WATCH: Hurricanes legend stops by Miami spring practice
All-time Miami great Warren Sapp found himself helping out during a Hurricanes’ football practice during spring training. He issued a message to Miami fans assuring them that Mario Cristobal and company will turn things around in 2022.
“What’s up ‘Canes fans, it’s No. 76 in your program and No. 1 in your heart Warren Sapp. I’m back on Greentree and the ‘Canes football will be back baby. Yes sir,” Sapp said via Miami Football’s Twitter.
Sapp played for the Hurricanes in the early 1990s while earning many accolades with the program, including finishing sixth in Heisman voting in 1994, which is almost unheard of for a defensive lineman. He was eventually drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 1995 NFL Draft with the 12th overall pick and went on to become a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
Head coach Mario Cristobal preached his goals for the spring prior to his team taking the field last week. While Cristobal – who is back home to lead his alma mater after a successful run as Oregon’s head coach – has his hands full with rebuilding the Hurricanes’ program, he has said on multiple occasions that he is looking forward to the challenge.
“[Spring practice] is going to be about physicality, identity, establishing all the things that go intangible with our program,” Cristobal said prior to spring training. “Making sure our guys are starting to get a very good understanding of our systems and running those systems, as well a situational football. We combine that with technical work, fundamental work, processes – learning how to practice. We’ve gotta build really good habits – like really, really strong, hardcore, cultural habits that make us elite human beings and also elite football players.”
While Cristobal pointed out that building consistent, successful habits will be key in Miami’s success down the road, the coach also discussed some important components that need to happen off the field.
“The challenge right now being getting off that field quickly, getting your food, getting showered up and getting to class early – because early is on time,” Cristobal said. “All these things come together when you have spring practice, but certainly it’s that next phase for us. First day, some good energy … long ways to go, right? We’re kind of here and we want to go over there. We’ve got that big gap, but there is good energy.”
Legends like Sapp stopping by to help move the program forward is only helping his squad inch closer to those goals in the early offseason.