This offseason, The Miami Hurricanes made moves to bring in their new head coach, Mario Cristobal. Following another disappointing season with Manny Diaz at the helm, the Canes began targeting new head coach candidates. At the top of their list was Miami native and the head coach at the University of Oregon – Mario Cristobal. After a fairly public courtship, news of the hire was broken by Mike Ryan Ruiz of The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz.
Mario Cristobal returns home to the school he won two National Championships with as a player under Dennis Erickson, and where he was an offensive tackle blocking for Gino Torretta’s Heisman Trophy-winning campaign.
The Hurricanes, who had previously been unwilling to allocate funds to their athletic department, recently had a change of heart. The success of Miami’s UHealth system, which made more than $400 million in profits last year, and promises from big-time boosters and donors to back upgrades at Miami, changed the school’s stance. The added resources from this helped the U land their whale in Cristobal.
Cristobal was lured over from The University of Oregon to the tune of $8 million per year in part of a 10-year contract. The Hurricanes also footed the bill for the $9 million buy-out clause to the Oregon Ducks. While the news made many Hurricanes fans happy, it was reported by Sports Illustrated that the Miami Faculty was bothered by the move.
Cristobal Already Bringing Some Return On Investment
However, while the move may have angered some, new details were released this week, showing that the move is already paying off financially. While the team has yet to take the field under Cristobal, the school saw an increase in over 2000 new season tickets in the first week they went on sale last month.
In addition to an increase in ticket sales, Miami Senior Associate AD/Development Chris Cohen said this week that the school’s athletic department “has received nearly $1 million in donations since Cristobal’s hiring Dec. 7.” Of the increase in donations are seven donations for a combined $500,000 through UM’s new Athletic Director Society.
Cristobal wasn’t the only hire for Miami. They also welcomed new Athletic Director Dan Radakovich from Clemson, who will be in charge of allocating the new money.
Donations didn’t stop there, however, The school also has raised more than $400,000 for the student impact annual fund.
Returns With Recruiting
Prior to the Cristobal hiring, Miami was struggling to put together an impressive 2022 recruiting class. Manny Diaz had the team outside the top-60 in recruit rankings. However, Mario Cristobal, who is often heralded for his ability to recruit changed that forecast nearly immediately when he added eight players on signing day less than two weeks after his hiring.
More good news came this weekend when top 100 prospect out of Las Vegas’ Bishop Gorman, Cyrus Moss, committed to the Hurricanes. The 6-foot-6 defensive end chooses Miami over Alabama, Oregon, Notre Dame, and more. It doesn’t look to be the last top 100 prospect expected to sign soon.
Miami is expected to be among one of the leading programs of players making money with NIL opportunities. This may be a trend in recruiting for the U in the years to come.
Will The U Be Back?
With an uptick in recruits heading to Coral Gables, actual excitement around the program, and seemingly unlimited resources being allocated to the program, can the University of Miami return to what it once was? Mario Cristobal hopes to bring the National Championship success he saw as a player to the field as a coach, and the school is giving him the power to do what it takes to do so.
Along with the money to pay Cristobal, the school has promised the coach he’d have the highest available payroll in the conference to hire assistants and staff. News of his Oregon assistant coach Alex Mirabal joining the staff as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach was announced this week. Expect for more of an all-star staff to join Cristobal in Miami.
For years many have wondered, “Is The U Back?” and for years, the team has answered that question with the negative. But for whatever reason, this wave feels different. Will the momentum keep building for the University of Miami on the field with a return to dominance? Time will tell. But for the first time in a long time, the school has invested in athletics, and before taking the field it is already paying off.
