Eye on the U

B-Rad First-Team All-ACC; Football roster making space; McDermott on Rimington Watch List.

Bryan Radziewski was not his usual self during his last regular-season start, but he was amazing all season -- coming off shoulder surgery nonetheless.

The left-handed junior was among five starting pitchers named to the 2013 All-ACC First Team on Monday.

B-Rad, as he is called by his fans and teammates, ended the season ranked among the conference leaders in nearly every statistical category. He ranked third in ERA (1.64), tied for second in wins (eight), tied for second in complete games (two), third in strikeouts (96) and first in batting average against (.175).

Radziewski is one of three pitchers in the ACC averaging more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings (11.27). The former Baseball America Freshman All-American has recorded 204 Ks over 33 starts and has a 19-4 career record and career ERA of 2.64. 

Miami begins its quest for an ACC title at 3 p.m. Thursday, when it meets No. 1 seed North Carolina in a Pool A matchup in Durham, N.C.

UM lost in the title game to Georgia Tech last year.

RICARDO WILLIAMS OFFICIALLY OFF FOOTBALL TEAM

   Chris Yandle, director of communications for UM athletics, just confirmed to me that 6-5, 251-pound defensive end Ricardo Williams is no longer on the team. A redshirt sophomore, Williams is out of Homestead Senior High. Williams played in one game last year -- against North Carolina. 

   Williams' name has already been removed from the football roster.

   Wide receiver Robert Lockhart Jr., who also has been granted his release, according to Canesport.com, is still on the roster.

    "As far as Robert Lockhart, I have not been informed about anything,'' Yandle said.

   Lockhart is a 6-1, 183-pound redshirt sophomore out of Fork Union Military Academy, via West Boca Raton High.  Lockhart was a four-star recruit by Rivals.com and ESPN. As a high school senior he had 34 catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns. He chose UM over Virginia Tech. Lockhart played in two games last season -- UNC and FSU -- but sustained a season-ending knee injury.

 SHANE McDERMOTT ON RIMINGTON WATCH LIST   

     UM center Shane McDermott is one of 44 players named to the 2013 Rimington Trophy spring watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation's top collegiate center.

    McDermott, a junior, missed spring practice after undergoing offseason shoulder surgery.

     An All-ACC honorable mention selection in 2012 by league coaches, McDermott started all 12 games at center for UM. UM had the ACC's third-best passing offense (295.4-yards-per-game average) and fifth-best total offense (440.2). As a redshirt freshman in 2011, he played in 10 games, allowing no sacks and not being flagged for any penalties.

    McDermott is from Lake Worth. He was awarded the Walter Kichefski Endowed Football Scholarship at the most recent UM Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet. He will earn his bachelor's degree this summer.

    McDermott's younger brother (I won't say "little'' brother as he's 6-6 and approaching 300 pounds), Kc McDermott, has already pledged his commitment to UM for the Class of 2014, a huge get for the Canes.
 Kc is a four-star lineman, according to Rivals.com, and is listed as the 40th best player overall, regardless of position. He is listed as the fifth best tackle in the Class of 2014.

   Notre Dame also wanted Kc, and actually still wants him, but Kc said he's not budging from his commitment to the Hurricanes.  

     SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

Randy Shannon back in news - he sues University of Miami for money he says it owes him. Oh yes, he wants Sun Bowl bonus! (If only the Canes weren't thumped by Irish)

Former UM football coach Randy Shannon has sued the University of Miami, asking for the money that he claims UM still owes him, relating to his employment.

Shannon, hired by the Hurricanes as head coach in December 2006, was given an extension in May 2010 through Jan. 31, 2014.

But he was fired Nov. 27, 2010.

Shannon's salary was paid to him in four equal installments yearly. His last payment, on Nov. 1, 2010, came before he was fired. According to the lawsuit, UM believes he is not entitled to those last two months for which he was paid (Nov. 28, 2010, until Jan. 31, 2011). So, what UM did to offset the extra two months the school thinks was not rightly his (because he already had been fired), was to reduce his buyout ("fixed sum'') that is given for being fired without cause.

The lawsuit, filed April 27 in the Dade County Circuit Court, contends "there is nothing in the Employment Agreement or Guaranty Agreement that authorizes UM to prorate the guarantee or reduce the amount of Shannon's fixed payment.'' Shannon wants UM to pay "in a lump sum, all past shortages'' in the monthly buyout payments -- with interest -- as well as the approximately two months salary he feels he got shorted.

He also wants the Sun Bowl bonus he earned. After all, it was his coaching that got UM into that bowl. Never mind that UM (especially poor Jacory Harris) was humiliated by the Fighting Irish and that it was Jeff Stoutland who coached them in that bowl, because it was, indeed, Coach Shannon who coached them to that point. I have no idea if Shannon is owed that money, because I'm not a lawyer, and I haven't seen his contract (no salary has been disclosed).

I did reach Randy by phone earlier tonight, but he told me he was "in a conference'' and couldn't talk.

UM won't discuss the case.

All I know is that this stirred up some bad memories from 2010. Some of those losses were maddening (FSU, VA, VT, USF to name some really ugly ones).

The more I think of those days, the more I think Al Golden and his coordinators are integral in bringing this program back. I also wonder how long they'll stay, depending on future circumstances we all are awaiting. Still don't know when the NCAA will decide UM's fate.

UM needs some happy news. How about at least a couple wins against Bethune-Cookman University. At this point even two sounds decent.