Since the moment he returned to Coral Gables to be the Miami Hurricanes’ head coach, Mario Cristobal has been clear that the foundation of this program needed to be rebuilt. This was not a coat of paint and new light fixtures kind of freshening up; this was a “tear it down to the foundation and build a new house” project.
Luckily for Miami, Cristobal had the vision to be the architect for the rebuild, and the skills to be the contractor building the program with his own hands. And, after 4 arduous years and plenty of pitfalls along the way, Miami are now the bullies of Cristobal’s dreams, and built in way he envisioned when he returned to Coral Gables.
From his introductory presser, Cristobal was adamant that getting Miami to the level of excellence we all desire would take investment not only in facilities and recruiting, but investing in PEOPLE. When you consider the growth in staff in support roles, operations, recruiting, strength and conditioning, nutrition, player development, and more, you see that those were not empty words, but the blueprint for taking Miami to the next level.
In terms of roster building and on-field performance, Cristobal said that he wanted “a program of relentless competitors, a team known for its resiliency, toughness, and physicality. A team nobody wants to play.” With a foundational roster building focus on “big dudes close to the ball” (my phrase, not Cristobal’s) and recruiting to or above the median for size at every position on the field, Cristobal and company have taken the Miami roster from undersized and feisty, to gigantic and dominant.
The other part of Cristobal’s focus for building Miami was mentality. He harped on it in his introductory presser, and has continued to put that at the forefront of every message when he’s spoken to the media (and others) since he returned to The U. Though not directly stated, Cristobal’s focus on mentality and culture was an admission that those things were not where they needed to be under previous coaches and leadership. Though it’s sometimes frustrating because sure, it would be nice for a soundbite or comical statement to dissect, Cristobal has been laser focused on the mentality of the team and the connected, player led culture of the program since his arrival, and that focus has paid off in spades for the Hurricanes.
When you look at the Miami Hurricanes’ roster, there are star players at every level on both sides of the ball. The offensive line — Cristobal’s pet project as a former offensive lineman and line coach — is among the biggest and best in college football. The quarterbacks have been elite. The running back room is stacked with talent. The receiver room, too. And on defense, the line is big, deep with talent, and VIOLENT up front, the linebackers are physical specimens, and the defensive backs are physical game changers who play with speed and strength. THIS is what the Miami Hurricanes should look like.
The great thing here is that Miami does not only look the part, they play the part, too. Their size and strength is not just for show; they maul opposing teams play after play after play. Whether that’s the OL creating space in the run game for Mark Fletcher Jr. or Girard Pringle Jr. or Marty Brown to find space and seal the game, whether that’s the defensive line, led by Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor getting pressure on the QB and killing the opposing team’s run game, Miami bullies opposing teams up front, and that has led to great success over the course of Cristobal’s tenure, especially in this year’s College Football Playoffs.
It’s taken years and plenty of growing pains along the way — we all remember the 5-7 season in Cristobal’s first year — but Miami is finally the team of Cristobal’s vision, construction, and dreams. THIS is what the concept was when he took over the Canes, and now that has been turned into reality.
With proof of concept now made real, Miami is in position to continue to play at a high level, and recruit at a high level, too. For nearly 20 years, homegrown players from South Florida have defected from the region, electing to play for other, established programs rather than staying home. “We need to see more”, they’d say. Hell, even star Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith admitted to what we all knew and had been reported by multiple outlets: had Miami been a more successful, winning program when he was in HS, he’d have come to Miami instead of going elsewhere.
But now, with Miami posting consecutive 10 win seasons for the first time since 2002 and 2003, in the College Football Playoffs for the first time ever (their last appearance was in the BCS days), and in the CFP Semifinals in their maiden journey in the playoffs, the abstract concept has been made a reality. Miami is one of the biggest, strongest, most physical, and best teams in the Country. There is no reason to look elsewhere for excellence; it is here, now, in Coral Gables.
With one game left between Miami and the National Championship Game at home in Hard Rock Stadium, the journey of the season isn’t done, but the vision Cristobal had when he came back home to Coral Gables has been fulfilled. Now, Miami needs to continue this level of performance, and make seasons and performances like this the consistent standard, not an intermittent blip as has been the case over the last 23 years.