David Pollack Crowns Miami Hurricanes No. 1—Here’s Why Mario Cristobal Isn’t Satisfied

The Miami Hurricanes are in the midst of a second bye over the last three weeks. And if you think that just means extra time to savor a win over Florida State, think again. This is a team that remains all about work even as UM sits at 5-0 and ranked No. 2 in the nation.

Oh, make that No. 1.

“We do our own rankings here,” football analyst David Pollack said on his podcast “See Ball Get Ball With David Pollack” after telling Mario Cristobal that Miami’s the top team in the nation.

Miami’s coach told Pollack on the podcast that “We’re getting better. We arrived here a few years ago, the line of scrimmage was scary and not in a good way. The bodies were very narrow and not very powerful and there were not many big bodies we could put in there. We recruited really hard, strength and conditioning has taken its course and we are getting better.”

During this bye week, Cristobal said the focus will be on improving “Pad level, technique, physicality, fundamentals., hand placement.”

Certainly the most recent game was an interesting one. Miami cruised to a 28-3 lead at FSU before a rough fourth quarter, coming out with the win. Which means Miami is the state champ, having also beaten Florida and USF.

“We walked into a program that for 20 years had been in the middle, had a lot of work to do,” Cristobal said. “It was a relentless approach on a daily basis. For me as a player – Miami vs. Florida, Florida State, it was always the game. It’s a really big deal for our alumni, happy for our program and players. We’re not even close to what we need to be to accomplish our goals.”

Cristobal also spoke more about a few aspects of his team with UM entering its second bye weekend in three weeks.

*On offense Carson Beck has excelled with 242.6 pass yards per game and 11 TDs with three INTs. “We loved his 2023 film, liked his 2024 film,” Cristobal said of the Georgia transfer. “End of 2023 he was projected a top quarterback to be taken and Cam Ward was more a fifth, sixth, seventh rounder. We felt our pieces, what we do schematically really lent to him having great success here.”

*A freshman star that’s helping Beck’s success is Malachi Toney. He has a team high 29 catches for 375 yards and three TDs. “He’s just a local three-star guy,” Cristobal joked. “Dynamic player. If you’re impressed with his route running, you’d be more impressed with his blocking. This dude just throws his body around, plays like a linebacker would. He knows he has a long way to go, a lot to improve, and he’s all about the work.”

*Up front on defense Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor are a load to handle. They are probably the best college football end combo you’ll find. And that’s where it starts, since opposing QBs have not had much time to find receivers down the field, and opposing offensive coordinators have needed to rein in their game plans to account for the dynamic duo. Bain leads Miami with 26 tackles and he’s added 3.5 tackles for losses, two sacks, an interception, forced fumble and 24 QB hurries in five games. Mesidor isn’t far behind with 23 tackles, five for losses, with 3.5 sacks and 20 hurries. Both are grading off the charts per Pro Football Focus – Bain at a ridiculous 95.8 percent and Mesidor at an also ridiculous 90.5 percent. “They are incredibly humble, the work ethic is off the charts, they don’t want to come out of the game,” Cristbal said. “Those two guys, what they have done in the offseason, it prepares them to go deep into games, into the season.”

A final thought from Cristobal?

“When you watch us on film we have a long ways to go,” he said. “There’s a lot to get better at. But massive improvement. Looking forward to this bye week, so we can get more guys in that rotation, push to another level.”

*Cristobal also stressed how much he appreciates the former Cane greats like Michael Irvin and others that come back to support the program.

“They want our guys not to go back in time, want to go forward with the principles and values with the things that made us successful back in that time,” Cristobal said.

*Cristobal is all about work, and joked that with his personality “I’m not going to win the Mr. Fun Award.”

“What I am – I’m super grateful,” Cristobal said. “I’m nobody from down the street that Jimmy Johnson and staff gave a chance to. Am I working most of the time? Absolutely. Do I enjoy my family and seeing my wife and boys, being around players and their family? Yes. It’s awesome. I like to work so it doesn’t seem like work.”

*Cristobal recounted a story of how when he was on the Columbus High freshman team when he gave now-OL coach/then-teammate Alex Mirabal a ride home. “The strength coach didn’t want to wait for us so he let us close the gym, and I gave him a ride home,” Cristobal said. “That ride turned into a ride every single day and we became best friends. That’s become an almost 40 year relationship of a guy who not because I went to school with him but my respect for him and way he approaches his vocation – he’s the best offensive line coach I’ve seen or been around, most professional and regimented.”