Mario Cristobal talks recruiting & more on The Lamar Thomas Show: "Country’s biggest fear is watching Miami just unite"

Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal was a guest Wednesday night on the weekly Lamar Thomas Show in conjunction with CaneSport, and his excitement about the Canes’ direction was palpable. With UM off to a 3-0 start and facing Temple next, Cristobal knows the program culture he wants is starting to fall into place.

Cristobal is making it happen with his background as a Canes player and coach, and also what he’s gleaned with experience at several other stops – Rutgers, FIU, Alabama and Oregon.

“Had an opportunity to work for some awesome guys,” Cristobal said. “At the end of the day I’m just a local guy who had a chance to play with great guys like Lamar. Got the opportunity, and I love football. I absolutely love it, it gave our family a different pathway to life. Started coaching and all I know is in all those places they were all some way, shape or form a replica of what coach (Jimmy) Johnson did here at Miami.

“That’s why the transition to Alabama was so seamless. Rutgers, that was a rebuild, a 1-11 perennial team. What a great job coach (Greg) Schiano did there. Then Alabama a little different. FIU was 0-12 when we got there, then won our first conference title. What I realized – whether marriage, business, football, team, coaching staff – you want great people that work their butts off, connect and really get it. Real dudes. Guys where in the fourth quarter, go bust your ass and find a way to get it done. Great learning experience out in Alabama, made me assistant head coach, had to learn a lot. Oregon was 4-8, they made a call, went out there, co-coordinator job turned into a head job, extremely grateful for that. Conference title, Outland winner. But it all comes down to it’s 25 years of training (and coming) back home. 25 years of getting my teeth kicked in, learning, some highs and lows, lessons in between, and watching from far away, hoping about (coming back home). … If you wore a Hurricanes uniform, you’re a Hurricane. I know watching from afar the work that had to be done at all levels was massive.

“I had settled in far away, but anyone that knows me knows I could not go to the grave without knowing that Miami once again became Miami. That’s why we’re here. We’re working ungodly hours because that’s what has to be done. We’re making a lot of progress, have miles to go, but making some progress. And you guys would be proud of the culture, approach, commitment to elevating the standard as we continue to work.”

Anyone that knows me knows I could not go to the grave without knowing that Miami once again became Miami.

Miami coach Mario Cristobal

Cristobal also spoke about the team’s recruiting efforts, and Miami currently has 22 commitments and is ranked No. 18 in the nation. That could climb as the Canes keep on winning games.

Cristobal has a passion for recruiting and connecting with prospects, and when he was at Oregon he signed the top player in nine different states in his last class.

So where does he get his recruiting passion from?

“It goes back to being a player – if this locker room had a bunch of players like me (attitude-wise) we’d win a ton of games,” Cristobal said. “When I was a graduate assistant here I came back when Miami was not doing well. I remember going on the practice field and going `That does not look like Miami.’ Then diving into recruiting with (Butch) Davis, (Larry) Coker, Schiano, CJ (Curtis Johnson) and all of a sudden that roster looked different and it went from getting beat down to absolutely annihilating people.

“We live in the greatest city in the world. This is one of the best diplomas in the world. The internships we have, the success rate, job market is incredible. That being said, we love being around winners, man, love being around tough, hardworking people that want to win. Football is life. Like if you took football away from them, they could never be happy living unless they are in football. This is a hard business, a tough deal. The only way to do it is surround yourself at all levels, surround yourself with the very, very best people, like-minded people. If you like to get after it, win, compete on a daily basis – that pushes everybody. Maybe that’s the genesis of it.”

On Friday Cristobal visited schools in Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and says “I loved it.”

“Tried to hit as many schools as humanly possible,” Cristobal said. “The reception was awesome. Miami is hot right now, not because we won our first games but because of our style of play. It’s more what we want to be like. If we keep doing this, from a personnel addition standpoint it’s going to be awesome.”

Cristobal also said that in recruiting there was some “wait and see” with prospects this year off a down season. He says the start to this season has helped in that respect.

“When Miami is on there’s nothing like it,” he said. “When Miami is on, there’s only one Miami, one U. We have a long way to go to get there. But we’re getting there, progressing very, very quickly. All focus is on getting Miami better and better and better.”

Cristobal reflected on how freshman Rueben Bain would say last year that “it’s not looking too good” and that “A lot of it (turning things around) is driven by local players and better players like Francis (Mauigoa), from the other side of the world who recognizes the caliber of program being built.”

Cristobal also said recruiting has changed from the old days when there might be some hidden recruits in Miami’s back yard. In this day and age players attend camps and tweet out offers. Cristobal said that “the work behind the scenes to find out if it’s the right kind of player is intense.”

He also said that “the identification part” of recruiting remains ultra-important in making sure Miami is getting the right type of player.

Cristobal credits work in the transfer portal for helping this team come together the way it has this year. It’s something he never did at Oregon but saw was needed at Miami.

“Some places have completely flipped their roster,” Cristobal said. “Great core of returning players, unbelievable talented freshman class, another 26, 27, 28 guys, then room for transfer portal guys that want to work and buy in. And we were able to hit on those guys for the most part. That blend has come together in a big-time way.

“We have a way to go, but I appreciate (the transfers). They allow me to push. We’re progressing, are looking more and more like it’s supposed to look, just have to keep going. Get all the noise out of the way and worry about nothing except get better. Get better every single day.”

Cristobal isn’t one to look too far ahead. It’s one day at a time, heck, one minute at a time in his world. It’s all about getting better and working hard.

“The energy is really, really strong,” Cristobal said. “We emphasize we’re going to look a certain way and when we get on the field we’re going to get on edge, stay on edge. When we play football we have to show it means more to us than the guys on the other side of the field. … The players are taking it, running with it. The leadership council is made of guys that want to be great. We’re working our way to being a player-led team.”

The difference from last year’s struggles to this year?

“I don’t know where to begin,” Cristobal said. “We just need to focus on (now).”

Asked about the ACC seeming like it’s wide open to be a top two team at the end of the year, Cristobal said, “Temple, baby, that’s all I’m thinking about.”

Yes, that one-game-at-a-time approach.

Cristobal also reflected on his days as a Miami player and how it was hard work … but it also was with guys that became family.

“You live the rest of your career trying to replicate the impact those guys had on us,” Cristobal said. “I have to do right by the alumni, the community, those that came before us. There’s been a big lapse, a gap where Miami was asleep, okay? And I can tell you on the plane ride over (after taking the job) I’m like `We have some work to do.’ But we’re built for this, shots to the face, the eyes, the teeth. The best way to summarize this is what we went through last season – extremely necessarily so it can clearly just show where the program had gone and how much work had to be done and in what areas it had to be done. And it sucks, it’s painful and hard and as gut-wrenching as humanly possible. But you need that stuff, need to go through it and just go forward, make sure it leaves a lasting impression on where not to let things get to.

“We wake up super fired-up every day. Wake up fired up, man, you know we’re onto something. Miami’s on, man, come on, let’s go, just keep working.”

A final thought from Cristobal?

“The country’s biggest fear is watching Miami just unite, get strong,” he said. “It really is. And when they see us apart, (opponents) love that. Let’s all bring this together, get better, support these young men who are busting their tails and let’s make Miami Miami.”