Mario Cristobal stresses the importance of having Michael Irvin around Miami program

As he has been in the middle of fully reconstructing the Miami program and turning it back into a juggernaut, Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has had a secret weapon at his disposal. Well, nothing about Michael Irvin is secret, but you get the idea.

The former Hurricanes superstar receiver has been seen on virtually every Miami broadcast. He’s usually right on the sidelines, picking up a Holly Rowe when she gets knocked over or giving encouragement to the Miami players at key moments.

Cristobal pointed to one element of Michael Irvin’s presence that really makes a difference. It’s core to the Miami mission.

“I think the best part of the way Mike brings his energy is the fact that he makes it very clear he’s very grateful for the University of Miami and for his time as a Miami Hurricane,” Cristobal said. “I think that’s a feeling that needs to be expressed by any and all of us that ever played here, because, man, a lot of us came in here not knowing our head from our feet. Because of that, we had some great teachers and mentors along the way and they impact us in a manner that, look at some of the careers that have taken off here, both on and off the field.”

Michael Irvin might be the most prominent of the former players that have come around the program quite a bit since Cristobal took over, but he’s far from the only one. Cristobal went through a list of guys he’s seen in recent weeks.

“So when guys like that come around, there were more guys at the game, Edgerrin James was there,” Cristobal said. “Getting a text from Santana Moss, who I was a GA when he was here. I remember his whole Superman mantra that he brought to Miami. Devin Hester, Greg Olsen, I know he couldn’t make it but he’s always in contact. Dan Morgan.

“And there’s so many. It goes on and on and on. And it’s not just those front-line stars, it’s the guys that played here that maybe were behind the scenes and were role players that you get a chance to communicate with.”

So, yeah, get used to seeing Michael Irvin on the sidelines. Not only does Cristobal support it, he actively encourages it.

He wants the program to connect to its roots. New players and old.

“That is strong. That’s why I came to Miami as a player,” Cristobal said. “That’s why a lot of my teammates, our teammates, came here to Miami. And that’s why a lot of guys have come back. And we need to keep doing that. And we need to just keep making it almost like a sign, a token of gratitude, and now it is our role to do that and mentor the guys that have followed us, which is this current team right now. And help them get into the future.”