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It’s been awkward at the University of Miami since Blake James was relieved of his duties as the athletic director three weeks ago. Since that breakup, there has been a cloud of uncertainty hovering over the Miami Hurricanes football program.
Just three days ago, Dan Radakovich was hired as the athletic director from Clemson, but no news surfaced about who would lead the football team as head coach.
Until Monday.
Monday morning, the awkwardness continued as the school announced that they were moving on from Head Coach Manny Diaz after three seasons and a 21-15 overall record. Diaz expressed how he was not happy with how the situation was handled in his final days as head coach of the University of Miami.
— Manny Diaz (@Coach_MannyDiaz) December 6, 2021
Three hours later the school announced Mario Cristobal, who coached at Oregon for the last three seasons was was hired as the new head coach of the Miami Hurricanes.
Back where he belongs.
Welcome home, Coach Cristobal.
More: https://t.co/USw61qS59O pic.twitter.com/nAWNLE6dy9
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) December 6, 2021
“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,” said Cristobal.
Proven winner. Elite recruiter. Talent developer.
We just hit a home run. pic.twitter.com/gWt4uWzTzG
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) December 7, 2021
“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.”
Cristobal had a 35-13 record at Oregon and won the Pac-12 twice, appearing in three consecutive conference title games.
Cristobal was born and raised in Miami and attended Columbus High School. He went on to play for “The U” winning two national titles as an offensive lineman in 1989 and 1991. He coached at Miami as a grad assistant from 1998 to 2000 and coached the offensive line from 2004-2006. Cristobal took his first head coaching job at FIU which did not fare well as he was fired after six seasons with a 27-47 record.
Cristobal found his niche as a recruiter joining Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide winning a national title in 2015 as the offensive line coach. He was named national recruiter of the year in 2015 by 247 Sports.
The change is a significant shift in the investment the school is putting into football and athletics. Cristobal is expected to sign a five-year, 8 million dollar deal and will have one of the largest spending pools to hire assistants in the ACC.
The right coach at the right time. pic.twitter.com/LQCKRZgxHG
— Canes Football (@CanesFootball) December 6, 2021
Cristobal is expected to bring in Oregon offensive line coach Alex Mirabal (high school teammate of Cristobal) and the Ducks strength coach Aaron Field.
There is also a mutual interest between former LSU offensive coordinator Joe Brady and Miami. Brady helped the Tigers win the 2019 national championship.
The timing of the hire is significant because of the national signing period approaching (December 15-17). Cristobal is an elite recruiter as Oregon has the 18th best 2022 class with 16 overall commitments according to Rivals.com.
Overall the response has been positive from area players and Nyjalik Kelly, arguably the best defensive end in South Florida out of Fort Lauderdale Dillard High School, reportedly is now trending toward Miami.
Miami currently has the 57th ranked 2022 class with just 8 commitments according to Rivals.
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