CORAL GABLES, Fla. As far as first impressions go, consider newMiamidefensive coordinator Lance Guidry about as real as it gets.

Two Cajuns in one day, huh?, the soon-to-be 52-year-old Louisiana native said as he stepped behind the microphone following Miamis second practice of the spring on Tuesday. Yall are getting a real Cajun right here. Not as bad as (formerLSU) coach (Ed) Orgeron, but youre getting a real Cajun.

Guidry, hired by Mario Cristobal last month to replace Kevin Steele, spoke with Miami reporters for the first time since leaving Tulane.

It was the same story for new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson, a 45-year-old South Louisiana native who left Dana Holgersons side at Houston to replace 2021 Broyles Award winner Josh Gattis.

1.Money and prestige are always the top motivators when luring Group of 5 assistants to a place like Miami, but the Canes championship history did have some influence in helping Cristobal attract his two new coordinators.

Dawson called coaching at Miami the opportunity of a lifetime.

I grew up watching those national championship teams, so I pinch myself every day coming out here, wearing this U and being here, he said. Im very blessed and very thankful. Im gonna put everything I got into getting us back to where we need to be.

Cristobal interviewed Dawson for a job at FIU when Dawson was the offensive coordinator at Stephen F. Austin, but he did not extend an offer.

Houstonaveraged 36.1 points per game last season, 16th among FBS programs and 13 more per game than the Hurricanes.

I just watched him from afar everywhere Ive been, Dawson said of Cristobal. When I had an opportunity to interview, I jumped at it, and when I had an opportunity to take it, it was a no brainer.

Guidry, whose 4-2-5defense was exceptional in many phases last season at Marshall, spent about three weeks asTulanes defensive coordinator before Cristobal swooped in and stole him from last years American Athletic Conference and Cotton Bowl champions.

Guidry was able to enjoy his traditional Louisiana favorites of king cake, crawfish and boudin during Mardi Gras but said he couldnt pass up the opportunity when Cristobal reached out about the job.

The first game Guidry coached as a college assistant was a 61-14 Miami victory over McNeese State in 2000. Cristobal tried to hire him a few years later when he was the head coach at FIU and Guidry was the defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky. Guidry pointed out that he beat Cristobals FIU team twice.

When I saw Miami playNotre Dameway back in the day, I fell in love with the way they played, the swag they had. Guidry said. (Miami) was always a place that I thought that Id want to go to. Coach Jimmy Johnson is from Port Arthur, Texas, which is only about an hour and 15 minutes from where Im from. Excited to be here and just see how good we can get.

2.Dawson said Miami has some talented kids at receiver but cautioned their heads are spinning learning his new offense. Hes convinced someone will step up and become that playmaker.

That position, when you install a new offense, is probably going to be one of the slower ones to grab everything, because theres a lot of moving parts, he said.

3.As for his scheme, Dawson said, Theres no such thing as the Air Raid offense anymore.

He said his time at West Virginia a decade ago and an abundance of tight ends on those rosters forced him to figure out how to use them and play with more physicality.

Running the football and playing with tight ends builds culture, a physical culture on both sides of the ball, Dawson said. So, were never gonna go away from that. Were going to run the ball effectively. What I found through the years because I started my career off throwing more than I do now you can throw it for more yards if you run it better. Because defenses will play down. So I dont want to throw it less, but I want to do it for more yards.

4.Guidry said he hopes to install about 65 to 70 percent of his defense this spring. He said the terminology being used is different from the one Steele put in place previously. With many defensive starters from last season out with injuries this spring, its going to fall on the players to catch up during the summer months.

Guidry said its hard to get a good impression of Miamis roster with so many players out.

In the fall, when we have more people battling for jobs well do competition every day to just try to fight for the starting job every day, he said. Were not going to wait until the scrimmage. Every day were going to adjust the depth chart and were going to fight for positions every day. Thats the only way I know how to do it. That way when a kid goes down in the game, theyve played with another kid on the side of them before. In the fall, youll probably see a lot of interchanging of the (first team).

5.Guidry, who spent the 2020 season coaching safeties atFlorida Atlantic, has familiarity with some players on Miamis roster. He recruited Kam Kinchens andJames Williamscoming out of high school and is familiar with defensive tackleLeonard Taylorand a handful of other South Florida-based players from the 2021 cycle. Williams and Taylor are among those out this spring.

6.Dawson called quarterbackTyler Van Dykean elite player who is a good fit for his offense.

Hes a very accurate thrower of the football. His football IQ skyrocketed, Dawson said. I mean, he picks up things very quickly. Ive been here for three weeks. So were probably doing things at a rate that I wasnt probably anticipating because of him. Glad to have him.

Van Dyke isnt the runner Dawson had at Houston last season in Clayton Tune, who completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,074 yards, 40 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions and led the Cougars with 546 yards rushing and five touchdown runs.

We had an All-American running back who tore his ACL in the spring and the next guy got hurt, Dawson said. When things like that happen, you have to figure out how to move the ball. Its part of planning and figuring out what your personnel is. The year before, we were the No. 3 team in the nation in time of possession. We were healthy at running back, our defense was top 10 and we didnt need to rely on the passing game.

It all depends on how your team is built, and understanding where it fits into all three phases of the game is going to be important. Im not hard-headed in the sense to think my phase is the only one that matters. Were gonna get a feel for how this team is built, and thats gonna dictate a lot on how we do offensively.

7.Kinchens has tried to take on a bigger leadership role in his third season with the Hurricanes, but its been an adjustment for a player who isnt naturally vocal. Learning a new defense makes it a little tougher, as well.

The first thing I noticed is hes really intelligent, Guidry said. Hes really explosive in everything he does. You could tell hes kind of the bell cow of the defense. But Im gonna ask him to do even more, and talk a little bit more.

8.Guidry said its important to him to get along well with his defensive staff. He said he keeps an open mind and takes suggestions, but he also has some non-negotiables.

He described new defensive line coach Jason Taylor as a patient teacher who can get on players when he needs to.

Hes gonna be a defensive coordinator either at the college level orNFL, I can tell already, Guidry said. We got a couple guys on staff like that.

(Photo of Shanon Dawson: Manny Navarro /The Athletic)

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Manny Navarrohas been the University of Miami beat writer for The Athletic since September 2018. Hes also the host of the Wide Right podcast. Mannys career started at The Miami Herald in October 1995 when he was a high school senior. He covered the Hurricanes, Heat, Marlins and high school sports for 23 years at the paper. He makes occasional appearances on WSVNs Sports Xtra on Sunday nights and is on the Big O Show with Orlando Alzugaray at 12:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays.Follow Manny on Twitter@Manny_Navarro