A unique part of living on the University of Miami campus is that I have a chance to interact with players on an almost daily basis, especially in the off-season.  This is especially important now with a change in regime with Coker booted and The Boss in power. Below is a list of observations of differences between how the players seem to act since the change.

Residential Colleges:  A big thing was the lack of players who lived in the dorms. It seemed like they were very few players, and virtually no one above a freshman living on-campus. Since the arrival of Shannon, there are more players living on campus and many more slated to be next year. While I don't think it's a problem for athletes to live off campus, I must admit that living in the dorms is much more restrictive and keeps students from having too crazy of a lifestyle. Plus, there always seems to be much less opportunity for trouble living on versus off campus.  Remember the Pata and Merriweather incidents probably never would have happened had they been living ON campus. 

Sticking Together:  I am an early riser, so I get to see a lot of players as they head off to the Spring and Summer workouts. In past years, the players seem to be fragmented and head out individually; a few here, a few there.  Since the Boss has taken the reigns I can't remember the last time I saw a player leave for workouts alone.The entire group of players that live on campus seem to leave together and come back together. You can literally feel the unity between the teammates, regardless of which side of the ball they are on.  Offensive players and defensive players living and working together in perfect harmony is a beautiful thing to see!

Academic Focus: We all know that graduation rates and such were stellar under Coker, but there to be even more focus since the arrival of the Boss. The players finally seem to trying to push beyond just getting the minimum needed to get by.  With perks like living off campus dependent on GPA, don't be surpirse if academic problems are significantly reduced if not eliminated. 

While its still too early in the Shannon regime to determine success, I have got to admit that all signs point to just that. There appears to complete change in the mentality of the team. It feels like we are finally beginning to become a team again. I can't wait to see it translate on the field