Are the Miami Hurricanes back? That’s a question that has popped up often since the program’s dominant 41-17 victory over the Florida Gators last weekend. It’s hard not to get super hyperbolic after a win like that, especially since it’s been so long since Miami has been considered among the elite in college football.
If you grew up, or just paid attention to “The U” in the early 2000s, you may have witnessed the greatest college football team of all time. That doesn’t even count those who remember the Howard Schellenberger, Jimmy Johnson, or Dennis Erickson Era Hurricane squads. Between those three coaches, Miami won four national championships during that stretch of the early 1980s to early 1990s.
That was the birth of “The U”, a brand that still resonates with so many, even while being over 20 years removed from their last championship. One thing is certain, college football is better when Miami is relevant.
Rebirth of "The U"?
There seems to be a different aura around the program in 2024. Over the last ten years or so, there have been moments where some thought it could be their return to glory. Unfortunately, that momentum would subside and reality would hit. Could this team be different?
On paper, this team is very, very talented. Head coach Mario Cristobal has restored optimism, taking high school recruiting up a couple of notches since his return to the program. The transfer portal was also very good to Miami this offseason, including offseason acquisitions of quarterback Cam Ward (Washington State), running back Damien Martinez (Oregon State), wide receiver Samuel Brown (Houston), and Tyler Barton (Tennessee) among others. That is a lot of next level talent gained in one offseason.
There is a lot to be optimistic about, but this is a cautionary tale of putting too much faith in Cristobal, who has some promise but remains a major question mark as a championship level coach. Many Hurricane fans are excited about the former FIU and Oregon head coach for several reasons. The biggest is that he played for Miami, a part of two national championship teams as an offensive tackle in 1989 and 1991.
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Unique journey for Cristobal
Cristobal even spent two previous stints as a assistant coach for Miami from 1998-2000 as a graduate assistant, and from 2004-2006 as a tight end and offensive line coach. By all definitions, this is a person who represents Miami at the highest level. Cristobal understands the sell of the program, the allure, the expectations, all of it.
It would be incredible for Cristobal to lead this program back to prominence. And if he does, the buzz around him would be at an all-time high, the rebirth of “The U”. In a lot of ways, I would welcome it. As stated before, college football is just better when Miami is relevant.
When you really dive into the background and consider context, however, there is a lot that can create skepticism. Is Cristobal truly the one to get the Hurricanes back? I have my doubts, at least right now.
Let’s begin with the obvious: Cristobal has been a pretty underwhelming head coach for the majority of his career. After his successful return to Miami as an assistant coach, Cristobal got his first head coaching opportunity with the FIU Golden Panthers, where he spent six seasons. It was an underwhelming time on paper, although there is a lot of context to consider.
During that stretch, Cristobal led FIU to a 27-47 overall record. Obviously, winning at FIU is a very hard thing to do, so it isn’t a death sentence that Cristobal wasn’t able to do so with regularity. Having just two winning seasons in six is pretty much par for the course for that program. It’s just not a high upside job.
Eventually Cristobal would end up at the University of Oregon as an assistant coach under Willie Taggart, who would last just one season with the Ducks before taking the head coaching position with Florida State. After serving as an interim in the bowl game that year, Cristobal would earn his next head coaching opportunity. He was now the face of Oregon football.
Cristobal would hold that position for four seasons, finishing with. 35-13 overall record during his tenure. He would parlay that success to return to Miami, this time as the head man in charge.
It had been a struggle the first two seasons for Cristobal, who had to rebuild and retool a roster void of high level talent. Optimism is always going to be high around the Miami program, but there was also an understanding that this would be a rebuild for the long term. With how the transfer portal and NIL are formatted today, quick fixes are very possible but without recruiting high schoolers at a high level, there isn’t much proof in terms of sustainability.
Those first two years, which included a 13-13 overall record, could in theory pay off tremendously down the road. A lot of younger players had the chance to get meaningful reps during that time, and that baptism by fire could be very beneficial to help figure out how to win.
Major questions still remain
The arrow is pointing up for Miami, and everyone should be excited about it. There are even whispers of a national championship run this season, which is where you lose me. Going from a 7-6 football team to national championship is an unrealistic step that would defy all odds. We do live in a world built around instant gratification, but I’m not sure that level can be achieved this season.
People don’t talk about it enough but Cristobal also has to keep growing as a head coach. He’s had moments as a head coach, particularly during his time at Oregon, where you could argue he underachieved with the amount of talent he had on his roster. Consistently winning against the top teams in college football is a massive projection right now.
During his time with the Ducks, Cristobal compiled just a 7-7 record against top 25 teams. If you exclude PAC-12 opponents, that record was just 2-3 against top 25 teams out of the conference. Through two years at Miami, his record is just 1-5 in comparison. We can give grace with context as much as we want, but at some point, the question over whether Cristobal can win the big games has to be mentioned. It’s an unknown right now.
We also can’t overlook the fact that there is some hyperbole to the performance against the Gators this weekend. In a vacuum, beating Florida in the swamp is a big deal, and even more impressive to dominate them. But we do need to remember that this is a Gator squad that has been the butt of jokes this offseason. Many have predicted head coach Billy Napier to not make it out of the season with his job.
Could Miami be back? It’s possible but I’m not going to make that distinction after beating a Florida team that went 5-7 last season with a lame duck head coach. We need to see a lot more from this team, and even more from Cristobal. Steps are being taken, and more should follow but this is still a process. Proceed with caution, my friends.
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