Mario Cristobal Is Confident In His Alpha Leader To Take Miami Back To Title Contention

At the ACC Kickoff, Mario Cristobal spoke first on Wednesday and said that Cam Ward is an Alpha Leader and he is ready to go into battle with him.

Jul 24, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal speaks to the media during the ACC Kickoff at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Former Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera was known as the Riverboat Gambler. Despite that, Mario Cristobal is willing to roll the dice on transfer quarterback Cameron Ward who comes in from Washington State. Cristobal believes Ward can take Miami as far as they want to go.

"It's very well documented his productivity as a player throughout his career," Cristobal said. "What really stands out in the short time we've been around him is he's an Alpha leader. On the way in, when we were watching him on film, the reason everybody wanted him was his play making ability. Accurate, great arm strenth, ability to improvise, extend plays, a game changer."

In the past, Miami quarterbacks have allowed bad plays to become a bad series, which would then lead to a bad game. Cristobal does not have that fear with Ward. He believes that he can shrug off a negative play and come back to the table and roll a winner.

"Whenever there was a bad play, his ability to bounce back and make things right. He's aggressive," Cristobal said. "I would say his competitive nature to come back and make things right, to go and make things right, to go and make up for maybe a play that was negative, was really impressive. That has really stood out at his time at Miami through spring practice as he just built and gained the trust of his teammates."

One other problem that Miami has entertained in years past, is a problem that Ward also faced at Washington State. There was a problem with the offensive line keeping the quarterback upright. Over his last two seasons as a Cougar, he was sacked over 80 times.

With the line Miami has coming back, that should not be a problem this season.

"Protecting the quarterback has always been the forefront of any and every place that we've been at," Cristobal said. "It starts with guys like Jalen Rivers over there. Complete pro from top to bottom. A mentor to the younger guys. It starts with the guys up front, making sure there's complete alignment between the coordinator and the offensive line coach, right?"

Scott Salomon is a contributor to Miami Hurricanes On SI. He can be reached at sas@southfloridamedianetwork.com. He can be followed on X @ScottSalomonNFL.

---

Follow all social media platforms to stay up to date with everything Miami Hurricanes related: Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube