’s new defensive coordinator, Chris Marve.

Marve comes to Virginia Tech after serving as defensive run game coordinator/linebackers coach at Florida State for the past two seasons. Marve helped the Seminoles make dramatic strides in their run defense in 2021. Florida State allowed 147.6 rushing ypg game this past season, a 51.6 ypg improvement compared to the 2020 campaign

In 2020, Marve helped the Seminoles linebacker corps flourish as the group combined for 218 total tackles, including 17.5 TFL.

Virginia Tech has a long-standing tradition of playing hard-nosed defense and with Pry’s expertise from his time at Penn State, it’s clear he will have say on that side of the ball with Marve leading the way.
 
Marve has been recognized as a rising star in the coaching profession for several years. He earned a spot on the American Football Coaches Association 35 Under 35 list in 2017, in addition to the 247 Sports 30 Under 30 coaching squad in both 2017 and 2018. He also earned a spot on ESPN’s 40 Under 40 list of ascending coaching stars in 2018.

On3’s Sean Labar contributed to this report