The fifth in a five-part series examining key questions for the Miami Hurricanes before they begin fall camp and the 2026 season.
The Miami Hurricanes are days away from starting fall camp. The month-long push to prepare for the 2026 season, which begins Sept. 4 at Stanford, is about to begin.
And during that time, just as he did during spring practices, coach Mario Cristobal will make one thing abundantly clear: Complacency will not be accepted.
The Hurricanes are coming off a run to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Expectations are that they’ll be in the mix to play for a national title again this year.
But just because they made it to the title game in January doesn’t mean things are going to come easy this year.
If anything, Cristobal wants to make things tougher.
“We structure practice to look a certain way,” Cristobal said. “If we structured practice to where ‘OK we won last year, let’s structure it differently because we won before,’ then you’re going to get your ass kicked. We structure it in a way where it challenges every single person on the field from a technique and fundamental standpoint, from a tempo standpoint, from an effort standpoint, and from an execution standpoint. Which means energy and intensity have to be through the roof. The way we conduct our dailies, starting with meetings and practice, determines the DNA of your program. The way that we have structured it, it’s so challenging that it brings out the best in everybody, and it keeps you grounded.”
Being grounded is exactly where Cristobal wants his team to be at this time of year and throughout the season. Expectations are high externally for Miami. The Hurricanes are the clear-cut favorites to win the Atlantic Coast Conference. They will likely be a top-10 team in the preseason AP poll for a second consecutive year when those rankings are released in mid-August. They return a stacked roster, highlighted by the offensive trio of Duke transfer quarterback and ACC preseason player of the year Darian Mensah, senior running back Mark Fletcher Jr. and sophomore wide receiver Malachi Toney.
Cristobal wants to make sure none of that outside noise creeps in as Miami navigates through its campaign. He points back to the 2022 season, his first at the helm of his alma mater. The Hurricanes were voted as the favorites to win the Coastal Division and reach the ACC title game. Miami ultimately went 5-7 that year, including 3-5 in conference play.
“All those high expectations set [this year] by the outside world are the same ones in ‘22 that buried our asses,” Cristobal said. “They couldn’t wait to kick dirt over our grave. That’s very telling.”
That said, Cristobal knows that Miami is on the right trajectory. He has spent the past four years turning over the roster, resetting the standard, pushing the team to play championship-caliber football. UM 23-6 over the past two years after losing 13 games over Cristobal’s first two season. The six losses have been by no more than six points.
“You’re in a dogfight when you play Miami,” Cristobal said, “and so I think our levels of competitiveness have improved drastically. Schematically, we’ve evolved. We’ve come miles. And then level of talent and the way that we call and manage games, we just keep getting better and better and better.”
The hope — the expectation — is that remains the case in 2026. And Cristobal will do what is necessary to make sure that standard is established before the season begins.
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Miami Herald
Jordan McPherson covers the Miami Hurricanes and Florida Panthers for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and covered the Gators athletic program for five years before joining the Herald staff in December 2017.