The Miami Hurricanes have a new head coach: Cristobal confirmed taking job

He’s back.

Mario Cristobal, who many hope can be the savior for the Miami Hurricane’s struggling program, has agreed to terms with UM and will be the Canes’ new coach.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Mario, his wife, Jessica, and their sons Mario Mateo and Rocco home to Miami,” UM President Julio Frenk said in a statement. “Mario’s legacy as a student-athlete at the U is well established. And the standard for competitive excellence that he and his teammates helped establish is one to which we continue to aspire. Our selection, however, was not one based in nostalgia for a proud past, but rather in a bold vision for a promising future.

“The characteristics that helped Mario excel as a national championship-winning player—drive, determination, and discipline—continue to propel his success as a coach. In Mario we have found a head coach who shares our belief in providing student-athletes with the very best opportunities to succeed on and off the field, and our commitment to winning at the highest level.”

Cristobal replaces Manny Diaz, who was kept on the job until Cristobal signed. Diaz suffered through a tough three year stint as coach that will be remembered for its occasional highs like the current five win in six weeks run but more for the lows of 6-7 in 2019 with losses to FIU, Duke and Louisiana Tech to end the season, the North Carolina debacle of 2020 and the 2-4 start to this season.

Cristobal is a huge investment in the program for Miami. His contract is believed to have settled at $8 million per season along with assurances on increased budgeting to allow him to build Miami into a nationally relevant and competing program.

The extra money has been deemed necessary to give Miami a chance to gain separation from the pack in the ACC. Without it, the Hurricanes couldn’t have lured Cristobal.

He also comes with the hope that he can take recruiting to another level at Miami and help the program regain its stature as one of the top programs in the country.

Cristobal is expected to bring in a new coaching staff that can hit the ground running on the recruiting trail.

“My family and I are excited to return home to the University of Miami, which has been so instrumental in shaping me as a person, player, and coach,” Cristobal said. “This program has an unparalleled tradition and an exciting future ahead of it. I can’t wait to compete for championships and help mold our student-athletes into leaders on and off the field who will make our University, our community, and our loyal fan base proud.”

They have a lot of work to do. Miami has eight commitments right now and the first order of business will be determining which of them will remain in the class. Then will come the race to the early signing day on December 15. And after that a blitz in the transfer portal that will help shape the kind of team Miami is able to put on the field in 2022.

Cristobal brings a tireless work ethic, a reputation as an outstanding recruiter and a history of taking a program and turning it into a winner. Plus he's a hometown guy with a bigtime reputation.

Cristobal most recently turned Oregon into a nationally relevant program and certainly could have returned there to continue the run of success.

But he wanted to come home: He's from Miami, has family here and of course played for UM. He graduated from Miami Columbus in 1993, and graduated from the University of Miami in 2001 (he played under Dennis Erickson and helped UM to national titles in 1989 and 1991, earning first-team All-Big East honors in 1992).

His coaching background as it relates to Miami?

Well his coaching career began all the way back in 1998 as a graduate assistant, working for three season under Butch Davis.

Cristobal returned to Miami as TE coach and then OL coach under Larry Coker from 2004-06. He was also expected to coach at UM again as tight ends coach/associate head coach in 2013, but six weeks after accepting the job he was poached away by Alabama to become the Crimson Tide's assistant head coach/OL coach/recruiting coordinator.

Aside from his Miami playing and coaching days?

Cristobal worked under Greg Schiano as OL/TE coach from 2001-03. And he was head coach at FIU from 2007-12, becoming the first Cuban-American head coach in FBS history. He turned the program around, with the Panthers winning a program-record eight games in 2011.

Cristobal also worked under Nick Saban at 'Bama, spending 2013-16 there and helping the team to a national title in 2015.

In 2017 he went to Oregon as Willie Taggart's co-offensive coordinator and OL coach, and was head coach there the last four seasons - he's won the most games in the Pac-12 over that span.

After Oregon went 4-8 and 7-6 prior to his taking the job, Cristobal's teams have gone 9-4, 12-2, 4-3 (COVID-shortened season) and have had another strong season this year.

Cristobal's recruiting prowess also is undisputed, and at Oregon in recent seasons his classes ranked No. 13 in 2018, No. 7 in 2019, No. 9 in 2020 and No. 3 this past cycle.

This is a home run hire for Miami in so many ways.

And now Cristobal will try to hit the ground running to turn this Cane program around.