Francis Mauigoa joined Kelly Gramlich and Eric MacLain as he readies for the NFL Draft. A transcript of the interview is below:
G&M Show: Francis, what’s up, brother? It’s always great to see you, man. Funny enough, you’re in Knoxville right now training pretty close to where I grew up. You and I were talking about that a little bit and how you kind of found this out. So I really want to start there. We’ll talk about Miami and the season and all that, but I’m super interested right now in how this pre-draft process has been as you got ready for the combine and pro day, and now as you’re doing some visits and things. What’s that been like?
Francis Mauigoa: It’s been amazing, man. It’s quite a blessing to be in this position. The process through all this stuff, it’s a blessing. Some people might hate it, some people might like it. For me, I’m in need of a job, so I can’t complain.
It’s all just like high school, getting recruited to go to college, but at this point, they’re making the choice. It’s not our decision to make, it’s their decision. So I guess my resume is already out there, and it is what it is. I just let God take the wheel.
G&M Show: Well, I think there are a couple things there. One, your resume is pretty good, and I think you’ll have a job. I think you’ll have a very nice job that’ll take care of you. But it is interesting what you just said there, that it’s kind of like high school in the sense that you’re going to camps, you’re going to the combine, you’re taking visits and this and that, but you’re not the one doing the choosing. They’re choosing you.
I guess mindset-wise for you, how different has that been? You’re talking to all these people, and who knows, they might not even take you, and yet you’re still having to talk to them and do meetings and things like that.
Francis Mauigoa: With that type of stuff, talking to people who might not pick you up, I look at it like building a relationship because you never know. Sometime down the line, they might be interested in you, but if your character isn’t there and you treated them wrong when you were getting recruited or going through this process, that’s a bad look for you.
The mindset is the same as going to college — coming in with the mindset of taking over and building the culture, the tradition, all that type of stuff. The standard needs to be the standard. I’ve already talked with a lot of coaches, and they felt good backing me up on that part of it. The standard will remain the standard, and we’ll aim to push it higher every day.
G&M Show: I think that’s a good transition for us because that’s what you did at Miami, right? When you came in, it was a pretty low point, and yet you believed in coach Mario Cristobal. You guys got that thing turned all the way around and got Miami to a national championship. As people love to say, “Miami’s back.” No, Miami is not back. Miami’s here. And this is a thing that you set out to do, right? That was a goal of yours when you decided to do that.
So just walk through this year a little bit, man. There are so many different things you could point to, but you guys had unbelievable success, and it was fun to be a small part of that journey with you for the last end of it there.
Francis Mauigoa: It was a **** of a ride with the brotherhood. We always say it’s a brotherhood because it’s the only program where all of the Hall of Famers come back and pour into the program. I met Jonathan Vilma, Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, Devin Hester was at practice, even Rohan Marley was there. Even Playmaker, they’re always around.
G&M Show: He’s around just a little bit, right?
Francis Mauigoa: Yeah, he’s around all the time. Those types of people — it’s the type of brotherhood that will remain an impact in your life. I’m really thankful and really blessed that I made the right decision to go to the University of Miami.
Coming in, like you said, it was a down year, and I had that mindset that I was going to turn this around and push it forward. I believed in coach Cristobal and coach Mirabal, and yeah, look where we’re at now. Next year, my boys are going to take it all out. The standard will be the standard, and every year we progress and elevate that standard.
G&M Show: No question. You mention all those names — the Ray Lewises and the Ed Reeds and again the countless others that I know are very proud of Miami and very involved and at practice. What was that feeling like for you guys those two years leading into this past year, where you’re a freshman and then a sophomore? Was it good pressure? Was it weird pressure, having those type of guys who are arguably some of the best football players ever — not just at Miami, not just wherever, but ever to play the game?
What was that kind of like? Did you feel any pressure from that, or was it just the support of, “We’re going to be as good as we can and hopefully get back to being that level?”
Francis Mauigoa: These are the type of players we look up to. A lot of these players are Hall of Famers, and a lot of them left their footprint on the game of football. When you see them coming to practice and all this, you kind of lean into them as mentors. They teach us the way of the game, how things were different from back then to nowadays.
We kind of have that player-to-player talk about how we can elevate this program because it was at its peak, then it came down a little bit, but now we’re trying to push past that limit. We do whatever it takes to be 1-0, like coach Cristobal always says.
G&M Show: There are few places that have that type of resources, those type of players, that type of impact those guys can have on you. I know that’s super cool. And you mentioned coach Cristobal there. Peel back the curtain a little bit for us, man. Now that you’re not his player — I know you’ll always be his player, but you’ve moved on — you can maybe share some stories or be a little more real, not be afraid that he’s looking over your shoulder here.
He’s an intense dude, man. He is obsessed with Miami, with the work, with the commitment it takes to be the best. I think that’s what you have to have nowadays, a guy that truly loves the place he is with all his heart and soul. What is he like in a team meeting, in a locker room, at practice? Just share, and if there’s a story you can share that shows that intensity of who he is.
Francis Mauigoa: He’s a nitty-gritty type of guy, the old-school type of coach, and that’s why I picked him to be my head coach. That’s why I stayed there for three years. He has that mindset of running everybody over.
The main definition of blocking is taking a guy from point A to point B against his will, and that just explains his mentality. We’re going to push you, and we’re going to take you wherever you don’t want to go, and we’re going to push you wherever we want you to go. It’s straight-through, toughness type of guy.
He’s always out there. He’s always with the O-line. So it explains how much the standard has to be on the O-line. It shows that he’s an O-line guy, but also as offensive linemen, we’re the standard holders. We’re the ones that uphold the standard. We bring that juice every day, and it kind of explains the season and how our offensive line did these past couple years.
G&M Show: I think the exclamation point on that was the playoff run that you guys made. You took over. The offensive line took over. Mark Fletcher took over as you guys kept facing better, more talented, more difficult opponents. It was all good — we just kept leaning on you guys up front.
What did that mean to you, man? Because again, you’re this leader, this pivotal point in Miami history in turning it around, and then the fact that it did come all the way down to your effort and your offensive line’s effort having that success. What does that mean to you, and what will you remember most about that run?
Francis Mauigoa: Talking about putting it on the offensive linemen, we wanted it. We wanted it. We worked so hard for this to the point where we wanted the ball. We wanted to run the ball. We worked so hard. We spent countless hours on the running game, and we spent countless hours training for moments like these, and it showed off in the playoff run.
We’re behind-the-scenes type of guys. We don’t want any recognition, but we’re out there trying to do whatever it takes to win the game and get where we were at.
G&M Show: It was fun, man. It was fun to watch. What was your favorite game from this past year? It could be any of them. It doesn’t have to be in the playoff, but maybe it is — Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State. There were a ton of great games. What was your favorite when you look back on this past season, either for your performance or the team’s performance?
Francis Mauigoa: I’d say the Ohio State game.
G&M Show: That was crazy.
Francis Mauigoa: It was. It was a walk in the park. All props to that team, but we came in ready to fight. We came in ready to strike anybody that stood in our way. That was the mentality we came in with, and we took over from the first quarter all the way to the fourth quarter.
It was amazing. I feel like we played for each other in that game. Obviously we play for each other every game, but for that game, it was something special. Offense was making plays, defense was making plays. It just kept going and going.
Going against Ohio State, the former national champion holder, it was something big for us and especially for the fans. It was something special for them because they were holding a grudge from that championship game back in the day.
G&M Show: Yeah, back in the day. I don’t know, 2001 or 2002, 2003, somewhere around there. The history of it.
Francis Mauigoa: It got that off their chest. It was big for our fans. Our fans have been there all the way through, so it was something special to give them that performance and to give them that game.
G&M Show: You mentioned it a little bit already, just on the mindset. What was the message going into that game? You don’t have to give me direct quotes — you can if you want — but you guys did start so fast and so physical. So I know mentally and physically you were more than ready. What was the message going into that game?
Francis Mauigoa: We were underdogs. We had been underdogs the whole time.
G&M Show: Like double digits. It was crazy.
Francis Mauigoa: Yeah. We had been underdogs the whole time, and coach Cristobal made an emphasis on that. We might be an underdog, but you still have to face us. All that media stuff doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, the media isn’t going to win the game for you guys. You’ve got to come and take it away from us.
That was the mindset we had coming into that game. Coming in as underdogs, but you still have to face us. It’s something that we take pride in.
G&M Show: Almost the attacking mentality. I love that. It paid off. Worked. It was a great game, fun to watch and fun to be a part of.
Let’s transition a little bit back to the combine prep and things of that nature. So the national championship’s over. You have the longest season you’ve ever had playing, and now you have to go straight to work. What was that transition like? Because you’re behind, right? There are some guys who haven’t played a game since Thanksgiving, and you’re going all the way to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, deep into January. So you’re a month, maybe two months behind some guys. What was that like for you, literally the next day, transitioning into this new phase of your life?
Francis Mauigoa: When we heard we were going to the playoff, we wanted to make it all the way in. One of the downsides to that is everybody else is getting better at all the combine stuff and getting stronger with their workouts, and we’re still in there practicing and doing whatever we can. It’s a long season, so we have to take care of our bodies, but some of that stuff is the sacrifice we have to make when we get to that point.
I wouldn’t want to sacrifice anything else. I’d rather sacrifice whatever we’ve got physically just for us to get to where we wanted to be. We talked about it the whole season, the whole offseason. That was our goal. I’d rather sacrifice that than sacrifice the playoff.
G&M Show: No question. So it’s over, you guys are done playing, and then what? Did you go to Knoxville the next day? Did you need a week off? Did you need a day off? What was that process, and when did you get started with the combine-type training?
Francis Mauigoa: The game was on Monday, and the family was in town for a couple days, so I stayed back and spent time with them for two or three days. Family is everything. Of course, I still got my work in at the facility and everything, but it was rough at first because we didn’t have what we wanted.
But it is what it is. We had to move on. By that Thursday, I came back to Knoxville and started busting my *** off because I knew I was behind. I had to make sure I did everything right and also did extra so I could get back to it.
G&M Show: I hear that, man. Talk to me a little bit about the combine. A couple more and I’ll get you out of here. I’m grateful for your time. So you go, and you’re doing medicals, interviews, drills, all these different things. You probably have been looking forward to this your entire life. Were you mentally ready for that? Was it weirder than you thought? What was your overall impression of the NFL Combine?
Francis Mauigoa: The combine was excellent. It was great. It was a great experience. I just went in there being myself. Football has been second nature in my life. It’s what I eat and breathe. They asked me a lot of football questions, a lot of background questions, which I have no problem telling you everything because I was raised right. I was raised in the church and everything like that, so I don’t have any background issues or anything like that, but I’m humble about it.
It was a great experience. I didn’t do anything at the combine just because I was behind on the workout side of it. One thing about the combine is you get back to your room around 12 because meetings finish at 11, and then you probably stick around talking to people, and then you have to walk back to the hotel room. You get back by 12, and then you’ve got to wake up at 5 in the morning because at 6 o’clock you’ve got check-ins. It’s sleep-deprived.
I was about to do something at the combine, but I was like, no, I need my full strength. I can still go out and put on a show, but if I want my numbers — not just numbers.
G&M Show: No doubt. I feel that, and I respect you for making that decision, man. It is such an interesting thing that we put all this effort and all this stock into a guy’s number for one day, and he’s sleep-deprived and going through all this crazy stuff. For what? Look at the tape. Is he a football player or not? Is he good or not? That’s the interesting thing to me.
Well, last one for you, brother. I know your faith is so important to you. I know it’s ingrained in everything that you do. Why is that so important to you?
Francis Mauigoa: Like I said, I was raised in a Christian home. It all starts from God. God gave us the opportunity to wake up every day, and thinking about that, there’s a purpose behind it. God wants us to take control and be better and serve Him throughout the day.
So whatever it is that God puts in front of me, I put my all into it, whether that’s football, whether that’s serving other people, serving the community. I put my all into it because God has a purpose in my life.
God has been very graceful. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be here. There’s a lot that God taught me, a lot that God has put me through to be where I’m at right now, and I can’t do it without God.
G&M Show: I love that, man. Cisi, it’s great to see you, brother. Thank you for your time. Super excited to see where you end up, my brother.
Francis Mauigoa: Thank you.
G&M Show: Francis, what’s up, brother? It’s always great to see you, man. Funny enough, you’re in Knoxville right now training pretty close to where I grew up. You and I were talking about that a little bit and how you kind of found this out. So I really want to start there. We’ll talk about Miami and the season and all that, but I’m super interested right now in how this pre-draft process has been as you got ready for the combine and pro day, and now as you’re doing some visits and things. What’s that been like?
Francis Mauigoa: It’s been amazing, man. It’s quite a blessing to be in this position. The process through all this stuff, it’s a blessing. Some people might hate it, some people might like it. For me, I’m in need of a job, so I can’t complain.
It’s all just like high school, getting recruited to go to college, but at this point, they’re making the choice. It’s not our decision to make, it’s their decision. So I guess my resume is already out there, and it is what it is. I just let God take the wheel.
G&M Show: Well, I think there are a couple things there. One, your resume is pretty good, and I think you’ll have a job. I think you’ll have a very nice job that’ll take care of you. But it is interesting what you just said there, that it’s kind of like high school in the sense that you’re going to camps, you’re going to the combine, you’re taking visits and this and that, but you’re not the one doing the choosing. They’re choosing you.
I guess mindset-wise for you, how different has that been? You’re talking to all these people, and who knows, they might not even take you, and yet you’re still having to talk to them and do meetings and things like that.
Francis Mauigoa: With that type of stuff, talking to people who might not pick you up, I look at it like building a relationship because you never know. Sometime down the line, they might be interested in you, but if your character isn’t there and you treated them wrong when you were getting recruited or going through this process, that’s a bad look for you.
The mindset is the same as going to college — coming in with the mindset of taking over and building the culture, the tradition, all that type of stuff. The standard needs to be the standard. I’ve already talked with a lot of coaches, and they felt good backing me up on that part of it. The standard will remain the standard, and we’ll aim to push it higher every day.
G&M Show: I think that’s a good transition for us because that’s what you did at Miami, right? When you came in, it was a pretty low point, and yet you believed in coach Mario Cristobal. You guys got that thing turned all the way around and got Miami to a national championship. As people love to say, “Miami’s back.” No, Miami is not back. Miami’s here. And this is a thing that you set out to do, right? That was a goal of yours when you decided to do that.
So just walk through this year a little bit, man. There are so many different things you could point to, but you guys had unbelievable success, and it was fun to be a small part of that journey with you for the last end of it there.
Francis Mauigoa: It was a **** of a ride with the brotherhood. We always say it’s a brotherhood because it’s the only program where all of the Hall of Famers come back and pour into the program. I met Jonathan Vilma, Ray Lewis, Edgerrin James, Devin Hester was at practice, even Rohan Marley was there. Even Playmaker, they’re always around.
G&M Show: He’s around just a little bit, right?
Francis Mauigoa: Yeah, he’s around all the time. Those types of people — it’s the type of brotherhood that will remain an impact in your life. I’m really thankful and really blessed that I made the right decision to go to the University of Miami.
Coming in, like you said, it was a down year, and I had that mindset that I was going to turn this around and push it forward. I believed in coach Cristobal and coach Mirabal, and yeah, look where we’re at now. Next year, my boys are going to take it all out. The standard will be the standard, and every year we progress and elevate that standard.
G&M Show: No question. You mention all those names — the Ray Lewises and the Ed Reeds and again the countless others that I know are very proud of Miami and very involved and at practice. What was that feeling like for you guys those two years leading into this past year, where you’re a freshman and then a sophomore? Was it good pressure? Was it weird pressure, having those type of guys who are arguably some of the best football players ever — not just at Miami, not just wherever, but ever to play the game?
What was that kind of like? Did you feel any pressure from that, or was it just the support of, “We’re going to be as good as we can and hopefully get back to being that level?”
Francis Mauigoa: These are the type of players we look up to. A lot of these players are Hall of Famers, and a lot of them left their footprint on the game of football. When you see them coming to practice and all this, you kind of lean into them as mentors. They teach us the way of the game, how things were different from back then to nowadays.
We kind of have that player-to-player talk about how we can elevate this program because it was at its peak, then it came down a little bit, but now we’re trying to push past that limit. We do whatever it takes to be 1-0, like coach Cristobal always says.
G&M Show: There are few places that have that type of resources, those type of players, that type of impact those guys can have on you. I know that’s super cool. And you mentioned coach Cristobal there. Peel back the curtain a little bit for us, man. Now that you’re not his player — I know you’ll always be his player, but you’ve moved on — you can maybe share some stories or be a little more real, not be afraid that he’s looking over your shoulder here.
He’s an intense dude, man. He is obsessed with Miami, with the work, with the commitment it takes to be the best. I think that’s what you have to have nowadays, a guy that truly loves the place he is with all his heart and soul. What is he like in a team meeting, in a locker room, at practice? Just share, and if there’s a story you can share that shows that intensity of who he is.
Francis Mauigoa: He’s a nitty-gritty type of guy, the old-school type of coach, and that’s why I picked him to be my head coach. That’s why I stayed there for three years. He has that mindset of running everybody over.
The main definition of blocking is taking a guy from point A to point B against his will, and that just explains his mentality. We’re going to push you, and we’re going to take you wherever you don’t want to go, and we’re going to push you wherever we want you to go. It’s straight-through, toughness type of guy.
He’s always out there. He’s always with the O-line. So it explains how much the standard has to be on the O-line. It shows that he’s an O-line guy, but also as offensive linemen, we’re the standard holders. We’re the ones that uphold the standard. We bring that juice every day, and it kind of explains the season and how our offensive line did these past couple years.
G&M Show: I think the exclamation point on that was the playoff run that you guys made. You took over. The offensive line took over. Mark Fletcher took over as you guys kept facing better, more talented, more difficult opponents. It was all good — we just kept leaning on you guys up front.
What did that mean to you, man? Because again, you’re this leader, this pivotal point in Miami history in turning it around, and then the fact that it did come all the way down to your effort and your offensive line’s effort having that success. What does that mean to you, and what will you remember most about that run?
Francis Mauigoa: Talking about putting it on the offensive linemen, we wanted it. We wanted it. We worked so hard for this to the point where we wanted the ball. We wanted to run the ball. We worked so hard. We spent countless hours on the running game, and we spent countless hours training for moments like these, and it showed off in the playoff run.
We’re behind-the-scenes type of guys. We don’t want any recognition, but we’re out there trying to do whatever it takes to win the game and get where we were at.
G&M Show: It was fun, man. It was fun to watch. What was your favorite game from this past year? It could be any of them. It doesn’t have to be in the playoff, but maybe it is — Florida, Notre Dame, Ohio State. There were a ton of great games. What was your favorite when you look back on this past season, either for your performance or the team’s performance?
Francis Mauigoa: I’d say the Ohio State game.
G&M Show: That was crazy.
Francis Mauigoa: It was. It was a walk in the park. All props to that team, but we came in ready to fight. We came in ready to strike anybody that stood in our way. That was the mentality we came in with, and we took over from the first quarter all the way to the fourth quarter.
It was amazing. I feel like we played for each other in that game. Obviously we play for each other every game, but for that game, it was something special. Offense was making plays, defense was making plays. It just kept going and going.
Going against Ohio State, the former national champion holder, it was something big for us and especially for the fans. It was something special for them because they were holding a grudge from that championship game back in the day.
G&M Show: Yeah, back in the day. I don’t know, 2001 or 2002, 2003, somewhere around there. The history of it.
Francis Mauigoa: It got that off their chest. It was big for our fans. Our fans have been there all the way through, so it was something special to give them that performance and to give them that game.
G&M Show: You mentioned it a little bit already, just on the mindset. What was the message going into that game? You don’t have to give me direct quotes — you can if you want — but you guys did start so fast and so physical. So I know mentally and physically you were more than ready. What was the message going into that game?
Francis Mauigoa: We were underdogs. We had been underdogs the whole time.
G&M Show: Like double digits. It was crazy.
Francis Mauigoa: Yeah. We had been underdogs the whole time, and coach Cristobal made an emphasis on that. We might be an underdog, but you still have to face us. All that media stuff doesn’t really matter. At the end of the day, the media isn’t going to win the game for you guys. You’ve got to come and take it away from us.
That was the mindset we had coming into that game. Coming in as underdogs, but you still have to face us. It’s something that we take pride in.
G&M Show: Almost the attacking mentality. I love that. It paid off. Worked. It was a great game, fun to watch and fun to be a part of.
Let’s transition a little bit back to the combine prep and things of that nature. So the national championship’s over. You have the longest season you’ve ever had playing, and now you have to go straight to work. What was that transition like? Because you’re behind, right? There are some guys who haven’t played a game since Thanksgiving, and you’re going all the way to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, deep into January. So you’re a month, maybe two months behind some guys. What was that like for you, literally the next day, transitioning into this new phase of your life?
Francis Mauigoa: When we heard we were going to the playoff, we wanted to make it all the way in. One of the downsides to that is everybody else is getting better at all the combine stuff and getting stronger with their workouts, and we’re still in there practicing and doing whatever we can. It’s a long season, so we have to take care of our bodies, but some of that stuff is the sacrifice we have to make when we get to that point.
I wouldn’t want to sacrifice anything else. I’d rather sacrifice whatever we’ve got physically just for us to get to where we wanted to be. We talked about it the whole season, the whole offseason. That was our goal. I’d rather sacrifice that than sacrifice the playoff.
G&M Show: No question. So it’s over, you guys are done playing, and then what? Did you go to Knoxville the next day? Did you need a week off? Did you need a day off? What was that process, and when did you get started with the combine-type training?
Francis Mauigoa: The game was on Monday, and the family was in town for a couple days, so I stayed back and spent time with them for two or three days. Family is everything. Of course, I still got my work in at the facility and everything, but it was rough at first because we didn’t have what we wanted.
But it is what it is. We had to move on. By that Thursday, I came back to Knoxville and started busting my *** off because I knew I was behind. I had to make sure I did everything right and also did extra so I could get back to it.
G&M Show: I hear that, man. Talk to me a little bit about the combine. A couple more and I’ll get you out of here. I’m grateful for your time. So you go, and you’re doing medicals, interviews, drills, all these different things. You probably have been looking forward to this your entire life. Were you mentally ready for that? Was it weirder than you thought? What was your overall impression of the NFL Combine?
Francis Mauigoa: The combine was excellent. It was great. It was a great experience. I just went in there being myself. Football has been second nature in my life. It’s what I eat and breathe. They asked me a lot of football questions, a lot of background questions, which I have no problem telling you everything because I was raised right. I was raised in the church and everything like that, so I don’t have any background issues or anything like that, but I’m humble about it.
It was a great experience. I didn’t do anything at the combine just because I was behind on the workout side of it. One thing about the combine is you get back to your room around 12 because meetings finish at 11, and then you probably stick around talking to people, and then you have to walk back to the hotel room. You get back by 12, and then you’ve got to wake up at 5 in the morning because at 6 o’clock you’ve got check-ins. It’s sleep-deprived.
I was about to do something at the combine, but I was like, no, I need my full strength. I can still go out and put on a show, but if I want my numbers — not just numbers.
G&M Show: No doubt. I feel that, and I respect you for making that decision, man. It is such an interesting thing that we put all this effort and all this stock into a guy’s number for one day, and he’s sleep-deprived and going through all this crazy stuff. For what? Look at the tape. Is he a football player or not? Is he good or not? That’s the interesting thing to me.
Well, last one for you, brother. I know your faith is so important to you. I know it’s ingrained in everything that you do. Why is that so important to you?
Francis Mauigoa: Like I said, I was raised in a Christian home. It all starts from God. God gave us the opportunity to wake up every day, and thinking about that, there’s a purpose behind it. God wants us to take control and be better and serve Him throughout the day.
So whatever it is that God puts in front of me, I put my all into it, whether that’s football, whether that’s serving other people, serving the community. I put my all into it because God has a purpose in my life.
God has been very graceful. If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be here. There’s a lot that God taught me, a lot that God has put me through to be where I’m at right now, and I can’t do it without God.
G&M Show: I love that, man. Cisi, it’s great to see you, brother. Thank you for your time. Super excited to see where you end up, my brother.
Francis Mauigoa: Thank you.
