Miami's Mario Cristobal Named Among Coaches With The Most To Prove
It's time for Mario Cristobal to start turning success on the recruiting trail into success on the football field.
In a little over two years at the helm, Cristobal has turned over most of Miami's roster with his own hand-picked recruits and transfers. Miami has finished with top ten recruiting classes in each of the past two cycles. Cristobal is entering year three of a ten year contract worth a reported $80 million.
Expectations are rising and the win totals must go up starting in 2024.
Cody Nagel of 247Sports has compiled a list of fifteen power conference coaches with the most to prove next year. Mario Cristobal made his list.
"Mario Cristobal owns a losing record in two seasons as the head coach at Miami, going 12-13 overall with a bowl appearance in 2023. The Hurricanes are in position to potentially make a big jump in 2024 with transfer quarterback Cameron Ward taking the reins of the offense. Miami has yet to make any of the weekly College Football Playoff rankings under Cristobal. Still, the Hurricanes are projected to be among the favorites in the ACC next season alongside Clemson and Florida State. Cristobal has proven success in recruiting and it is time to translate that to wins on the field."
The other coaches featured are Deion Sanders at Colorado, Sonny Dykes at TCU, Dave Aranda at Baylor, Pat Narduzzi at Pitt, Mack Brown at UNC, Dabo Swinney at Clemson, Shane Beamer at South Carolina, Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, Sam Pittman at Arkansas, Billy Napier at Florida, Jonathan Smith at Michigan State, Lincoln Riley at USC, Sherrone Moore at Michigan, and Ryan Day at Ohio State.
My take:
Miami fans should not feel insulted by this in the slightest. As you can see from the other names listed, Cristobal is in some good company. The expectations have risen so high at Miami due mainly to the high profile of the roster that Cristobal is building. While 12-13 over the first two seasons should not feel acceptable, a pedestrian record is somewhat understandable given a new blueprint and culture being established at the program. From now on, the expectation should be double digit victories per season at The U.
More: ESPN Explains Miami's Path Into The College Football Playoff
