University of Miami head football coach Mario Cristobal is a nice guy. Cristobal comes from a good family, has a good family now and is a true 'Cane from his time as both a player and assistant coach. Cristobal was supposed to be the man to turn things around in Coral Gables this season.
Cristobal will have plenty of time to think about what could have been after becoming the first head coach of a Miami team to not become bowl eligible since the 2007 season.
With Saturday's blowout loss against Costal Division rival Pittsburgh, the 'Canes went from a team predicted to win the division in the preseason to a team who was arguably the biggest disappointment in college football this season.
All those five-star players...all those supposed great players on the roster and great coaches on the sideline...all for nothing after a five win season that saw Miami lose three of its final four games in the month of November.
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While you can make an argument that former head coach Manny Diaz set the 'Canes up for disappointment with the roster after the 2021 season - and there is some validity to that with the first two losses of the 2022 season - the reason why the 'Canes will not be in a bowl game falls squarely on the shoulders of the former offensive lineman.
You can't motivate your team to score more than three points against your biggest rival? You can't get your offense to have more than 100 yards in a game against a team who was ranked in the top 10? You can't convince your team to get motivated for a must-win game to become bowl eligible? All of those are the result of Cristobal, not Diaz.
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So, what can Cristobal do in year two to make sure the Hurricanes don't fail to become bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the mid-1970s?
Well, for starters, there needs to be changes when it comes to the coaching staff. While the general criticism was on offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, the person who has no reason to be brought back is defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. After giving up 40 points or more in five different games this season (all losses), Steele is in over his head and has no business leading this defense in 2023.
After that, Cristobal needs to let go of the players who showed they didn't want to give maximum effort this past season. From not trying on tackles to giving up on running routes, the list is endless of players who did not play up to the Miami standard this season.
Finally, and most importantly, Cristobal has to convince fans and supporters that this rebuild is going to take time. It's not going to keep many from saying "the U is back" over and over and over again, but after this season's embarrassment it sounds like just living in the past.
If Cristobal is reluctant to make the needed changes, it could make for a rough start to his tenure back home.
