Miami’s Cristobal on new hires, top recruits and ‘scuba tanks filled with Cuban coffee’
Mario Cristobal is not slowing down anytime soon.
The University of Miami football coach, who said Dec. 7 during his introductory news conference that he gets by on “16 shots of Cuban coffee and two hours of sleep,” was asked immediately during a Wednesday WQAM interview if he had decreased his Cuban Coffee intake.
Deadpanned Cristobal: “We had the entire staff wearing scuba tanks filled with Cuban coffee.’’
Amid the whirlwind of hauling in a top-15 national signing day class and hiring coaches, which he’s still doing, Cristobal spoke about new, high-profile coordinators Josh Gattis on offense and Kevin Steele on defense and how he aims to get “more big hires’’ to fill out the staff.
“You know how important it is to get the right guys,’’ Cristobal told WQAM host Joe Rose. “For example, a guy that just won the Broyles Award ended up in the college football playoffs,’’ he said of former Michigan offensive coordinator Gattis, “[and] spent time at Alabama, that’s about as big of a hire as you can have.
“You flip over to the defensive side and Coach Steele,’’ Cristobal noted of the former Auburn defensive coordinator who has coached at several big-time programs. “I mean, come on, man, the guy statistically is elite. You take his entire career and the body of work of all his stops and he’s one of the best in the entire country with a ton of experience.”
Rose asked Cristobal if “the coaching part” or recruiting aspect was more important in making hires.
‘Home run hires’
“I don’t think you can separate them anymore,’’ Cristobal said. “You’ve got to have 10 home run-type hires or as close to it as possible.” He said it used to be if there were “seven coaches” that could “strictly coach and coordinate and a couple guys to go on the road and recruit, it probably would suffice.”
“But nowadays this thing is an all-out battle 24/7/365 so you’ve gotta get guys that are willing to go, and they gotta go hard — and guys that believe in the place as much as you do. If you do that you always give yourself a really good chance.’’
Cristobal, who won two national championships as a Hurricanes offensive tackle in 1989 and 1991, spoke about the importance of the trenches, as well as confirming the hire of new defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae.
“As you know it’s going to be about the line of scrimmage and we got both our dudes, [offensive line coach] Alex Mirabal and [defensive line coach] Joe Salave’a. So we’re rolling, man. And of course we just got Jahmile Addae to join us over from Georgia, fresh off of winning their title. I believe he’s the second best recruiter in the country.
“There are a lot of pieces falling into place but there are a couple more big hires to make.”
Later Wednesday, multiple sources confirmed that Cristobal hired Miami native Frank Ponce, 50, the App State offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach, as UM’s new quarterbacks coach. Gattis’ specialty is wide receivers.
What’s left?
Cristobal previously hired running backs coach Kevin Smith to fill one of the 10 position coach slots allowed by the NCAA. The three remaining assistant spots can be filled in various ways. He also needs a linebackers coach, unless Steele, a former linebackers coach, oversees that position. Former Hurricanes star DeMarcus Van Dyke just finished his first season as cornerbacks coach, and it’s yet to be announced whether he will stay in that role or take on another one.
Stephen Field, the tight ends coach the past three seasons under former coach Manny Diaz, continues to get impressive talent and is regarded as a strong recruiter. It’s expected he’ll stay in that role.
The hires are expected to be made soon, since spring football is on the horizon and Cristobal said UM’s fourth-quarter training program began Tuesday.
“We’ve been after them hard in terms of our strength and conditioning,’’ Cristobal said, boasting of what coordinator Aaron Feld brings “with that unbelievable mustache.’’
“Whistles and lines and cones, they don’t push back. We’ll be at practice soon and we’ll find out more.”
Recruiting mode
Cristobal, known as one of the nation’s elite recruiters, is never done finding talent.
“Until you’re at a place for a full year you never feel you’re on schedule,’’ he said. “You gotta make sure that it’s clear out there what the vision for the program is and then show legitimate evidence of what is transpiring. We had an elite junior and prospect day. It was absolutely boat-loaded from top to bottom. We were half staff then but we also made sure we understood we were going for the best of the best from a coaching and coordinator standpoint. Those guys are on board now. Come March this will be a revolving door of some of the best in the country coming in and out.”
The coach pointed out local signees Wesley Bissainthe at linebacker, Kelly Nyjalik at defensive end and Ahmad Moten at defensive tackle as “three of the top guys” in South Florida.
He also raved about new UM running back TreVonte’ Citizen and edge rusher Cyrus Moss.
“I mean, when you go to a school and you see a dude and they’re wearing shorts and his quads are like bursting out of his shorts, like, ‘Bro, you gotta get bigger shorts,’ as a running back, you’re like ‘It’s a different level player,’’ Cristobal said of Citizen, 6-1 and 215 pounds from Lake Charles, Louisiana. Citizen, who was expected to pick the Gators, was rated fourth nationally at his position by Rivals and 86th overall, regardless of position.
He said Moss, out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman, “looks a lot like’’ Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor. “I don’t want to compare a guy to a hall of famer yet, but that’s what when you watch the tape he reminds you of. Just long, lean explosive.’’
Cristobal reiterated that UM will still sign some players for the 2022 class, but that in the end, hard work is what will separate them all.
“It’s time to shut up and go to work,’’ he said.
NFL Scouting Combine
Four Hurricanes were invited to the NFL Combine March 1-7 in Indianapolis. The players: quarterback D’Eriq King, receiver Charleston Rambo, safety Bubba Bolden and defensive tackle Jon Ford.
This story was originally published February 9, 2022 at 10:52 AM.
