Opinion: Miami HC Mario Cristobal is Righting the Ship
Mario Cristobal will never be able to take back the poor decision to not take a knee versus Georgia Tech. While that decision will never be okay, what’s done is done.
The head coach – and his coaching staff to give full credit here – is still making headway with the difficult project of rebuilding the Miami Hurricanes football program. That starts with how hard his players perform for him, and it's impressive.
There’s evidence of that from the field level. The effort is there and that’s a major step in the right direction.
Watching numerous teams go in the tank as a football fan, over the years, and also as a journalist, it’s usually really hard to miss. For reference, take a look at the current Arkansas team as one that has players jumping overboard from the SS Sam Pittman.
Watching Miami with my own eyes, it’s been just the opposite. Players go out of their way to give maximum effort. Just as important, it’s not hard to find UM football players communicating and even hugging Cristobal after games either.
There's also another kind of appreciation, if one will, with true freshman right tackle Francis Mauigoa showing a special kind of love for a former offensive line coach who's now the head coach at The U:
That hard-hitting block from Mauigoa is the type of football Cristobal expects from his players, and they give the effort that he desires. That's good all-around.
Is there a long way to go to get the Miami football program to where it wants to be? To be brutally honest, absolutely there is. Does Year 2 of the Cristobal era still show signs of significant progress despite a long way to go? A resounding yes!
For anyone who doubts this proclamation, pay particular attention to how the defense gang tackles and does so with defenders running across the field to get in on the action. Take a close look at how much passion a player like James Williams plays with even though he’s a few months away from millions of dollars and NFL riches.
See how Tyler Van Dyke continues to be very excited – even when he’s in street clothes and not playing – when the Canes are playing well and eventually knock off Clemson.
The list of players that are all-in goes on and on. Sure, players do go out and give effort because of one another. That’s not being debated. It’s just that Cristobal is a major factor in that effort being put into action as well.
I, for one, am growing an appreciation for the Miami program in a way some may not. A lot of that appreciation stems from how Miami’s players appreciate Cristobal.
