CHARLOTTE - Head coach Mario Cristobal, quarterback Cam Ward, offensive lineman Jalen Rivers, and linebacker Francisco Mauigoa were the four Miami representatives who made a positive impression at the ACC Media Days Kickoff on Wednesday (July 24) in Charlotte, N.C.

Cristobal, who is looking to improve on his 12-13 record as the Hurricanes' head coach over the past two seasons, is quite optimistic about what lies ahead this upcoming fall. He spoke to media members about what greatness means to him and the program as a whole.

“It relates and aligns to everything you do,” Cristobal said. “At our place, it’s how you do everything. Whether it’s the classroom, the community, how you are at home with your family, how you are with people you’re trying to impact, how you are in the locker room, how you are on the road, how you are when things are going well and how you are when things are not going so well. When you face adversity, greatness is the best you can be all the time. It’s a way of life.”

As Miami looks to navigate through a mostly favorable schedule this season with highly touted personnel on both sides of the ball, greatness will be the standard, to say the least. It will start with the play and leadership of Ward, who transferred from Washington State.

“It’s very well documented about his play as a player throughout his career,” Cristobal said of Ward. “What stands out in the short time we’ve been around him is that he’s an alpha leader. When we were watching him on film, it was obvious to the entire country that he’s really accurate with great arm strength and the ability to improvise and extend plays. A game changer. But what impressed us the most was whenever there was a bad play, his ability to bounce back and make things right. That has really stood out in his time at Miami throughout spring practice as he has built and gained the trust of his teammates.”

Ward had his moment with media members as well. He spoke about his time at Miami since arriving there this past January.

“It’s moving fast honestly,” Ward said. “Here six months ago, and now six months later, we’re starting camp for the fall. It’s been a blessing so far. I’m excited to get in the camp and get into the season.”

Ward has gotten to know his teammates rather quickly, so much so that he learned their names within 24 hours. It speaks to his level of leadership and team-building ability that the Hurricanes have been astonished by to this point.

“It’s very important to me,” Ward said. “That’s probably been my main focus once I got to Miami. The coaches are going to do a lot for us this year. But if you’re not a player-led team, you won’t win a lot of games. So that’s been the emphasis for us as a team, myself as a leader, just trying to create chemistry with everybody. If you don’t have chemistry with anybody, you can’t communicate with them at a high level like you really want to at the end of the day.”

Ward spoke positively about the state of the Hurricanes offensive line.

“That o-line is going to be special,” Ward said of the unit, of which Rivers is a part. “One thing I know about the O-line is that they’re going to bring their A-game each and every day. I’ve never been part of an offense and coaching staff who really translates to the o-line so well from Coach Cristobal and [Alex] Mirabal. I’m just excited to see those guys grow and be behind those guys. I know they got my back and I got theirs.”

As for the Hurricanes defense, Mauigoa spoke to the ideal of team building that will translate into positive moments in more ways than one.

“Having relationships with your coaches and your teammates is very important because that’s how you earn trust,” Mauigoa said. “Being able to trust your teammates and coaches, that will translate to the field and how you perform.”

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