Miami Head Coach Mario Cristobal answered questions on local radio 560 WQAM Monday morning on the Joe Rose Show ahead of the season-opener against Florida on Saturday, 3:30 PM Eastern from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.

He began by sharing his thoughts on the Florida State-Georgia Tech and if he watched the game:

"Very little. Our entire focus has been getting our team ready for our opponent. In terms of future opponents, they'll be time for that, but at the end of the day, you take lessons on what you watch on TV. You have a chance to watch other teams play all over the country. I think the four-five games that were played, some great lessons, some great teaching points. All focus on the University of Florida."

On finalizing the depth chart and the length of time focused on the Florida Gators:

"We've been focusing on our opponent since, man...we always implemented something in the spring, in the summer. And then for us it's finding out the players that really, the ones that give us the best chance to win. A lot from spring all the way to the summer in camp. We feel pretty settled on the guys who are going to play in terms of who is actually going to start, but we'll let that play out during the week at some positions. But for the most part Joe, we have a really good idea of who's going to be playing."

On the focus is going into the season opener:

"Especially it being a Monday, you focus on winning Monday, and then you focus on winning Tuesday. You focus on winning out here on Greentree Practice Field to give yourself the best chance to be successful on Saturday. It really is that simple. I don't think...you play on the emotional part of it. You already know it's going to be sky-high, right? The intensity, the passion, the juice is going to be off the charts. To make sure that you are winning every part of every day as it relates to the processes of winning football games. So, that's what our focus is on."

On the comfortability of Miami Quarterback Cam Ward:

"Feel good about him and all the guys that either got here in January or got here in the summer. They played a lot of football before their arrival, and luckily for us...and part of the recruiting process, too, is finding guys that have been in similar systems and can relate to terminology, and philosophy, all that kind of stuff. He made the transition rather seamless. And he's excelled and certainly has been prepping at a high level and pushing himself and his teammates, so we're certainly excited to watch him play."

On playing players from the last two recruiting classes in game one of the 2024 season:

"We do. Obviously, it's our two classes. Our first class will now be true sophomores, so most of those guys we'll be playing. Our second class, they got here in January or the summer, so they'll be true freshmen. You know how it is with true freshmen. If guys are ready to go, we're going to play them, just like we did last year. The guys that need some time, we're going to give them that time. But certainly, we're not in wait-and-see mode for those guys. Every day, we push them to their max to get them ready, right? It's a long season, and at some point in time, they're going to have to be able to help us. There's no discrimination here when it comes to playing time. No matter where you're from, what year you are, don't matter. If you can get it done, you can help us win, you're going to play."

On leaning on transfers for success:

"I guess the best way to put it is that every program has a different starting point. For us, we had to have a very talented, a very seasoned, hard-working, high-care factor portal class because that's where the hole in the roster was upon arrival, right? The upper-tier of it, the upperclassmen. We have some really good players, but when you have a lot of holes to fill, and then we layered that with some really talented freshmen, almost like sandwiched them all in there, so it makes sense. It's a nice combination. You have guys that have been in the program for a bit. They have experience. The veterans are ready to play. We brought in some portal veterans that are capable of playing right away or impacting and starting and then you have some uber-talented freshman that can also do it. You rely on whatever you have to to make the roster work, and for us, the portal this past cycle had to be a big factor."

On questions about the secondary:

"Well, I hope they keep writing that kind of stuff and get our guys juiced up. These guys really thrive on themselves and proven our team and they've done a great job. We have tremendous confidence in them, not because we just kind of throw it out there because they've done well. They've performed well. Some have waited their time since they got there, and their good football players, and they are playing well, so, hopefully, they'll keep putting that kind of stuff out there and get them a little bit more pissed off and ready to play."

On the status of sophomore running back Mark Fletcher:

"All the way back and ready to play."

On if he's ever had two 230-pound running backs:

"Wish I had four. We have some other guys...it's kind of neat because it's like having different pitchers, right? You have a fastball, curveball, slider, knuckleball. You got different guys that can do different things. They all do really well. They all protect really well. You got to be able to protect the quarterback if you are on the field. They all catch the ball well. They run hard. They get downhill, but they can also bounce up and then get it outside. They can go through you, around you. They've kept it really competitive. They're improving on a daily basis. They know they got a ways to go, but we feel that our backs are getting better and better and are going to be a strong part of our program.

On if the players are aware of the magnitude of game one against the rival Gators:

"They do. They've known since that game's been on the schedule. Everybody has, right? Our alumni, their alumni, everybody across the country. Again, the noise, the juice, the hype that's going on around us, the most important thing for us is the work. It's making sure every single day that we're focused on winning that particular day to get better and go get it done."

On whether we should expect more players in the rotation to start the season:

"Yeah, if they are capable, you know. The thing we want to keep around here is playing time being something that is earned, as opposed to just given away. We do feel that guys have proven themselves and are capable of playing, contributing to winning football. You are going to see a significant amount of guys playing at a couple of positions, and others may be a little bit more, just locked in. But overall, I think you'll see a fair amount of players playing from all classes, not just the older guys. You'll see freshmen and sophomores. You'll see a lot of Miami Hurricanes playing."

On if he's learned from last year that he's bringing into this year:

"Absolutely, Joe. Every single year, you do, man, you know. You look in the mirror, you look at your own faults, the way you can make your team better, and you attack it. Luckily for me, I was raised by some badass parents. And they are always like, eh man, own up, man up, don't focus on anything else except going forward and remind yourself why you came to Miami. You came to Miami to end the 15-20 years of, you know what, um...anyways, to get Miami to what Miami needs to be doing. And by working, by just shutting up, going to work, doing right by people, and helping people get better and impact others. That's it, man, it's that simple."

On if he is intentionally restricting news from coming out of fall camp:

"Absolutely. When you go on the road playing in big games, in tough environments, your processes have to continue to get more and more air-tight, right? Because you can't let anything externally impact or affect the way you prepare and play, so, it's been a mindset and a process for us. It's been a great two weeks, and looking forward to an awesome practice today."

On if he's learned from last season's close games:

"Absolutely, man. There's opportunities all over the place, both had and lost, right? And from from myself, to our staff, to our players, everybody. Taking it and own it. Think about it: for us, it's always been kind of the vision, right? Year one was going to be extremely difficult because of the need for roster enhancement and coaching stability. And then year two, okay, there's going to be progress, and man, it's a battle every game in the fourth quarter, and it's a toss-up, and now, you know what, let's take another step. It's what football has always been about: development, hard-ass work, and finding a way to get things done. You find those nuggets everywhere, from third down in red zone to decisions on whatever we gotta do with the ball when we gotta do it, who to put it, who to take out. So, we've done it. I've been through it all."

On the depth of the line of scrimmage and how Miami matches up against Florida:

"Honestly, Joe, I'm beyond excited to watch the trenches up front. It's going to be a muddy, bloody battle. Call it what it is. They are enormous up front. They are typical offensive and defensive line for their program and their conference. They're massive, and they got power. They got speed on the edge, and we feel we have power, and size, and speed on the edge and inside. It's one of those things you build up, you work at, you recruit, you develop, and then man, you go, you prepare those guys. You let them play out. It should be absolutely awesome to watch."

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