4-star EDGE Cyrus Moss has faith in Mario Cristobal, commits to Miami

Two months ago, Las Vegas Bishop Gorman EDGE Cyrus Moss wasn’t even considering Miami or USC. The No. 83 prospect in the On3 Consensus was focused on Alabama, Arizona State, and Oregon.

Then the coaching carousel happened.

“It was like me cramming two years in two weeks,” Moss told On3. “What it came down to in the end for me was my faith in Mario Cristobal. That is why I picked Miami over USC in the end.”

That trust and faith were built over time. Cristobal and his staff at Oregon recruited Moss hard. They put a lot of time into Moss and his family, and it paid off.

“The trust I have in Cristobal is the main reason behind my decision. Miami didn’t even recruit me until he took over, and I almost didn’t take a visit there, but because of him, I gave Miami a look.

“I believe in coach Cristobal’s vision, his plan, and he will put together at Miami. My feelings, beliefs, and faith in him have me feeling 100% confident about my decision to go to Miami.”

The trust goes one step further. Cristobal is still in the process of putting together his coaching staff at Miami. Moss looked hard along the way at the schools that were on his list at his potential position coach and the defensive coordinator.

Miami still has neither.

“I trust in him to make the right hire. We see things very similarly. Me and coach Cristobal think a lot alike. My full trust is in him to make the right hires and to put the Miami program in place to be successful.

“I know he wants the best for his players. for the program. He made the right hires at Oregon, and I feel he will do the same at Miami.

“My total faith is in him and that is why I am so excited about being a Miami Hurricane.”

The final decision was made last week by Moss and his family

Moss chose not to sign early to rule out the chance his decision may leak out. He did not tell a coach during the early signing period what his decision was – because he didn’t make one yet.

That decision wasn’t made until last week, right before he left for the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

“I sat down with my family one last time before leaving and we had a heavy discussion,” Moss said. “We talked about it all and I left no doubt in my mind that it was Miami.

“I came into that conversation thinking Miami, but I wanted to talk it out, hear my parent’s thoughts, and make sure. That is what happened during that talk.

“After we finished, and knew we were together on Miami, I called coach Cristobal and gave him the news. He was ecstatic and he was so excited.

“We all felt good about the decision.”

Once Cristobal had the news, he and Moss knew they were on the same page. And about to be on the same team.

“Me and coach Cristobal have the same goals. We want to win. We want to work hard. Nobody is going to work harder than coach Cristobal at recruiting, so we as players will work hard for him.

“He made sure I knew that he was grateful to have me, grateful that I trust him, and we will work hard together to make Miami great again.

“I can’t wait to get there and help him turn that program around.”.

Moss is happy to have his decision behind him

After playing in the Polynesian Bowl in a couple of weeks, Moss will be off to Coral Gables as an early enrollee. If you would have asked him two months ago where he would be off to, the answer probably would have been Oregon.

The Ducks finished third.

“This did not play out the way I thought it was going to,” Moss said. “The coaching changes kind of helped me at first. I was looking hard at Florida and Notre Dame, and they made changes. That crossed them off my list.

“But then more and more changes were made, and with schools, I was considering, so things changed quickly. It put me in a very tough position, so now that it is over, I am much more relaxed.”

Moss was evaluating schools across the country. He had a long list of offers, he had built strong relationships with coaches coast to coast, and when the changes were made, he almost had to start over.

“It was very difficult for me those last couple of weeks. I had worked hard to get where I was at. It took me two years to get down to three schools, so once things happened at Oregon, USC, Florida, and so many other places, it shook things up for me.

“I had so many late-night conversations with my parents, coaches, and those close to me, and I went back and forth. I didn’t even think I was going to visit Miami. But I did right before the dead period, and now I am going there.

“To know what all happened, how everything played out, and how I got to this point is pretty crazy. I never thought it would be like this. To be here now, and to have my decision made, it is such a good feeling.”