Hurricanes Red Zone: Mario Cristobal Must Make Major Changes After Losing Season
The ‘Canes were considered the biggest letdown in college football this season before their crushing defeat to Pittsburgh, a rival team in the Costal Division, on Saturday.
Mario Cristobal, the head football coach at the University of Miami, is a kind man. From his days as a player and assistant coach, Cristobal has been a real ‘Cane. He hails from a nice background and has a good family now. This season, Cristobal was supposed to be the one to make a difference in Coral Gables.
Being the first head coach of a Miami team not to qualify for the bowl since the 2007 season, Cristobal will have plenty of time to reflect on what could have been.
The ‘Canes, who were picked to win the division going into the season, were undoubtedly the biggest disappointment in college football after their lopsided loss to Pittsburgh on Saturday, their rivals in the Costal Division.
All those five-star athletes, all those supposedly exceptional players on the field, and all those legendary coaches in the dugout—all for naught following a five-win campaign in which Miami dropped three of its final four games in November?
The former offensive lineman is primarily to blame for the ‘Canes’ lack of bowl participation, even though one could argue that former head coach Manny Diaz set them up for disappointment with the roster following the 2021 season—and there is some truth to that given the team’s first two losses in 2022.
You can’t even get your team to score three points or more against your biggest opponent? Can’t you get your offense to gain over 100 yards in a game against a top-10-ranked team? You can’t even get your squad to get excited for a game they have to win in order to qualify for the bowl? Those are all the outcomes of Not Diaz, but Cristobal.
In order to prevent the Hurricanes from missing out on bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons for the first time since the mid-1970s, what can Cristobal accomplish in year two?
Initially, it is necessary to make adjustments regarding the coaching personnel. While Josh Gattis, the offensive coordinator, received much of the flak, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele is the one who shouldn’t be reinstated. Following five different games this season (all losses) in which he allowed 40 points or more, Steele is overmatched and has no business captaining this defense in 2023.
Following that, Cristobal must let rid of the players who demonstrated throughout the previous season that they were unwilling to give it their all. There are an infinite number of players who did not perform to the Miami level this season, from giving up on running routes to not even attempting tackles.
Ultimately, and above all, Cristobal needs to persuade friends and admirers that this reconstruction will require time. It won’t stop many people from repeatedly proclaiming, “the U is back,” but it sounds like living in the past after this season’s humiliation.
It could be difficult for Cristobal to begin his tenure back home if he is unwilling to make the necessary adjustments.
