Video: OL Jalen Rivers and LB Francisco confirm return to Miami

Players Jalen Rivers and Francisco Mauigoa answered questions from the media ahead of Pinstripe Bowl vs. Rutgers. The game is scheduled for Thursday, December 28, in the Bronx, NY. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:15 PM Eastern.

Rivers started with a confirmation statement communicating he would return to Miami for the 2024 season.

JALEN RIVERS: I didn't publicly make any announcement or anything, but I was planning to play in this game, and then I do plan to come back for another year too. I just didn't publicly announce it.

Talking with Coach Cristobal and talking to Coach Mirabal, I see where the program is going. And it's going in the right direction, and I'm glad to be a part of it. So that's why I've made the decision to come back another year.

Q. I was going to ask about basically the same thing, but just how tough of a decision was that for you? What were the factors that you were considering? Obviously, the NFL is an alluring destination. How difficult of a decision was it for you? How long did it take you to kind of weigh your options and stuff?

JALEN RIVERS: I was thinking about it really for a while, like a couple of weeks at the end of the season. I just talked with my parents, the coaches, with other people as well, getting information, a lot of feedback, what I'm projected.

I just wanted -- depending on what the grade was or anything, I just wanted to come back another year just to hone on my skills more and just to get better.

That was my biggest concern. Am I fully ready? Do I think I could leave? Do I want to come back another year? I felt like it was best for me to come back.

Q. Obviously, you guys, Coach Guidry was just talking about how he had to reshape the whole secondary. On your end, you are going to, I assume, not have Javion or Matt for the bowl game since I assume they're opting out. Can you talk about some of the guys who are working there and how confident you are in those guys at left guard and at center?

JALEN RIVERS: I'm confident in the guys that are stepping up. Like center we have Ryan Rodriguez right now and Matt McCoy. We have Lou Cristobal. We have a lot of guys filling in those spots, seeing what the best fit is for that position.

It's a competition every day, so there's nothing set in stone just now. But they knew that when Matt was leaving and Javion was leaving, they knew they had to step up. They worked a lot being good leaders. We saw them every practice getting better since they've been here.

They've been working at it, and I feel very confident playing next to any of the guys that stepped up and are planning to take that spot. Yeah, they're ready and prepared, and they've been working at it for a minute now.

Q. Great news about you coming back.

JALEN RIVERS: Yes, ma'am.

Q. With a new quarterback starting, does it feel like a whole new team in a way? A lot of guys have left. How is the transition? I'm wondering how Jacurri is doing, first of all.

JALEN RIVERS: I mean, it's great. It doesn't matter who was at quarterback with me. We just have to protect them. That's the biggest thing as an offensive lineman. It doesn't matter who is behind you. We just have to protect them. We have to trust them.

It's next man up. Tyler left. Unfortunately, Henry got hurt, so we knew J.B. was going to have to step up.

So it's not a whole new team. It's just we have to pick them up. The O-line has been there this whole time. We have a new quarterback behind us, just like when we had Emory behind us. Next man up. We trust you, we're going to help you and encourage you. That's what we're there for.

Q. How is he doing, though? How does he seem to be doing so far?

JALEN RIVERS: He's doing good. He's getting better every day, and he's building that trust. We're building that trust with him. He's building that trust with us and getting better each day.

Q. Then the bowl game, you know, UM hasn't had a lot of luck in bowl games. Why is it important? I know every game is important, but what can a bowl win do for you?

JALEN RIVERS: We haven't won a bowl game in a minute. I don't know when that was, but it's been a minute. It's important to just change that trajectory of us not winning bowl games.

This will be an important step in the right direction, and it's a step in the right direction leading into next year as well so we can showcase what we have and what we put on film right now so we can have a better opportunity, a better confidence going into next year as well.

Q. Then I'll just throw some of them out here. Playing at Yankee Stadium, what will that be like for you? Have you ever been there and all that stuff?

JALEN RIVERS: It will be very special, and I know they're going to put on a great bowl for us. It will be a good challenge for us going against one of the best teams in that conference, Big Ten Conference, Rutgers.

I've been to New York this past summer, but playing in a game there, it will be really special, and great to be there during that time of the year. It's one of the best years to be in New York right now, so I know it's going to be special, and it will be a great game.

Q. You talked about center. Left guard. Were those guys also playing left guard -- with Javion gone, who are some of the options there?

JALEN RIVERS: Like I said earlier, right now, left guard, nothing is set in stone, but Matt McCoy, Lou Cristobal. We have other guards, too, like Logan Sagapolu. Some other guys, as well. Right now, we just don't have a starting five or starting left guard, starting center just now.

Q. Yeah, kind of touching on that same subject. You guys on the offensive line this year; everyone was healthy all year; knock on wood, which is not something that's common for an offensive line. How much of an adjustment is it to be playing with guys who haven't started, and then how much do you think that will help going into next season, where some of the guys might be starters on the line next year?

JALEN RIVERS: It's very important because, like I said, next man up, but also it changes a lot.

During the season, we all were healthy, but it could have been a time where, hey, you had to play next to somebody that you're not used to. I could have played next to somebody that wasn't Javion. It is what it is at the end of the day.

That's what we're treating it like now. Matt and Javion is gone. Next man up. You have to readjust and teach those guys that position. You have to learn off each other and be a cohesive unit like we were all year.

That goes to show our leadership. Me and Coop have to step up. Me, CC, and Coop, it doesn't matter if you are a freshman or not, you have been playing this whole year against some guys. We have a center and a left guard we need to get readjusted to.

I feel like it will be great, and I feel like we're handling that challenge really well.

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: I say every game is important. This bowl game is just as important as any game in the season. We want to go out with a bang. That's the plan. That's the goal. This team is trying to -- we're always motivated and reaching for a W. We have no other option but to win. That's how we are attacking this bowl game.

It's extremely important, yeah.

Q. First off, mentioning your decision to come back to UM for next year, what were the factors that played into that decision? How important was it to keep playing with your brother?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: It was a rough process. Me and my family were talking about it, we were praying about it. God gave me a sign and my family a sign to come back.

I see this program going far beyond imagined, and I want to be a part of it.

Being by my brother is something you don't want to take for granted, and I want to finish my last year playing beside him and playing for this program.

I just want to be part of something special that's going to be built and formed here.

Q. Along those lines, what have you learned about Mario? Why are you convinced that he's going to be the one that turns it around here? With respect to your process, did he have to almost re-recruit you, or did he just let you and your family decide on your own?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: He gave me the option. We had a talk. He's just a great leader. He wants the best for the team, and he always puts the team before him. That's what a great leader does. Me and him talking, he is just being real.

For me and my decision, my family, he gave me time. He gave me and my family time to think about it. It all came down to me and my family. It wasn't any other factors but me and my family making this decision for the best for my future and for the Miami Hurricanes' future. We all counted everything within the decision I made.

Q. I know you said you feel like there's more to accomplish at this level. What are some of those things that you personally still have to accomplish?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: I'm never perfect. I feel like there's a lot to improve on, either getting in film time with pre-read before each play or getting certain skills in, skill sets in to improve my game. So it's a long way to go for me.

For this team, it's getting close. There's just missing parts, and I know we're going to get them. It's going to be a great team next year.

Q. Also, Kiko, a lot of players have left, which is the natural process every year, and won't be in the Pinstripe Bowl. What's it like practicing now without those guys? Is there some kind of transition, you're going to have a lot of guys who have not played as much on the field. What's that like?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: Yes, the guys that left, props to them for being with this team. They stayed strong, and we had a lot of leaders leaving. We've got opportunities for the young guys that are stepping up to that role.

We've got a lot of guys that are willing to put their opportunity to be the best for this team. I take pride in that for this team because everybody is just coming in close. There's no -- just everybody being selfless and putting the team first. That's what I see in the locker room.

Q. You were mentioning young guys that have been stepping up and getting opportunities. Just what have you seen from Jacurri in practice so far? Obviously he didn't play during the season, but now he is getting a shot. Just how has he looked in practice?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: He is looking good. He is using all his skill sets to prove himself. I think he's doing a really good job of throwing the ball, making the right decision. And in practice he's just showing intensive focus on his craft. He's just getting better and better, yeah.

Q. What are you looking forward to going up to New York? Because Yankee Stadium is such a fantastic stadium. Is it one of the things on your bucket list to be at Yankee Stadium? What are you going to look around for New York City?

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: I've never been to New York. It's going to be my first time in New York. Spending the holidays over there, it's a special feeling. I can't wait for this opportunity to go to New York in the holiday and play the bowl game over there.

In Yankee Stadium, it's just special. You don't got a lot of opportunities to do that, and I'm excited. I think the whole team is excited for the opportunity to be there and play.

So it's going to be cold. It's not really our nature, but you know, we have proven that we can play in the cold, too with the Boston College game. We're just going to go there and do our thing. I'm excited for the opportunity.

Q. If I could follow up real quick, if you guys win this game, this is going to help you to catapult to next year for a better start and hopefully a better bowl game because a lot of these teams take these games and win and catapult themselves to a better season next year.

FRANCISCO MAUIGOA: Yes, of course. Coach Cristobal hit it one time in our meetings about this is how we're going to start out with next season. This is how we're going to -- this is how the team is going to look like. Everybody is going to look at this game as a start of next season's team going to look like.

We just have to put on a show and work to get that win.

Courtesy of the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl

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