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SUNSHINE STATE RIVALS’ WOES: A WHAT-NOT-TO-DO ROAD MAP FOR MIAMI HURRICANES

Posted on September 6, 2024September 9, 2024 by Chris Bello

Sometimes life’s best lessons are learned not through what one is doing or not doing, but by simply watching how others are handle similar situations—garnering wisdom from their experiences, avoiding pitfalls en route to ultimate success.

Over an eight-day span, a microcosm of the 2024 college football season seemed to play itself out in the Sunshine State—two of these things not like the other.

The first domino fell when No. 10 Florida State was upset by Georgia Tech squad in Ireland on August 24th; the Seminoles with high expectations after a 13-1 run last fall and going 23-4 combined over the past two seasons.

The unspoken “unfinished business” mantra after feeling snubbed by the College Football Playoffs committee last season, Florida State vowed to reload, despite losing almost a dozen key players to the NFL Draft—including their all-everything quarterback Jordan Travis—who willed the Noles to some big wins during his tenure.

A week later, the other two-thirds of the state’s ‘Big Three’ faced off in ‘The Swamp’ as No. 19 Miami took on Florida—the first meeting in Gainesville since 2008, with both sides feeling equally as confident about year three for both their respective head coaches; each program now on high-alert after Florida State’s crash-and-burn.

Miami soared while Florida face-planted in a 41-17 rout.

The pundits talked for week about how differently Sunday would look and feel for each program, depending on who emerged victorious—and after that beat-down, everything is coming up roses or Mario Cristobal after the Hurricanes dominant performance, while Billy Napier isn’t even on a ‘hot seat’ at this rate—he’s sitting in lava as phone lines and podcasts are burning up; fans already in tail number-tracking mode and fantasizing about Lane Kiffin leaving five years at Ole Miss to resurrect the Gators.

Insult to injury, Florida State took it on the chin again on Labor Day when Boston College rolled into Tallahassee and manhandled the Seminoles, 28-13—Mike Norvell backsliding in year five without Travis to save him, while the gap between Miami winning the Cam Ward sweepstakes and Florida State’s second-choice DJ Uiagaleilei looks as different as top salesman getting the Cadillac Eldorado in Glengarry Glen Ross and runner-up taking home a set of steak knives.

One usually has to wait into a couple months into a new season for these kind of fireworks, as well as such clear definition between the state of these three powerhouse programs. Sometimes it can even come down to the final week of the season when the Gators and Noles tussle late November. Not this year.

Florida State and Florida fans were in ‘surrender cobra’ mode by the end of their season-openers—both program reeling and trying to make sense of what just smacked each upside the head—while everything Miami thought and hoped it had under the hood is there for the Hurricanes to run a hell of a race this season, barring they stay on track.

One game doesn’t make a season, but it can also prove to be a big enough sample-sizing to make some educated guesses regarding what’s going on with each program, coaching staff and a roster full of players who started the season thinking one thing, and are now dealing with another.

NORVELL’S NOLES PROVING TO BE A FUGAZI

Florida State’s issues are a bigger problem than an 0-2 start; the Noles’ program is being exposed for their fifth-year head coach’s inability to build a roster through both recruiting and the portal—as well as doing this without being able to define any real modus operandi, identity or culture in Tallahassee.

Things seemed to be turning for Norvell in year three—Florida State eking out a 24-23 win over LSU on Labor Day weekend in 2022 as the Noles’ head coach was 9-13 two years in.

4-0 quickly became 4-3 after losing to the only three ranked teams FSU would play all season—No. 22 Wake Forest, No. 14 North Carolina State and No. 4 Clemson—but stats got padded with wins over five more unranked teams; Georgia Tech, Miami, Syracuse, Louisiana and Florida—before taking on a 6-6 dog of an Oklahoma team in a third-tier bowl game, year one for Brent Venables back in Norman.

Perception was reality as 10-3 was in the books; Florida State finishing No. 13 in the country and rolling into 2023 as a preseason No. 8 and getting the jump on No. 8 LSU in their first game of the Jayden Daniels era; their future Heisman-winning quarterback a bit pedestrian out the gate.

The Noles were loaded by way of the transfer portal—Norvell with some key additions and instant-impact guys like Keon Coleman, Jaheim Bell, Darrell Jackson, Tre Benson, Johnny Wilson and Jared Verse picked up in back-to-back seasons—but only the 20th- and 19th-ranked recruiting classes in 2022 and 2023, which Norvell is now paying for.

Of course no bigger alternate-universe moment for Florida State than being forced to settle on Uiagaleilei when Ward chose the NFL—only to double back to first-choice Miami—as the drop-off in leadership and overall play from Travis to their new damaged-goods transfer quarterback is next-level bad.

WARD-TO-MIAMI AND ITS DOMINO EFFECT

Conversely, Miami’s sliding-doors moment those first two weeks of January changed everything—not just for the 2024 season, but potentially trajectory-wise for the Hurricanes with the next several recruiting classes and future portal pick-up if this fall goes as planned.

Ward’s original New Year’s Day announcement that he was NFL-bound was the ultimately set-back.

Uiagaleilei chose Florida State, Kansas State’s Will Howard was Ohio State-bound and the notion was that Miami’s all-in approach on Ward blew up in their face. The ball-busting got even worse a week into the new year when the Canes announced adding Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger to the roster—but on January 13th, the unexpected announcement that Ward had a change of heart and was Miami-bound and putting off his NFL dream another year.

Cristobal and staff talked up The Ward Effect all off-season; the alpha dog energy, the leadership qualities, the ability to make everybody around him level-up and wanting to put this entire thing on his back.

Ward casually rolled into ‘The Swamp’ and start eluding defenders and dropping dimes. He casually strolled out of bounds when nothing was there—or was Houdini-like in his ability to evade tackles; rolling, spinning and biding time as receivers found ways to get open and make plays.

In the end, a 385-yard, three touchdown performance—Miami fans landing their Neo and ‘the one’ who looks ready to be that transformative quarterback that makes up for so many misses under center over the years.

“Cam Ward is in the Matrix. He is operating on a different plane. He has a casualness to what he’s doing that almost looks nonchalant, but then you realize that he’s seeing in real time and he’s like, ‘nah, I’m good'”, shared ESPN legend Scott Van Pelt post-game.

The veteran commentator went on to state that Ward takes Miami from being ‘meh’ to “a scary [expletive] team because what we saw [against Florida] is not a one-off. I think that’s who he’ll be all season long.”

The pundits has Miami ranked No. 19 to start the season—as well as Florida State at No. 10—and less than two weeks in the Noles are 0-2 and unranked, while the Canes jumped up to twelfth in the latest polls.

CRISTOBAL’S ALL-IN PROP; PAYING OFF

There was lots of chatter before Miami visited Florida surrounding which third-year head coach needed the game more.

Most landed on Napier, but in reality it was Dead Billy Walking going back to a five game losing streak to end last season; a win over the Canes stopping the bleeding temporarily, as even Vegas had the over-under on Gators wins this year at 4.5—due to a brutal schedule that wraps with Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State—as well as early showdowns with Texas A&M, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Kentucky.

In reality, the pressure was on Cristobal in this all-in year for Miami—reeling in Ward and then spending big in the portal to complement his game with solid chess pieces across the board. The beefed-up offensive line, the two-deep on one of the better defensive lines in the nation, an insanely-talent wide receivers room and a stable of running back—the only supposed know was the Canes’ secondary, which went lockdown, no-fly-zone-mode in ‘The Swamp’—batting down passes and picking off Florida quarterbacks twice in the rout.

Cristobal entered the season 12-13 after a rough start at his alma mater; fast realizing it wasn’t a paint-and-patch clean-up job regarding what Manny Diaz left behind. Miami was a shit-show culture-wise and it was going to take an overturned roster to clean this thing up.

Prior to the portal, it’d have been a five-year process to build out this roster in Butch Davis like fashion—bringing in talented freshmen for their baptism-by-fire and by the time those kids were seniors, the new freshmen would be playing at a program that took their lumps and understood the mission regarding what it took to be a champion.

Cristobal has always been a masterful acquirer of talent—winning Recruit of the Year honors in 2015 when at Alabama under Nick Saban—but with a massive collective behind him and virtually a blank checkbook to play the NIL game, it’s hunting season in South Florida and Miami is stacking bodies in a way that actually puts things ahead of schedule.

Ward was the ultimately prize in the off-season big-game hunting and barring he stays healthy, Miami is truly in the upper echelon of teams in 2024; all ESPN critics placing them in the top four of their way-too-early-for-postseason Playoffs predictions.

Apropos that Miami has a ‘Mario’ at the helm, as the old Nintendo game ‘Super Mario Brothers’ featured ‘warp zones’—drop-down tunnels the main character could squat into that would take him from Level One to worlds Two, Three or Four—or cutting to worlds Six, Seven or Eight from the Level Four—these sneaky warp zones keeping players from having to play several extra boards and levels, while working to get to the final battle at the end of Level Eight.

CAPITALIZING ON RIVALS FAILURES; A MUST

Cristobal and his Hurricanes feel in line for a ‘warp zone’ kind of season—not just in chasing greatness and overall improvement, but in the sense that both the Seminoles and Gators seem like they’re playing their games straight through—which includes a lot more pitfalls, challenges and lost lives en route to the finish.

Beyond that, addition by subtraction as both Florida and Florida State are backsliding and are in for long seasons—the recruiting trail rumor mill in full force after Miami showed out in front of three dozen Gators recruits in the end zone, near the Canes tunnel—a lot of jawing and “don’t go here, come to ‘The U'” chatter which already has the talking heads crystal balling some current kids committed else as Miami flips.

Cristobal also earns a world class sales pitch if Ward exceeds expectations this fall—barring the former Washington State quarterback stays healthy—a Heisman-like season isn’t a stretch as Miami is already the talk of college football after that smackdown of Florida, which will last as long as the wins keep stacking up this fall.

A banner year in Coral Gables this fall changes the entire narrative—not just regarding the allure for top high school recruits, but for coveted portal kids who who see a Miami as a premier pit-stop en route to chasing NFL dreams.

There will always be that contingent of college football players who want a more-traditional college experience than what a small, private university like Miami can offer—but few of those schools offer what ‘The U’ can when it comes to a one- or two-year upperclassmen experience, where they can get maximum exposure playing for the Canes—while also a place to live and train year-round, as countless athletes from all professional leagues call South Florida home in the off-season.

We’re also talking about an entire generation of players who never witnessed first-hand what it looks like when Miami on top; how ‘The U’ becomes this pop culture force and the biggest ticket in town—as The Magic City shows up and out for a winner; the Hurricanes a bigger draw in the ’80s than the hometown Dolphins, while the turn of the century saw Miami turning into a basketball town when the Heat started hoisting trophies.

Winning big in a college town makes you the biggest fish in that small pond, but when the Hurricanes are getting shit done, ‘The U’ becomes the biggest fish in Biscayne Bay—and for those of us who lived through the ’80s, early ’90s and early ’00s, we know just how differently college football hits when Miami is rolling; the bandwagon fills up quick as there’s a cool-factor with the Hurricanes that others in the game simply can’t replicate.

Something special is brewing this season; Ward leading Hurricanes into ‘The Swamp’ and just exuding coolness—playing at his speed, while everything else moved in slow motion. Florida faithful talked up the environment of the venue, predicting it’d swallow the transfer quarterback up alive—Ward letting his play do the talking and all business for the Canes, until taking a few post-game shots at Gators loudmouths.

“I played at USC. USC wasn’t packed, but it was louder than this,” Ward said after Miami defeated Florida. “I played at Oregon and it was louder than this … Washington was one of the loudest environments I’ve played.”

Insult to injury and glorious for a Miami fan enjoying the trajectory of this program, while in-state rivals remain in full-blown meltdown-mode.

GATORS & NOLES; ALWAYS MISSING THE POINT

While every red-blooded Canes fan has gone back to rewatch the win over the Gators, a suggestion to also go down the YouTube rabbit-hole—to not enjoy watching Florida vloggers in meltdown-mode, but also a reminder of how insane fandom looks when things are completely sideways.

The Five Stages Of Grief are in full-force for both Gators and Seminoles nations—where they are regarding ‘denial’, ‘anger’, ‘bargaining’, ‘depression’ and ‘acceptance’; completely on the individual—but also very relatable for Hurricanes fans watching Miami’s struggle the past two decades.

What was a lot of Xs and Os chatter last week and breaking down the match-ups; the aftermath is simply just breaking-down—fans and former players sitting around in taped group therapy sessions, talking in circles about the how and why their programs are in shambles.

Because Florida just lost to Miami, there’s been more of a focus on Gators tears and this flailing fan base—players from past eras in Gainesville talking about how Urban Meyer ran things in his day, just like Canes fans bitching over the years about what current hardships and how a Jimmy Johnson or Butch Davis would’ve done thing in their day.

The common denominator for Miami’s struggles over the years; garbage-in, garbage-out and a cash-poor program making low-rent hires and hoping for success—refusing to invest big money in the football program to build a winner—which changed for ‘The U’ in late 2021, when having seen enough of the Manny Diaz, false-bravado, Turnover Chain era of football, where a beta head coach wanted to be liked and accepted by players, opposed to feared and respected.

The powers-that-be came together, decided enough was enough—and not only agreed to a 10-year, $80-million deal for Cristobal—they also gave him a blank checkbook to bring on the recruiting trail, while construction got underway on campus to upgrade facilities; another reason Miami sent lackey athletic director Blake James packing and brought in a veteran like Dan Radakovich from Clemson.

It’s one not-so-simple, multi-million dollar question for both Florida and Florida State—how financially committed are you to playing big-boy college football—as anything less than all-in won’t break the cycle either is on.

Sure, the Noles can have a little run if a good-enough quarterback overachieves like Travis did—and maybe the Gators throwing true freshman DJ Lagway into the fire this season keeps him from running to the portal this off-season—but there is no long-term vision for either program without a massive financial investment.

BIG-MONEY GAME; ONLY THE RICH SURVIVE

Gators fans are sitting at 0-1 in what is going to be an uphill battle of a season; many fantasizing about reeling in Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss—who undoubtedly be a monster hire for Florida—but again, who is going to foot that bill? Where is the money to buy out Napier? Where is the money to buy out Kiffin? Where is the money to offer him a multi-year contract worth at least $10-million a year—and after all that, where is the money to start a massive collective that will give him the funds and resources to go out and rebuild the Florida program that Napier and every coach since Meyer hasn’t been able to build?

Same for Florida State in regard to Norvell, as you can expect some chatter there if year five proves to be a big backsliding disaster after success in years three and four.

The Noles paid roughly $20-million to get rid of Willie Taggart five years ago and they’d be on the hook to pay Norvell a cool $6-million to get rid of him at the end of 2024—and that’s without reeling in a new big-time coach, or building a collective for said coach to recruit proper and level-up the program; all harsh realities for a program that spent much of last seasons scrapping to get out of the ACC because the SEC would provide them a better TV revenue share, as FSU is admittedly cash-strapped.

Where it goes from here, it’s all in Cristobal and his Canes’ hands—but an important reminder that the stakes are raised even more right now as rivals are reeling, while Miami just opened 2024 with their best-case scenario smackdown of a hated rival—with a shot to do the same to Florida State late October.

Each week is a massive opportunity to grow, to stay in the college football news cycle, to repair the brand and remind people how much more fun this sport is with Miami rolling—while Florida and Florida State continue on a path to wheels-off mode as each new loss or setback just pours gas on an already roasting dumpster fire.

Christian Bello has been covering University of Miami athletics since the mid-nineties. Getting his start with CanesTime, he eventually launched allCanesBlog—which led to a featured columnist stint with BleacherReport. He’s since rolled out the unfiltered, ItsAUThing.com where he’ll use his spare time to put decades of U-related knowledge to use for those who care to read. When he’s not writing about ‘The U’, Bello is a storyteller for some exciting brands and individuals—as well as a guitarist and songwriter for his Miami-bred band Company Jones, who released their debut album “The Glow” in 2021. Hit him on Twitter for all things U-related @ItsAUThingBLOG.

MIAMI HURRICANES PUT SMACK DOWN ON FLORIDA GATORS IN ‘THE SWAMP’

Posted on September 1, 2024September 3, 2024 by Chris Bello

Miami rolled into The Swamp on Saturday afternoon and beat the brakes off of Florida in precisely the best-case scenario type of game Hurricanes fans have dreamt of since this match-up was announced.

529 total yards, while holding the Gators to a paltry 261—the Canes dominating in the trenches, while transfer quarterback Cam Ward surgically and calmly picked apart Florida’s supposedly-improved defense—Miami jumping out to the early lead and never letting up en route to a 41-17 throttling that wasn’t even as close as the final score.

Of course a win like this will have the media starting hyping “The U” being back—which won’t be the case until the Hurricanes win a sixth national championship ring—but it’s a good sign when Miami is running trick plays late third quarter to pour it on; a pass from receiver Xavier Restrepo just missing Sam Brown reeling it in in a then 38-17 ball game, as Mario Cristobal and staff looked to put a boot on a rival’s neck.

Moments before that pass, it was the Canes’ defense putting their final stamp on things when defensive end Tyler Baron smashed quarterback Graham Mertz, knocking him out of the game—safety Mishael Powell snagging the pass near the goal line, returning it for 67 yards before the Restrepo pass was called.

Bonus points as Miami even notched the first-ever interception of freshman-sensation quarterback DJ Lag-well; defensive back Jaden Harris picking off the pass while on the ground

Further proof that when it’s your day, it’s your day—Miami creating their luck through preparation-meeting-opportunity; sending a message to all of college football—do believe the hype, as this Hurricanes’ roster is for real.

TURNING A BIG CORNER YEAR THREE

Miami faithful—and fans of the sport in general—had reason not to believe as it’d been a lean couple of decades for the Hurricanes—a low-rent program run by a liberal president who saw athletics as a necessary evil, while doing zero to fundraise and support a once-great football program.

ItsAUThing.com touched on this in the preseason with a wake-up-call type piece, breaking down the how and why things got so off track since the turn of the century—while explaining why it was finally time to believe in where Cristobal and this program are entering year three of his tenure.

A dismal 2021 season changed everything for this program and by late November behind-the-scenes moves were being made to bring Cristobal home; Hurricanes football ready for a seat at college football’s big boy table—a 10-year, $80,000,000 payday to bring the native son home—and the former Canes’ offensive lineman only signing on for the gig when his alma mater sold him on their vision and commitment to building a winner.

Without this detailed, long-term plan, Cristobal would’ve returned for a fifth season at Oregon, where he’d amassed a 35-12 record, two double-digit win seasons, a Rose Bowl victory and two Pac-12 titles over the previous four seasons.

The Ducks were a rising national power under Cristobal, who not only had the backing of the university; he essentially had a blank checkbook from Nike founder and Oregon booster Phil Knight—the program loaded with talent and in stellar shape.

It’s no mystery why first-time head coach Dan Lanning went 22-5 his first two seasons in Eugene with what Cristobal handed over—while heading back to Coral Gables to clean up the dumpster fire left behind by Manny Diaz, going 12-13 since 2022 as Miami was completely in the toilet culture-wise, which we touched on in a “c-word” related piece last week.

Miami’s top brass assured Cristobal he’d have a huge stack of chips and a seat at the high-stakes table representing “The U”, so he went all-in on the recruiting trail—bringing in the seventh-ranked class in 2023, fourth-ranked in 2024 and sky’s the limit for 2025 and beyond if this throttling of Florida is a sign of things to come.

MASTERFUL RECRUITING MEETS NIL DOMINANCE

Traditional recruiting aside, Cristobal has proved masterful in the NIL world—reeling in some big fish the past two seasons, but none bigger than the acquisition of Ward in mid-January, two weeks after months of waiting and the former Washington State announcing on New Year’s Day that he was forgoing a final year in college, taking his talents to the NFL.

The ripple effect from that moment opened the floodgates for Miami—some huge last-minute gets recruiting-wise, as well as some monster-sized portal pulls and immediate-impact players that are setting up an all-in, successful 2024 season.

Miami saw tailbacks Don Chaney and Henry Parrish bailing out on bowl season and heading for the portal early last December—leaving workhorse freshman Mark Fletcher to carry the depleted roster load in the Bronx against Rutgers—where a foot injury cast a shadow of doubt around his sophomore campaign.

Cristobal and staff won the Damien Martinez sweepstakes, pulling in the former Oregon State running back—the former Beavers back doing some tough early, tone-setting running in Gainesville, which took the pressure off of Fletcher, allowing him to ease his way into the rotation where he wound up with two big touchdowns against the Gators.

Miami lost reliable center Matt Lee to the NFL as well; Cristobal turning to Zach Carpenter and bringing in the former Indiana center south, fully aware how important it would be for Ward to have a veteran in the middle and snapping him the ball.

Depth, size and strength in the trenches; Cristobal was maniacal about taking what he learned in four years under Nick Saban in Alabama and applying it to how he’d rebuild Miami from the ground on up—a power running game behind a monster offensive line, tough receivers who also aren’t afraid to get dirty as blockers and a deep defensive line that could be rotated out and fresh all day, while wearing down the opposition’s offense.

Miami’s defensive line was so on point Saturday that the early first quarter loss of defensive tackle Reuben Bain—last year’s ACC Defensive Player Of The Year—literally had zero impact on the Canes’ ability to overwhelm the Gators’ sputtering offense.

The first rule of playing in front of 90,000+ opposing fans; find a way to demoralize them and to shut them up fast—which Miami defense did by way of limiting the Gators to a four-play, 13-yard opening drive—followed by a an 11-play, 84-yard offensive drive of their own, capped off by a nine-yard Cam McCormick touchdown pass on a great play call; Florida baited into thinking the run-blocking tight end was in the game to do just that, before peeling off and wide open for the catch and score.

Florida snatched some momentum their ensuing defensive possession when Ward tried a cross-body pass that sailed and was picked off by Shemar James on the Miami 33-yard line, but the Canes’ defense didn’t flinch—holding the Gators to ten yards on six plays, forcing a field goal.

Miami responded with a field goal, stuffed Florida again and on the next drive saw Ward hooking up with Isaiah Horton for 30 yards, followed by a 10-yard touchdown run by Fletcher.

Montrell Johnson briefly brought The Swamp to life with a 71-yard scamper to pay-dirt, cutting Miami’s lead to 17-10—but the Canes’ answered the bell with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive—capped off by Restrepo splitting two defenders and Ward hitting him in stride as he darted into the end zone for a 24-10 half time lead.

Florida could’ve taken the power back by stopping Miami on the opening possession of the third quarter, but the Canes again rose to the challenge—a 40-yard hook-up between Ward and Restrepo on 3rd-and-4 and a 22-yard dump-off to Fletcher, putting the running back in position to go over-the-top, punching it in for the 31-10 lead two plays later.

Another defensive stop; another Miami drive—86 yards on nine plays, including a 3rd-and-10 demoralizing 27-yard connection between Ward and Horton, as well as the back-breaking 23-yard touchdown strike to a new and improved Jacolby George, pushing the lead to 38-10 and sending many Gators fans heading for the exits halfway through the third.

This heated rivalry is chock full of these kinds of game-sealing moments and this was another for the history books.

EARLY-SEASON STATEMENT MOMENTS SET TONE

Back in 2002, Miami was up 27-16 late third quarter as Rex Grossman drove Florida into scoring position—dropping back and throwing towards the same end zone when Maurice Sikes snatched that pass out of the Gainesville night sky, returning it 97 yards and turning a gap-narrowing touchdown for the Gators into a 34-16 lead for the Hurricanes, who went on to win 41-16.

Facing a big-time 3rd-and-11, Ward dropped back, rolled left, shook off a one-hand tackle and again launched it cross-body—finding George in the back of the end zone, between two defenders—DJ Douglas and Jason Marshall both wrecked and shell-shocked; a lasting image of of Douglas halfway wedged in the end zone shrubs, while George, Horton, Restrepo and others mocked the Gator chomp and celebrated in front of dozens of Florida recruits, mocking the hometown team in their house.

Talk about a lasting snapshot of this showdown, as well as a tale of two programs who appear headed in completely different directions.

Same to be said for Mertz writhing in pain on the turf minutes later after Baron ended his day with that jarring hit, as Powell picked off a heady quarterback who only coughed up three interceptions in a brutal seven-loss season for Florida last fall.

Florida managed one final stat-padding score with Lagway slinging it around in an out-of-reach game, but Miami answered with a 26-yard field goal from Andres Borregales—the kicker atoning for miss on the previous possession—and with that, 41-17 was in the books; a dream scenario for the Hurricanes, while the Gators’ newest nightmare is just getting started as their season is pretty much over before September even arrived.

Insult to injury for Florida and a happy accident for Miami; the Hurricanes post-game celebrating taking place by their locker room tunnel and feet away from where the Gators had a sea of recruits and commits with front-row seats to UM’s afterparty—Miami players celebrating with fans, while gloating and telling the high school starts in attendance to pledge their allegiance to “The U”, while mocking the current state of Florida football.

Video footage of the back and forth, as well as freshman defensive lineman Justin Scott dapping up and laughing with current LSU commit DJ Pickett—all over social media for the past few hours, no to mention the interesting twist as the 5-Star cornerback remains high on the Canes, which got more interesting after LSU fell to Southern Cal in their season opener Sunday night.

The Gators paid for hotel, airfare, meals and nightlife—not to mention a ringside seat to this debacle—only to get embarrassed on and off the field by the Canes; a nightmare recruiting situation that made an already bad situation that much worse.

DELUSIONAL GATORS BUYING FOOLS GOLD

Billy Napier was already on the chopping block; 11-14 after two seasons—including a 9-4 run at The Swamp, where seven of those wins came against scrubs. This was a do-or-die season for Napier, resulting in a lot of off-season selling from the third-year coach about the type of team he expected to field this fall—which in itself helps explain the delusion, denial and desperation of a Florida fan base clinging to any modicum of hope and positivity since winning five games and missing the postseason last fall.

Napier attempted to address his team’s dismal defensive effort in 2023 by punting on co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer, bringing in Ron Roberts to work with Austin Armstrong this fall.

This personnel change—and some portal action—was enough to convince Gators fans, vloggers and former players that the Canes were going down and an 8-4 type season was doable; Florida faithful cocksure they’d beat up on Miami and could get this thing rolling for the first half of the season, before the back-end of the schedule bit them in the ass—closing with Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss and Florida State.

One beatdown by Miami later, these unhinged super-fans are scared Florida will struggle with Samford and are going to hit the Vegas under on four seasons wins—still processing Ward putting on a clinic as the Canes handed the Gators their first home season-opening loss in 35 years, as well as their worst-ever home opener loss in history.

Offensively, a belief that another year of game-manager Mertz distributing the ball to Wilson and other playmakers, as well as a healthy Johnson at running back—Gators Nation was high on their own supply—each next talking head less-informed about this current Hurricanes roster and Ward’s abilities than the next.

It’s one thing for the ill-informed YouTube narcissist to talk out of their ass, but to hear former Gators wide receiver Chris Doering going all fan-boy, calling for a 5-0 start, while predicting that Florida would go 3-0 against state rivals Miami, Florida State and Central Florida … it really shows you just how off the rails and delusional the entire Gators base is as the Napier era crashes and burns.

Knocking overzealous Gators isn’t so much the point—as is pointing out the fact that so many people supporting this Florida program were not only light years off regarding the state of their program, but also proved clueless as to The State of Miami—what the Canes have under center in Ward and the overall talent (and energy) the 305 was bringing to the 352 in regards to game plan and overall attitude.

To be that off-the-mark; the Gators have a bigger problems than just the team their fielding and current state of their program—and for a fan base accusing the Canes of living in the last; seems like a big contingent of that crew still thinks it’s 2008 in Gainesville.

FINALLY A REASON TO BELIEVE

Weeks back we wrote about why it’s finally time to drop the believe-it-when-we-see-it approach to Miami football; highlighting the financial investment the past three years and now NIL and the transfer portal were tailor-made for Cristobal’s rebuild—and we followed it up with a deep dive into the importance of “culture”, and the type of roster being assembled through new, on-brand additions—while getting rid of dozen of wrong-fit guys who weren’t on board with new-look, old school Miami.

The final piece of the recent trilogy; an all-in explanation regarding Ward being that dude—a total program-changer that would make for a special season at Miami, as this program is only as good as its quarterback and the Canes haven’t had a real one in decades.

We shared that “Ward’s moxie will be the x-factor” to this season, while stating he’d be the “difference maker” as the Canes “tamed The Swamp on Saturday afternoon”—followed by a 30-20 prediction in Miami’s favor.

Cristobal, assistant coaches and teammates have raved about Ward’s “it factor” all offseason; an old-school alpha dog who makes everybody around him better; which was on full display as the Canes kicked the Gators ass in Week One as everybody on that roster upper their game and energy.

This wasn’t just a victory for Miami; it was a statement—this is a special football team and all the off-season chatter was real—the Canes with a roster that would be ready to compete in year three.

That’s not to say Miami is on the level with Georgia, but the Canes are certainly part of the conversation regarding other contenders as this new seasons is upon us—and when looking at Clemson, Virginia Tech and Florida State laying eggs in their openers—Miami certainly looks like the best in conference, wholeheartedly in the mix for the program’s first ACC title.

Throw in a friendly schedule where things lighten up a bit with Florida in the rearview; Florida A&M, Ball State and South Florida all on deck before ACC play opens on late September on a Friday night at home against Virginia Tech—who lost to Vanderbilt last weekend.

Road game at Cal and Louisville follow—the Cardinals winning the Coastal last year and besting Miami at HardRock—before a home showdown against what looks to be a reeling Florida State program before a former head coach rolls south with Duke; Diaz in his first year in Durham.

An early November road trip to a rising Georgia Tech squad; one the Canes have circled after last year’s five-turnover, refuse-to-kneel debacle—before Senior Day against Wake Forest and a regular season-ending road trip to Syracuse.

Lest fans get ahead of anything, Miami has seen a double-digit win season once since joining the ACC in 2004 and in twenty seasons has never won more than a lone division title in 2017.

The present and future look bright for the Hurricanes here in early 2024, but not out of line to occasionally check the rearview to see where other Miami teams have fumbled the bag in the past—due to distractions, overconfidence, letting up or stepping down.

Until then, savor the Florida beatdown, enjoy Florida State’s backslide and trust that year three couldn’t have gotten off to a better start, by way of winning a portal quarterback battle and revamping this roster with the right kind of buy-in players that championship-caliber squads need to compete.

‘U’ PREVIEW: MIAMI HURRICANES TAKE ON FLORIDA GATORS IN ‘THE SWAMP’

Posted on August 28, 2024September 2, 2024 by Chris Bello

247 days after a hamstrung Miami Hurricanes squad lost a third-tier bowl game at a baseball stadium in the Bronx, Mario Cristobal and “The U” are set to open the 2024 season with a road trip to ‘The Swamp’ and a heated showdown with the Florida Gators.

On the other sideline Billy Napier also enters his third season in Gainesville, coming off two sub-par seasons and a combined 11-14 record—while Cristobal hasn’t fared much better with a 12-13 start at his alma mater.

Of course the unwritten story of these two head coaches will ultimately be defined by off-season moves made and how that translates to wins and losses this fall; each with a second full recruiting class, another transfer portal haul and the addition-by-subtraction roster turnover that comes from sending off-brand players packing, making room for new ballers who buy-in.

MIAMI LOATHES ‘THE TEAM FROM UP NORTH’

Some quick history between these two Sunshine State powers who first tussled back in 1938 and are preparing for their 57th-ever meeting. Miami and Florida continue despising each other despite not playing annually since 1987—the Gators bowing out of the rivalry after joining the SEC; the two programs only meeting seven times in almost four decades.

The 2001 Sugar Bowl was a battle royale between two top ten squads in the postseason—#2 Miami screwed out of a title-game shot against #1 Oklahoma; the Canes taking out their frustration on #7 Florida, 37-20.

#2 Miami was also on the right side of a home-and-away; rolling into Gainesville as defending national champs in 2002 and smacking around #6 Florida, 41-16.

A year later, a massive home comeback in the Orange Bowl for third-ranked Canes; trailing the eighteenth-ranked Gators, 33-10 late third quarter and rallying for a 38-33 win behind the arm of a former teammate, quarterback Brock Berlin.

Berlin got his old team one more time in the Peach Bowl; Miami rolling Florida, 27-10 behind some big special teams play and defense—recent NFL Hall of Fame inductee Devin Hester an assassin in both those games, as well.

The Gators got their first win over the Canes since 1987; an early-season showdown in Gainesville during their national championship run of 2008, pulling away late for the 26-3 victory.

Since then, a turnover-defined affair at HardRock back in 2013—Miami hanging on to win, 21-16—followed by a 2019 season opener, where Florida again coughed it up consistently, but a fumbled punt on the goal line was the day’s biggest gaffe and the Canes lost the inaugural game of the Manny Diaz era, 24-20.

Miami still leads the all-time rivalry 29-27—having won seven of the last nine match-ups—the Hurricanes also with five national titles (1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001) to the Gators’ three (1996, 2006 , 2008).

All the piling on Miami for “ancient history” championships, Florida is now 16 years removed from the last time they brought home the hardware— both the Canes and Gators spending years trying to reconfigure paths-to-greatness with a revolving door of head coaches—which is why both Cristobal and Napier are feeling that pressure to deliver in year three.

Florida State laid an egg in their season opener against Georgia Tech, but fact remains that Mike Norvell turned a corner year-three in Tallahassee—a 10-3 run in 2022, followed by 13-1 last fall—and in a very competitive state, ‘The Big Three’ always look at the trajectory of hated rivals as a measuring stick; the Seminoles a few steps ahead last year, but still a decade removed from their last title and stuck at three overall (1993, 1999, 2013).

All that to say, the past is the past and the time is now as both squads spent the entire spring and summer preparing for Saturday’s showdown in Gainesville.

YESTERDAY’S MOVES MADE FOR TODAY

Regarding the aforementioned off-season moves, it’s hard to not give Miami the edge—Cristobal reeling in the seventh-best freshman class in 2023 and fourth-best last year, while Napier snagged the 13th-best group in back-to-back years—but portal moves and void-fillers are what really separate the two.

Miami won the Cam Ward sweepstakes in early January, weeks after the Washington State transfer quarterback had a change of heart regarding bolting to the NFL—citing “unfinished business” and wanting one more season in college to up his game, brand, image and stock.

“If you build it, they will come” feels apropos regarding the Hurricanes’ all-in approach to the 2024 season.

Ward was truly the tip of the iceberg that led to some big names who followed his pledge; Oregon State running back Damien Martinez, Houston wide receiver Sam Brown, Tennessee edge Tyler Baron, Washington edge Jayden Wayne and safety Mishael Powell, MTSU defensive lineman Marley Cook, Marshall edge Elijah Alston, Indiana center Zach Carpenter, North Carolina State defensive lineman C.J. Clark and Michigan State defensive tackle Simeon Barrow—massive additions while sending 28 off-brand former Canes packing.

Napier and Florida went portal-heavy, as well; some instant upgrades to defense that needed a boost, as well as top-flight receiver in Elijah Badger, who will be in action Saturday—but Miami’s leaps-and-bounds improvement at quarterback, wide receiver, running back, center and defensive line are poised to define the season—as is Cristobal’s continued focus on the trenches, which is where this game will ultimately be won.

The Hurricanes’ biggest struggles the past two decades has been average offensive and defensive line play and a who’s who at quarterback.

Even when Miami was an annual power, some special seasons went to hell in a handbag (1992 and 2002, notably) due to offensive line regression when championship teams the previous season saw its best up-front talent leaving for the NFL—resulting in some pretty good quarterbacks having some rough title game appearances.

Aside from being a former offensive lineman and two-time national champion with the Hurricanes (1989, 1991)—Cristobal also cut his teeth in Tuscaloosa for four years under Nick Saban, winning a natty—and more-importantly, learning the importance of building an SEC-caliber program and winning those trench battles.

With solid offensive line play a focus for Cristobal-led teams, establishing the run—and staying committed to it—is the focus for Miami as this new season gets underway.

RUN BALL, CONTROL CLOCK, WEAR ‘EM DOWN

Shannon Dawson is back at offensive coordinator and a disciple of the Air Raid offense, having worked under Dana Holgerson—who worked under the late, great Mike Leach—the temptation to fling the ball all around the yard will be there; but there needs to be a discipline and commitment to run if Miami is going to wear down and beat Florida.

The Gators gave up 5.1 yards-per-carry last season—117th in the nation—which saw Napier getting rid of co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer and replacing him with Ron Roberts, while Austin Armstrong retained his co-coordinator duties and returns for a second season.

Stopping the Canes’ ground attack will be key for Florida, but do they have enough horses on the defensive line to go toe-to-toe with Miami’s offensive line—and if needing to bring in additional defensive help, does that give Ward the ability to take some shots at a Gators’ secondary that will have a lot of new talent at a position that was a weak link last season?

Dawson got away from the run at times last season; all right in a win over Texas A&M—Tyler Van Dyke chucking it around for 374 yards and four touchdowns—making the 77 yards on 24 carries moot in a 48-33 ballgame.

Conversely, there were other outings where Miami’s offense got away from consistently pounding the rock—a pass-happy offense where defenses didn’t have to respect the rushing attack; baiting Van Dyke, picking him off and stealing winnable games that the Hurricanes could’ve survived with a little bit more patience and process.

Miami game-managed their way to an overtime win over Clemson last fall–forced to commit to the run when true freshman quarterback Emory Williams replaced the injured Van Dyke; the Canes owning time of possession and going for 211 yards on 38 carries—which set Williams up to take some calculated shots when the Tigers let their guard down.

For this showdown Miami needs the discipline showed against Clemson, while letting Ward do some of what Van Dyke did against the Aggies when the shots were there to be taken.

CANES WITH DEEPEST D-LINE IN YEARS

Defensively, Miami returns coordinator Lance Guidry for a second season and his ability to scheme and get after the stoic Graham Mertz will also be a huge key to success for the Hurricanes.

Where Miami’s 2023 season fell apart courtesy of Van Dyke’s 12 untimely interceptions, Mertz played smart football and only threw three picks all fall.

The Hurricanes’ defensive line is one of the best in the nation entering the 2024 season; veteran players, portal pick-ups and a two-deep that will allow fresh bodies to wear down that Gators’ line all afternoon—will Guidry dial anything up to get after the second-year transfer quarterback—in a game that could again easily come down to ball-protection and turnovers?

While Miami has the edge in the trenches—offensive and defensive lines superior to Florida’s—both programs have unproven secondaries; where one breakdown in coverage or a blown assignment could also be the difference in a game that will be a hot and humid, heavily contested battle with little margin for error.

Whichever team holds it down better without flinching; a make-or-break moment with some green secondaries could prove pivotal.

Both programs underachieved last year and each head coach did all they could these off-season to better their squads, knowing that big step forward is a must in year three—and Miami fans can take some solace in the fact that the Hurricanes are now passing the eye test, which hasn’t been the case over this decade of disaster.

CALLING IT AS THEY SEE IT

CBS Sports analyst and The Late Kick host Josh Pate is respected as a straight-shooter—and for long-time fans of Miami, his take on the program feels eerily similar to the way Kirk Herbstreit was an early-adopter who predicted the Hurricanes’ resurgence in early 2000, just before the program pulled out of its probation-funk and went on a 34-game tear—hosed out of a title shot, winning the natty the following year and screwed out of a second ring in 2002, prematurely ending the win-streak.

Herby may be an Ohio State loyalist at heart—just as Pate is a Georgia guy—but in both cases, each puts their love of college football and their roles as analysts above any partisanship.

Three years ago it was Herbstreit calling out Miami’s top brass for not caring about football, which ultimately was the beginning of the end for Diaz—while Pate has been an early adopter on the Cristobal era, quick to point out the importance of the former Canes’ offensive lineman building culture, as well as needing to strip a broken program down to its studs for a complete rebuild.

A recent sit-down in Coral Gables after a tour of the football facilities, Pate mentioned recent treks to Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State—and how the athletes walking around Miami look like the guys walking around those other powerhouse programs—and while that doesn’t guarantee wins, it does guarantee that you need players that pass the eye test to even compete at the highest level, and after the Hurricanes not measuring up for years—they are “back” in that sense.

Something is brewing at “The U” but too many coaching changes, false starts or late fades has set up this believe-it-when-we-see-it attitude around the program—which is understandable in a sense, but at some point there will be payoff when the right moves are made and as off-brand guys are run off for a new crew that buys-in.

The Hurricanes spent a decade-plus known as “Quarterback U” and found ways to win four national titles–in a nine-year span—with four different signal callers.

When Miami was back a decade later, it was quarterback Ken Dorsey who was the conductor of that resurgence; a reminder that the Hurricanes are only as good as the guy throwing the ball—proven by an almost two-decade run of guys who simply didn’t measure up at the position, or at best lacked the offensive line, skills players and coordinators to set them up for success.

GAMECHANGER: EXIT TVD, ENTER C-WARD…

Cristobal and Dawson thought they had the guy in Van Dyke last year; primed for a comeback season after injury in 2022—but in hindsight, the magic shows in a few games freshman season never returned. Van Dyke was an introvert, a quiet kid and seemed to shun the role of ‘team leader’—wanting to let his play do the talking for him.

Last year’s 4-0 start and upset of Texas A&M went right out the window after a three-interception performance at home against Georgia Tech; Van Dyke visibly rattled, head down and a deer-in-headlights look that ultimately proved the kid was all right when the getting was good, but the moment adversity and doubt crept in, he was toast.

All that to say why there’s so much excitement around Ward entering the building; an alpha dog, a born leader and a confident kid who has remained unfazed his entire career.

ESPN will most-likely delve into the backstory on College GameDay, but the Lake Jackson, Texas-born quarterback got his start at Incarnate Word where he had an explosive 2020 season out of nowhere.

A year later a 47-touchdown, 10-interception season where he threw for 4,648 yards for the Cardinals—before transferring to Washington State for the next two years.

Running for his life in Pullman, Ward still found a way to throw for 3,094 yards, 23 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2022—taking Oregon and Utah to the wire, as well as upsetting Wisconsin on the road—and in 2023, a 438-yard clinic on the road against #Oregon, while throwing for 317 yards and three touchdowns in the Apple Cup, #4 Washington surviving on a last-second field goal that helped propel them to the national title game.

The logical reaction of sports fans and pundits is to project based on what seem like logical narratives; in this case, a storyline that a quarterback from smaller programs will be overwhelmed and intimidated in his first start for Miami, against Florida at ‘The Swamp’.

Maybe for some, but don’t see that as the case for Ward—the kid just wired different and built for the big stage.

That doesn’t guarantee a flawless game—or even that he’ll lead Miami to victory—but the notion that the moment or venue will be too big for him is the opinion of the ill-informed, or those who are just looking a this portal pick-up on a surface level.

Ward rolls into this season-opener for Miami at 22 years old and a fifth-year college quarterback; the same age as top-draft pick Caleb Williams, who will take the field for the Chicago Bears this fall—Ward with 48 starts under his belt and a journey that took him from Central Texas, to East Washington and now to South Florida over a five-year span.

Those who have been around Ward know he’s “that dude”—that his attitude will set the tone for Miami in Gainesville this weekend and that his teammates will go as he goes—just as the Hurricanes saw from a losing perspective last year when Van Dyke was leading them into battle.

All signs point to Saturday’s showdown being both Ward’s and Miami’s coming-out party.

TODAY’S ‘SWAMP’ AIN’T YESTERDAY’S X-FACTOR

The pundits are all talking up ‘The Swamp’—which is a hell of an environment—but conveniently leave out that Napier is 9-4 at home these past two years and seven of those wins came against McNeese State, Charlotte, Vanderbilt, South Florida, Eastern Washington, Missouri and South Carolina.

Florida got the 2022 opener against #7 Utah when Cameron Rising threw an end zone interception with :17 remaining—as well as downing #11 Tennessee last fall—quality wins, but the Napier era at home a far cry from what Steve Spurrier or Urban Meyer did to ensure dominance at home.

This is Miami’s game to lose—and not give away—hitting the ground running, not giving it away late and (hopefully) sitting on a little double-digit lead before Tom Petty blares over the PA system to start the fourth quarter.

In reality it’s anybody’s game—and as it goes in Sunshine State rivalries between The Big Three; throw history and record books out the window when any combination of Miami, Florida and Florida State tee it up.

Still, those favoring the Gators seems to be doing so based on home field advantage and a strong SEC brand as the difference-maker—while pointing to decades of Miami’s incompetence and no-showing in big moments, which the Hurricanes have to own.

All that to say, in this new-look version of college football—where seasons are made by way of get-after-it recruits and transfer portal dominance—Ward’s moxie will be the x-factor, as last year’s Hurricanes know this year’s role and off-season additions understand the assignment.

Win the trench battles, run the football, take shots when they’re there, get after Mertz, protect the football and erase home field by taking care of business across the board.

Easier said than done, but in the end “it’s all about the W”—which stands for “win” and “Ward”—Miami fielding one of the biggest game-changers college football is going to see this fall, which will allow the Hurricanes the elusive breakthrough this program has chased for decades.

Miami’s transfer quarterback is the difference maker and the Canes tame ‘The Swamp’ on Saturday afternoon.

The Prediction: Miami 30, Florida 20

A BUZZWORD TO SOME, “CULTURE” IS EVERYTHING FOR THE MIAMI HURRICANES

Posted on August 20, 2024August 21, 2024 by Chris Bello

Culture.

A touchy subject college football fans refuse to talk about when the getting isn’t good; fractured locker rooms, guys not buying in and other issues that create a toxic scenario that ultimately results in a long season, if not bigger problems—you gloss over the “culture” conversation if it’s not a value-add.

Even if there is good-enough talent on the roster capable of winning some games, bet your ass there will be a handful of losses that occur due to some wrong-fit players who crumble in big time moments; broken cultures a rotting cancer that devours a program from within.

Of course once a program is on the mend—like the Miami Hurricanes in 2024—even the harshest critics will start allowing some conversations around the c-word as strong internal culture at a program can crate a sky’s-the-limit season, where good teams can overachieve their way to greatness.

This was the last topic anybody wanted to discuss this time in 2022 as Mario Cristobal prepared for his inaugural season at his alma mater, rolling out there with the squad he inherited from Manny Diaz; who lasted three years at Miami, where he assembled a pedestrian 21-15 record and stumbled his way to 7-5 in his final hurrah.

Fans being fans, the immediate logic was that the Diaz-to-Cristobal transition should instantly result in “at least two or three more wins” in 2022, simply because a better, higher-paid coach was coming in to take over.

Further proof why many love to mention that “fan” is short for “fanatic” as this was another one of those sports moments where emotion was besting logic in Coral Gables; supporters of a once-great, backed-up program starved for greatness and relevance again.

ROUGH DEBUT PROVED UNAVOIDABLE

In reality, the Canes wound up two games worse in Cristobal’s first season at the helm; a late-September home loss to Middle Tennessee State as big a bottom-out moment as Diaz losing to Butch Davis and Florida International in 2019; culture issues a big part of Diaz’s inaugural season as stories swirled about starting quarterback Jarren Williams missing curfew and slinging it around the site of the old Orange Bowl nursing a hangover—while his head coach still allowed him to start.

Broken cultures rarely get exposed during the run during which they’re taking place. Stories of Diaz’s culture came out after the fact; the former Miami coach coming off like a guy who wanted to be liked and accepted by players, opposed to feared and respected—which seems to be Cristobal’s speed, which both Davis and Jimmy Johnson also considered their personality trait and coaching style.

Barry Jackson did a deep-dive on this back in July 2022—half a year after the coaching switch—where a few former, unnamed players speaking to The Miami Herald about the then-culture at “The U” under Diaz; a discipline-less era in Coral Gables as UM’s then-head coach feared ruling with an iron fist would have his best players bolting to the transfer portal or the NFL.

“Two recent former players said that in past years, UM players might skip practice, complaining about a minor injury, with absolutely no fear of losing their job or other consequences,” Jackson wrote. Another player shared that, “too much was allowed to slide, from minor team rules violations to committing penalties to missing tackles.”

Jackson went on to cite Williams missing curfew and still getting the start against FIU without any consequences and how it bred a culture “where players could sit out practice if they didn’t feel 100-percent” and “where players could repeatedly commit penalties without being benched.”

Of course the narrative for the 2021 season was also called out by Kirk Herbstreit on ESPN’s College GameDay on September 25th, hours before Miami smacked around Central Connecticut, one week after the Hurricanes withered in the fourth quarter in a home loss to Michigan State and three weeks after a season opening rout at the hands of top-ranked Alabama—focused less on Diaz’s shortcoming and lasered-in on upper management and UM’s top brass content with a middle-of-the-road football program, which helped spark off-season change.

Fans were distraught as Miami stumbled to a 2-4 start, after late-game losses to Virginia and North Carolina—but damned if simp culture wasn’t in full force after Tyler Van Dyke talked a smidge of smack before the Canes eked out a 31-30 win over No. 18 North Carolina State, while defense saved the day at N0. 17 Pittsburgh, helping force Kenny Pickett into two rare interceptions—before surviving three interceptions and some defensive breakdowns in a come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech.

Further proof that winning cures all, short-term versus long-term logic—or lack thereof—saw a divide in the fan base with the Canes now 5-4 and heading into Tallahassee; some with a tank-for-a-new-coach attitude, while others believed Diaz has turned the show around and were rooting for the third-year coach to win out, as the premise of a four coach in eight seasons meant another rebuild and the unfortunate lowering-of-expectations as a new guy puts his fingerprints on the program.

Fate had its way with Miami and Diaz—the Hurricanes falling to a Seminoles team that was 3-6 on the season, 6-12 combined under Mike Norvell in two seasons and was reeling from an earlier season home loss to Jacksonville State.

Van Dyke coughed up two picks—the honeymoon over as he’d never consistently play well for Miami again—the Canes down 17-0 at one point and taking their first lead of the game, early fourth quarter and extending it to 28-20 minutes later.

From there, a comedy of errors—including giving up a 4th-and-14 with under a minute to play—the Seminoles up 31-28 after the two-point conversion.

DISASTROUS DIAZ SEASON NEEDED TO SPARK CHANGE

Painful as the loss was in the moment, it took a dick-kicking from an arch rival to let the air out of the balloon—the past three wins meaningless and back to recalling how the year started; seeing Miami outclassed by Alabama in a 44-13 rout; that broken culture again on display as the Canes prematurely flaunted the Diaz-invented Turnover Chain on a fumble that was overturned, as well as breaking out corny Touchdown Rings when UM finally found the end zone for the first time late third quarter and trailing 41-3.

Again, back to culture. In what world did starved-for-likes Diaz believe it was healthy to keep refreshing his props every year for players who were underachieving on the field?

The chain was the story of college football in 2017 as Miami wound up on the right side of every close game and managed to get to 10-0 under Mark Richt in year two, with Diaz as his defensive coordinator.

Upperclassmen understood the assignment, future stars followed their lead and the Hurricanes wound up forcing 31 turnovers on the season—tied for third-best in the nation—finishing 10-3 and ranked No. 13 in the final polls, albeit a one-hit-wonder of a season that saw Richt stepping down after a dismal 2018 run.

The magic of that 10-0 start and chain gang photo shoots was followed up by a 28-24 over the next four seasons—yet every new fall started with the unveiling of some new-look chain, while player were more focused on celebrating than winning; precisely why some were so hyper focused on culture when Cristobal took over and were thrilled when he did away with stupid props that fast lost their cool.

Cristobal brought in 11 new transfers after the 2022 season, while sending 18 kids from the Diaz era packing. A year later, 17 new portal additions while 26 kids hit the road—and in 2024, 15 new additions and 28 more departures.

Again, when asked why winds of change are blowing and fans are starting to believe—that’s 43 new on-brand Hurricanes who have joined the program through the portal, while a jaw-dropping 72 player from the Diaz era have transferred out—not to mention the fresh new crop of young talent as Cristobal salvaged Diaz’s 2022 class (16th) and delivered with his first two full classes; 7th-ranked in 2023 and 4th-ranked in 2024, all according to 247 Sports.

Arguments for or again the portal and NIL money are for another time in place, but in the context of this write-up the benefits of roster turnover related to culture overhauls are immeasurable.

TRANSFER PORTAL & NIL MONEY EXPEDITE GROWTH

In a different time and place, a coaching change might see a handful of guys rolling out, while the new staff would need several recruiting cycles to start building their team with one freshman crop at a time—with the hopes that by years three or four, they’d find success with upperclassmen buying in and would see younger kids falling in line and learning the ropes.

This is now addition-by-subtraction on steroids when it comes to fast-tracking kids out of town with a one-way ticket, while a healthy balance of right-fit freshman join the program—NIL money used to entice the best of the best, both out of high school as well as on the portal recruiting trail.

Miami has picked up some big names the past couple of years, but nothing has said the-time-is-now like this most-recent haul and the eight figures in NIL money spent to turn the 2024 roster into a gamer.

Cam Ward remains the crown jewel for a program once dubbed “Quarterback U”, yet has looked more like “quarterback who” this past almost-two decades.

Beyond the highlight reel itself and super-star play the transfer quarterback showed while playing at lowly Washington State the past couple of years, the culture-related value-add is almost immeasurable for Miami as coaches can’t stop talking about the leadership traits and unteachable alpha dog attitude Ward brings to a program starved for leadership.

“He’s an alpha leader,” Cristobal shared about Ward at ACC Media Day back in July. “The reason everybody wants him was his playmaking ability. Accurate, great arm strength, ability to improvise, extends plays. A game changer.”

The third-year Miami coach went on to praise Ward’s ability to bounce back and make things right, as well as an aggressive and competitive nature—while earning the trust of his teammates—which might sound hyperbolic, but in comparison to the unraveling of Van Dyke last fall, the Ward era looks to be a complete turnaround from what the quarterback position has been at Miami the past couple of years.

Last season’s home loss to Georgia Tech will forever be defined by Cristobal not kneeling the clock out and a fumble that led to the Yellow Jackets’ stealing the game in the final minute—but it was awful quarterback play the previous 59 minutes that truly did the Hurricanes in.

Van Dyke ended the game with three of the most-egregious picks in recent memory; staring down receivers, seemingly confused by everything related to a zone defense and throwing some really ugly passes—but nothing more definitive than ESPN cameras catching a sideline moment where the quarterback was head-down and wide receiver Xavier Restrepo put two fingers on Van Dyke’s chin, forcing him to look up as the world was watching this moment.

QUARTERBACK PLAY & TRANSFERS TO FUEL YEAR-THREE RUN

Piling on Van Dyke for the sake of context here; that 11-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio the first four games of the season—it all went down the drain against the Yellow Jackets and the since-transferred-to-Wisconsin quarterback never regained his mojo—a 5-to-11 ratio over the next five games he saw action where the Hurricanes went 1-4 and a 4-0 start finished 7-6 by year’s end.

Van Dyke’s departure was another addition-by-subtraction moment, though Miami still needed to go portal diving for an immediate-impact guy, let’s 2024 remain a rebuilding year.

Ward visited Miami in December and all signs pointed to him signing with the Hurricanes, until an early January announcement that he was taking his talents to the NFL. Weeks later, a change of heart as he pledged his allegiance to “The U”—the Hurricanes building off the momentum and continuing to add more transfer talent.

Of those 14 portal kids who signed on alongside Ward, Miami pulled defensive tackle Simeon Barrow out of Michigan State, wide receiver Sam Brown out of Houston, running back Damien Martinez from Oregon State, safety Mishael Powell from Washington, defensive end C.J. Clark from North Carolina State, cornerback Dyoni Hill from Marshall and a pair of defenders from Louisville—edge Tyler Barron and linebacker Jaylin Alderman.

The Canes even found a veteran center to replace the much-needed talents of Matt Lee by nabbing Zach Carpenter out of Indiana.

To say this will be a new-look unit this fall is an understatement; especially when thinking back to December when a short-handed Miami took on Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl—several key players having already tapped out, before the new crop of guys signed on.

Equally as important as these additions themselves, again, the sales pitch the staff was giving—on a mission to replace outgoing betas with incoming alphas—ready to immediately compete and giving the Hurricanes a real edge in year three that wouldn’t have been otherwise if just relying on true freshmen and recruiting.

Several programs get the stigma of going one way or the other; a Clemson not wanting to play the NIL game and only focused on recruiting, while a Florida State has relied so heavily on the portal that each new season under Norvell feels like a complete teardown and rebuild—while Cristobal and Miami seem to have struck the perfect balance of new traditional recruits, as well as right-fit portal guys.

Why? Because culture has finally been defined and coaches can now explain to these kids who Miami currently is, a well as what the Hurricanes aspire to be. This wasn’t possible when taking over a divided program—where half the roster wanted to continue with Diaz’ country club ways, while the other half wanted the prima donnas gone—buying into the Cristobal hard-ass approach to building a winner.

BUILDING AUTHENTIC CULTURE ELIMINATES CHAOS

There’s no longer any conflict or inner turmoil as year three gets underway; bad seeds gone, ready-to-go replacements saddled up and understanding the mission. Miami’s biggest mission this fall remains staying healthy and focused, while not letting any other setbacks continue to hover.

Culture.

It was a tough sell year one as it required stripping this program down to the studs for a full-blown rebuild—while the fan base was hoping for some patch and paint work—which might’ve looked fine on the surface, but isn’t built to last.

Case in point; the fast start Lincoln Riley had with his own offense, his Heisman-caliber quarterback and Bilitnikoff-winning transfer portal wide receiver that fueled a shoot-it-out 2022 season where Southern Cal put up their share of points in an 11-3 season, but twice lost to Utah—including a 47-24 rout in the Pac-12 title game—underscoring the old defense-wins-championships adage; the Trojans averaging 42.5 points-per-game before being held to almost half of that by the Utes.

Riley’s program backslid to 8-5 in 2023, despite fielding Caleb Williams again at quarterback—returning from what was a Heisman-winning season year one in Troy—the offense humbled in outings against Notre Dame, Oregon and UCLA, while losing close ones to Washington and again to Utah.

An over-focus on offensive firepower, with no real desire to build a defensive juggernaut—Riley and the Trojans start Big Ten play this fall—where Southern Cal will face Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska in conference, as well as rivals UCLA, Washington and Notre Dame, not to mention a season-opener against LSU.

Conversely, it was a trenches focus for Cristobal at Miami and three years in the Hurricanes will field one of the better defensive lines in the nation, while a greatly-improved offensive line will help protect Ward, while opening up the ground game for a bevy of running backs.

Balance across the board and knowing the importance of trench warfare; Cristobal was certainly paying attention during his four-year run in Tuscaloosa under Nick Saban, spending 2013 through 2016 at another college football powerhouse, after playing for one in Miami from 1988 and 1992—earning one ring with the Crimson Tide as a coach, two with Miami as player and leaving few more on the field with both.

Those who believed saw Cristobal as the answer back in 2021 when Miami pushed its stack up chips to the middle of the table, going all-in on their guy—albeit a tough sell after a rough start in 2022 and stumble down the stretch last fall and a 12-13 start to this new era in Coral Gables.

All that to say, the masterful recruiter and portal playmaker has closed strong in both areas and enters year three with the type of roster, experience—and schedule—all setting off for a banner, pay-off year for the Hurricanes.

NEW-LOOK MIAMI HURRICANES (FINALLY) GIVING FANS A REASON TO BELIEVE IN 2024

Posted on July 24, 2024August 18, 2024 by Chris Bello

It’s been a long run hovering in mediocrity for the tried and true Miami Hurricanes enthusiast; as in over-two-decades-since-that-last-national-championship long.

Less than a dozen programs have claimed at least one title since Miami’s perfect season in 2001—and none possessed a modern history of taking care of business the way the Hurricanes did in their hey day, always quick to take back what was lost.

Case in point; an undefeated season down the drain in 1986 after choking away the national championship game? Defy odds and go undefeated the following season with a first-year quarterback, rolling heads against a brutal schedule, knocking off #20, #10, #4, #10, #8 and then #1 for the program’s second-ever title.

Enter the 1988 season with a #6 preseason ranking, despite going 12-0 and winning it all in 1987? Beat the brakes of an arch rival in the season opener, smacking around #1 Florida State, 31-0 and put the nation on notice that a mistake was made.

Fail in the quest for back-to-back rings later in the season by way of a bunk call in South Bend? Stew on it for a year and then completely manhandle #1 Notre Dame, 27-10 in a rematch—demoralizing the defending champs in a backyard brawl, paving the way to a third title for Miami in 1989.

On a grander scale, completely collapse in the mid-nineties due to scandal, probation and becoming the poster child for everything wrong with college football?

Against all odds, rebuild a juggernaut the right way after a brutal five-year drought—inexplicably rising from the ashes to become not just a contender, but a bonafide powerhouse—assembling the best team in history in 2001 and proving to the nation that neither the corrupt NCAA or Sports Illustrated could keep “The U” down.

Hurricanes fans didn’t develop this sense of entitlement out of thin air; this won’t-quit program spent decades avenging losses and righting wrongs in epic fashion, to the point it became embedded in Miami’s DNA.

For all who stumbled out of Sun Devil Stadium punch-drunk and revenge-minded in January 2003—rattled that a controversial call ended a 34-game win-streak and a bid for back-t0-back national championships—it was treated like another speed bump en route to a sixth ring; Miami sitting on a 39-2 record dating back to November 1999, even after that questionable Fiesta Bowl loss to Ohio State.

And why not? For the better part of two decades things constantly worked out in comeback, storybook fashion for the Hurricanes—so of course a once-proud Miami fan base expected things to come back around soon enough.

PINPOINTING WHERE, HOW & WHY THINGS WENT OFF-TRACK

The logical ones can now see how and why Miami’s ongoing drought was less Hollywood superhero storyline and more hard lessons being taught Old Testament style—the Hurricanes’ football program wandering the desert like cursed Israelites for the last two decades—but for the trash-talking rival outsiders, or jaded fans with their big believe-it-when-we-see-it energy, a quick history lesson regarding what was and now is.

Looking back over two decades-of-disaster, it should be acknowledged how positively impactful Donna Shalala was to the University of Miami’s medical department during a 15-year run as the schools president—yet was more like an incurable disease when it came to Hurricanes’ athletics; football seen as nothing more than a necessary evil during her tenure.

It wasn’t even her off-brand efforts to bring in former Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez in 2001 soon after UM dragged-ass on a new contract for Butch Davis, which sent the sixth-year Canes coach to the NFL—it was her kill-what-you-eat approach to athletics as a whole that ravaged the football program like an inoperable cancer.

Under her leadership, the role of athletic director was either a short-term stepping stone to bigger gigs—Kirby Hocutt and Shaun Eichorst, we hardly knew ye—before the right lackey stepped into a would-be lifer role and Miami was saddled with the inept, boot-licking Blake James for a decade.

Shalala’s answer to funding Hurricanes football was basic and two-fold; moving from the Big East to the ACC for a better television revenue-share, as well as punting on Nike because adidas was willing to write a bigger check—both drop-in-the-bucket financial moves that had somebody else picking up the tab so Miami didn’t have to fundraise or invest in a quest for greatness.

These low-rent decisions are precisely how the program landed on a promotion-from-within hire, handing the keys to Randy Shannon in 2007, after the Larry Coker era ended with a three-year thud—a first-time head coach and lifer assistant who would never sniffed a role like that again after a failed four-year run for the program where Shannon once thrived at on the field.

From there, the penny-safe, pound-foolish move—billed as an up-and-comer hire in Al Golden; hyped for a 9-4 season at lowly Temple and hiding behind a slick used car salesman image and 300-page binder full of success pillars, deserving victory and other corporate-training jargon that fast-proved he was an empty suit.

Five years—and an indefensible 58-0 home loss to Clemson later—James jumped at the first big name on the board, reeling in Mark Richt at a discount; the former Georgia head coach stepping down after 15 years of getting chewed up in the SEC and on his way to retirement before agreeing to roll up his sleeves for his alma mater.

As if things couldn’t get worse, Richt’s untimely retirement after year three saw James and Miami playing checkers while Manny Diaz figured out how to play chess—paying Temple a whopping $4-million less that three weeks after the former Canes defensive coordinator agreed to be the Owls new head coach; Diaz holding UM over a barrel and with a now-nor-never threat if he were to take the gig.

It should be noted that Shalala stepped down from her perch in summer 2015 and Miami hired Dr. Julio Frenk as her replacement—and while he wasn’t as hands-on and anti-football as his predecessor—turning major sports-related decisions over to James and a cliquey board of trustees was equally as detrimental for the next five years.

PRECISELY WHERE ‘THE U’ TURNAROUND BEGAN

Time will tell if Billy Corben and his Rakontur crew ever return with The U: Part 3 and another chapter of the rise and fall, rise and fall and eventual rebirth of Hurricanes football—but if there ever is another U-themed 30 For 30, there’s a precise starting point where everything change and wheels were officially in motion; September 25th, 2021.

Year three of the Diaz era, Miami sat at 1-2 one month into a new season—the maligned head coach with a 15-12 combined record, low lighted by a home loss to Florida International in 2019—against Davis on the old site of the Orange Bowl, no less.

Over the previous three weeks of this new season, Miami was embarrassed by #1 Alabama—not just the 44-13 beat down, but mocked for the Turnover Chain after a fumble was overturned and railed on when Touchdown Rings surfaced in a 41-10 game as the Canes finally found the end zone late third quarter.

A week later, a fourth down incompletion was needed to stave off Appalachian State at home and next up, Miami withering late against unranked Michigan State—trailing 17-14 entering the fourth quarter, before getting steamrolled 38-17—outscored 21-3 the final fifteen minutes; something the finish-strong Canes used to own in the hey day.

Miami would host a creampuff on this pivotal day in program’s history; eventually rolling Central Connecticut, 69-0—sideline photo shoots with jewels and props after all ten touchdowns against this glorified high school—players and coaches all missing a College GameDay takedown for the ages, as Kirk Herbstreit eviscerated the current State of Miami.

Summing up the long-time commentator’s on air-rant; pointing out that Miami as a program was averaging 7-5 seasons dating back to 2006—under five different head coaches—and directly calling out an athletic department that is “clearly is not really showing that this something that they are willing to try and make changes”, in regards to losing ways.

Herby pointed out Frenk’s hands-off efforts as president—while citing clear visions between other university presidents and athletic directors at powerhouse programs across the nation.

“I guess football doesn’t matter. It matters to the alum, the brotherhood of The U—but I don’t know if it matters to the people making decisions at Miami—and if they don’t change that, it doesn’t matter who the head coach is,” Herbstreit shared in his mic-drop moment.

Ten weeks later, Diaz was out—fate sealed after a road loss to a brutally bad Florida State team that was 6-13 over two seasons under second-year head coach Mike Norvell—and wheels were in motion to bring then four-year Oregon leader Mario Cristobal back home to Coral Gables.

MIAMI FINALLY PUT ITS MONEY WHERE ITS MOUTH IS

The ins and outs of what took place and the power players involved is neither here nor there, but history will show that some key people stood up and that money—which had forever been the main issue at Miami—would no longer be a barrier to success ever again.

A ten-year $80,000,000 offer was made to Cristobal; Miami’s first real established head coaching hire—in the prime of his career—and it was official.

An important footnote to that story; the fine print that ultimately gave Cristobal the confidence to walk away from Oregon—lots of demands regarding Miami going all in football across the board and not just in hiring him.

If Cristobal was going to leave Eugene—where he had every resource in the world thanks to alum Phil Knight pumping all that Nike money into the Ducks program—the Hurricanes would have to make a commitment to building a football powerhouse in a way it never had before.

What that commitment was, outsiders will never full know—but the proof has been in the NIL pudding, as the Canes Collective and some other big names have kept big cash flowing through the program—Cristobal and staff winning big time recruiting battles, as well as reaping the benefits of the Transfer Portal.

Burying the lead wasn’t the intent of this piece, but before delving into the Cam Ward sweepstakes a history lesson made sense and a how-we-got-here breakdown regarding what is different for Miami entering year three of the Cristobal era.

The 2024 would’ve had a completely different energy if Ward didn’t have a change of heart, pledging his allegiance to The U in mid-January—after a New Year’s Day announcement that he was NFL-bound.

The former Washington State star quarterback was flirting with Florida State and Ohio State, after first visiting Miami late last year—and for a couple of weeks, the Canes were wound-licking and trying to rally after second- and third-choice option went elsewhere—UM mocked nationally for settling on former Albany quarterback Reese Poffenbarger.

Of course all joking went out the window two weeks later when the nation’s top-ranked transfer quarterback brought all his big alpha dog energy to South Florida—Cristobal and staff raving about the quarterback’s leadership traits, which are a direct contrast to what Miami fan saw the last two years with the passive and quiet Tyler Van Dyke under center.

“What really stands out in the short time we’ve been around him is he’s an alpha leader,” Cristobal shared soon after winning the Ward sweepstakes. “Whenever he has a bad plan, his ability to bounce back and make things right … he’s aggressive.”

The third year coach had more news for jaded fans rattled with recent Miami quarterback play.

“I would say his competitive nature to come back and make things right … to go and make up for maybe a play that was negative, was really impressive. That has really stood out at his time through spring practice as he just build and gained the trust of his teammates.”

More reason to believe; improved offensive line play at Miami—as Cristobal and line coach Alex Mirabal have put such a heavy focus on building a wall up front—something Ward lacked in Spoakane as he was sacked over 80 times last season with the Cougars.

RESURRECTING ‘QUARTERBACK U’ IS THE KEY TO NATIONAL SUCCESS

For those who have followed Miami’s program over the past several decades, an awareness that the Hurricanes tend to go as far as a quarterback will take them.

Whether that was freshman Bernie Kosar on the inaugural national championship squad in 1983, first-year started Steve Walsh in 1987, the fiery Craig Erickson in 1989, the stable Gino Torretta in 1991 or headstrong Ken Dorsey in 2001, all were in the driver’s seat for those five title runs.

Conversely, when Torretta and Dorsey had lesser offensive line support in 1992 and 2002, Miami left titles on the field—while five interceptions out of Heisman winner Vinny Testaverde got the Hurricanes a championship in 1986.

Then there’s the revolving door of would-be greats who couldn’t grab the brass ring in recent memory; Brock Berlin the last almost-was for the Hurricanes, whose 20-5 run between 2003 and 2004 felt lesser at the time as Miami was on a 38-2 run with Dorsey at the helm before his arrival—Berlin still going 5-0 combined against Florida and Florida State, with the Canes facing both in regular season games two postseasons he was in charge.

Quarterback play aside, a culture shift is underway and beyond apparent as year three is weeks away.

Fans wanted an immediate upgrade the day well-paid Cristobal took over for the the 2022 season, but a head coach focused on correcting a broken culture—a quick fix was impossible when realizing the program didn’t need paint and patch work, but would legit need to be stripped down the studs for a rebuild.

Optics-wise, matters were made worse as Lincoln Riley got off to an 11-2 start at Southern Cal in 2021, by way of running own offense and bringing his Heisman-worthy quarterback with him from Oklahoma—both of which allowed him to poach the current Biletnikoff winning receiver from the portal for a high-octane offense season, where the defense-less Trojans could outscore most opponents; something not as easy to do year two en route to an 8-5 season.

USC is now a card-carrying member of the Big Ten year three for Riley—LSU and Michigan off the bat as well as road trips to former Pac-12 foes in Washington and UCLA, closing out again Notre Dame in the Colosseum—all without the comfort of last year’s Heisman-winning quarterback leading the charge.

OPTIMAL SEASON SCHEDULE IN ’24 WILL END WELL

As for Miami, a much more tame journey through this year’s division-less ACC—Virginia Tech, Florida State, Duke and Wake Forest all rolling south to HardRock—while the Canes hit the road for conference showdowns against Cal, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Syracuse.

The season opens with Miami’s first trek to The Swamp since 2008; facing a rebuilding Florida squad—followed by home games against FAMU and Ball State, before a road trip to South Florida.

It’s hardly a Murder’s Row schedule—which timing-wise is great for Miami in what is such a pivotal year—especially with tougher runs in 2025 (Florida, Notre Dame, Florida State), 2026 (South Carolina, Notre, Dame, Florida State, Clemson) and 2027 (Utah, Florida State, South Carolina).

Part of fandom itself is tracking rivals and their growth trajectory, as programs all seem to ebb and flow—and while Miami will never chase little brother Florida State in anything; not championships, head-to-head match-ups or NFL-bound talent—the Noles are two years further down there road with Norvell and there are a few things worth noting trajectory-wise regarding new coaching regimes.

Miami fans are quick to remind, while Florida State faithful are quick to forget—but go root around some Seminoles message boards from late 2021 and read the commentary about Tallahassee’s not-so favorite new coach.

Norvell went 3-6 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season—including a 52-10 loss at Miami—and that was fast 3-10 after going 0-4 out the gate in 2021; including a home loss to Jacksonville State.

Sitting at 6-12 as year two stumbled down the stretch, the aforementioned upset of Miami that was the final nail in Diaz’s coffin—Norvell was 8-13 entering year three and fans were imploding, afraid that FSU couldn’t afford to buy the man out as they were still paying off the Willie Taggart walking-money buyout.

And then year three happened.

THE RIGHT-FIT QUARTERBACK SPARKED FSU’S REBIRTH

Jordan Travis started to find his way at quarterback, some new transfers hit the ground running and Florida State got their lighter-load schedule—beating all nine unranked teams it faced in the regular season, while falling to all three ranked teams (#22 Wake Forest, #14 North Carolina State and #4 Clemson)—and drawing a 6-6 unranked Oklahoma squad in the Cheez-It Bowl, eking out a 35-32 win for a 10-3 season.

Year four, an even more-improved Travis at quarterback, more work in the portal and another step forward—handling #5 LSU in the opener and taking care of business against a slew of unranked teams, before a win over #16 Duke and spending almost the entire season in the top five.

Travis famously suffered a season-ending injury against North Alabama mid-November, derailing the Noles dreams of the College Football Playoffs—close wins at Florida and #14 Louisville in the ACC Championship keeping Florida State out of the party, while a slew of opt-outs led to revenge-minded #6 Georgia mauling them, 63-3 in the Orange Bowl.

Still, the history books show a 13-1 season and a 23-4 run over the past two years—all behind one good quarterback and a handful of portal pick-ups—opposed to a top-to-bottom overhaul and a back-to-basics approach like Miami is seeing as Cristobal effectively takes out the trash and rebuilds a hard-ass, culture-driven program in the model of the Hurricanes’ teams he grew up playing for.

LOW-RENT CANES GOT WHAT THEY PAID FOR; PAYING BIGGER NOW

Too many false starts in the past have understandably left Miami supporters jaded, but if truly unpacking these past two decades the issue was less about this Hurricanes program and was absolutely rooted in misguided false hope—believing things had to eventually get better, simply because this was “The U” and the program had bounced back in the past.

In reality, college football passed Miami by for the better part of two decades—and brand equity wasn’t enough to overcome a garbage-in, garbage-out reality—as the lack of leadership, a low-rent game plan and no bankroll absolutely crippled the program, resulting in the type of 7-5 seasons that fast became the new reality.

Looking back, of course Miami didn’t win big under Shannon, Golden, Richt or Diaz—just as the Coker era went from two title game appearances, one ring and a 35-3 record with Davis’ hard-ass, loaded squads—to a 25-12 run over his final three seasons, ending with a 7-6 thud in 2006.

Miami finally got its man with Cristobal in 2021; a 35-12 run at Oregon over four seasons—including a Rose Bowl win and 12-2 run year two, two conference titles and a season-defining upset at #3 Ohio State in year four—proving that four seasons under the tutelage of Nick Saban at Alabama taught Cristobal how to build an SEC-like program with the Ducks.

If Cristobal was on the brink of winning big in Oregon—handing the keys to first-time head coach Dan Lanning, who has gone 22-5 and continued building off the hard-nosed brand predecessor left him—realistically, what is the ceiling for Cristobal at Miami if and when he starts keeping the Sunshine State’s best talent home and builds a two-deep in the mold of what Saban taught him with the Crimson Tide?

There was always a secret sauce and a special magic when the Hurricanes were a powerhouse; alpha dog players, harder workers, out-of-nowhere superstars becoming household names and star-aligning moments that paved the way to ultimate success—Miami the living definition of luck being what happens when preparation meets opportunity.

Unfortunately the opportunities were nil these past couple of decades as the program was ill prepared, poorly run, underfunded and a has-been—but with money in the bank, a real one leading this program a quarterback conundrum solved and a year-three roster full of right-fit guys—zero reason to stay in wait-and-see mode; it’s buy-in time as the Canes’ ascension back to the top of the college football world starts this fall.