Miami head coach Mario Cristobal met with reporters following the first spring practice. A transcript of the session is below:
Question: What stood out from day one of spring practice?
Mario Cristobal: First day is always awesome to be out there. The energy is what you want—day one, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of juice. The level of physicality, even in spiders, you’ve got to walk the line, but I thought our guys did a good job staying up and competing.
We’ve got miles to go. You’ve got to get in football shape to practice good football—that’s a big thing. The offseason shows up in a lot of ways, but playing football is different, and when you put the pads on, it’s different. Off to a solid start, but a long way to go.
Question: Did the momentum from the end of last season carry into this spring?
Mario Cristobal: I don’t think the momentum has ever stopped. Even from year one to year two, the way things ended, everyone in the building understands the work we do is going to lead to continued progress.
We had a different offseason model because we played so late—almost 24 or 25 straight weeks, which is different here. Some guys had to be brought along differently early on. But when we go, we go. Not recklessly, but we practice hard, we’re physical, and I think that shows up in how we play.
Pro Day yesterday was validation—NFL teams love the way the Miami Hurricanes play football. That’s a testament to how we do things.
Question: What were your first impressions of Darian Mensah in practice?
Mario Cristobal: A complete professional. Ownership of the system, great command, personality, arm talent, escapability, pocket presence, accuracy—he checks a lot of boxes.
He’s got great energy. People gravitate to him. He’s another galvanizing agent, and we’ve been fortunate at that position with guys who bring people together. He’s fit in perfectly.
Question: What’s the biggest focus for the team this spring?
Mario Cristobal: You want to master your systems—technique, fundamentals—and be able to play snap to whistle all day. Effort covers up a lot.
Communication is critical. Secure the football, disrupt the football. And culturally—run on and off the field, play with max effort, be a great teammate.
Some guys come from places where certain things are tolerated. Here, they’re not. Message one is lose your sensitivity. If you wear the U, you’re going to get coached hard. You’re going to get corrected. That’s part of getting better and helping the team win.
This team loves to work. We’ve got to make them calloused. We’ve got to build experience where we don’t have it yet. There’s a lot of work to do, but we’re excited about it.
Question: How did Jackson Cantwell look in his first full spring setting?
Mario Cristobal: He’s probably happy Ruben Bain and Akheem Mesidor weren’t out there today—that was his baptism when he first got here.
He’s a high-level athlete, but there’s always an adjustment to this level—speed, power, everything. He’s a sponge, attacks his work like a pro. And physically, you’ve seen him—he’s massive, 6’8-plus, big frame, but it’s the right kind of weight.
The mentorship he’s getting from guys like Matt McCoy, Ryan Rodriguez, Samson Okunlola—that’s invaluable. It’s a great situation for him and the young offensive linemen.
Question: What stood out about the new coaches during the hiring process?
Mario Cristobal: We have a rigorous hiring process—we go about it like we practice.
We want masters of their craft, elite teachers, strong presence, guys who can impact a room and have tough conversations. Organized, detailed, able to elevate the program.
Coach Viti—what he’s done is incredible. Coach Upshaw, we knew from FIU, then he proved himself at a high level and got to the NFL. These were no-brainer hires. Early returns say they’re not just good fits—they’re great fits.
Question: What do you hope the Pro Day group instills in the current team?
Mario Cristobal: That group is calloused. They’re resilient. They lived through 5–7. They sat outside Hard Rock after tough losses waiting to talk, dealing with it.
They’re high-IQ guys who understood what it takes to flip a program. They became agents of change.
And what you saw at Pro Day—that’s organic momentum. Not social media hype—real validation. NFL scouts see them as difference-makers, guys who elevated the program.
Now it’s motivation to do it better, bigger, and continue improving.
Question: How are the freshman wide receivers like Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford adjusting?
Mario Cristobal: Don’t forget Millan Paris. That receiver room is going to be the most competitive it’s been since we got here.
Somourian Wingo, Tyran Evans, Vance Spafford—they’ve all flashed. Dre Jacobs and Cam Vaughn have done really well. Josh Moore has taken a big step this offseason. Daylyn Upshaw is back healthy and was on his way to being a contributor.
That room is going to be like tryouts every day. It’s going to push everyone.
Question: What have you seen from the linebacker group?
Mario Cristobal: Chase Smith is a guy we haven’t talked about enough. By the end of the year, he was playing really physical, tough, smart football coming off a major knee injury.
He and Mo have a ton of experience. Then you’ve got Bobby Pruitt, Kellen Wiley, KB Bonner, EJ Marcelin—they’ve all had strong offseasons.
It’s more competitive. We’ve improved size, speed, physicality. But it’s still unproven after the top guys. We’ve got to get better.
This is a complete reset. Just because we made a run last year doesn’t mean anything carries over automatically. Day one culture. Be early, be ready, be professional.
Question: Has your roster-building approach changed with transfers and new quarterbacks each year?
Mario Cristobal: Not really—it’s just more tools now.
Every year is different. You evaluate your roster—where you need help, whether high school guys can fill it, whether you go to the portal, or just add competition.
We project two years out—every position, every player, everything.
What stays the same is we’re aggressive. We go find the right people, and we bring them into this environment. They see how we practice, and they decide if it’s for them.
It’s demanding, but it’s built for elite development. You’ve got to love football and value the education.
Question: What’s the plan for the offensive line this spring?
Mario Cristobal: We cross-train everybody. Those guys can play guard, tackle—both sides. Matt McCoy’s even snapped.
We’re going to find the best five that play the best together. There’s going to be a lot of experimenting, trial and error, figuring out combinations.
Guys like Jackson Cantwell, Max Buchanan, SJ, Jaden Wilkerson, Demetrius Campbell—they’ve all had strong offseasons.
It’s about finding the right mix and getting the best five on the field as one unit.
Question: What stood out from day one of spring practice?
Mario Cristobal: First day is always awesome to be out there. The energy is what you want—day one, a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of juice. The level of physicality, even in spiders, you’ve got to walk the line, but I thought our guys did a good job staying up and competing.
We’ve got miles to go. You’ve got to get in football shape to practice good football—that’s a big thing. The offseason shows up in a lot of ways, but playing football is different, and when you put the pads on, it’s different. Off to a solid start, but a long way to go.
Question: Did the momentum from the end of last season carry into this spring?
Mario Cristobal: I don’t think the momentum has ever stopped. Even from year one to year two, the way things ended, everyone in the building understands the work we do is going to lead to continued progress.
We had a different offseason model because we played so late—almost 24 or 25 straight weeks, which is different here. Some guys had to be brought along differently early on. But when we go, we go. Not recklessly, but we practice hard, we’re physical, and I think that shows up in how we play.
Pro Day yesterday was validation—NFL teams love the way the Miami Hurricanes play football. That’s a testament to how we do things.
Question: What were your first impressions of Darian Mensah in practice?
Mario Cristobal: A complete professional. Ownership of the system, great command, personality, arm talent, escapability, pocket presence, accuracy—he checks a lot of boxes.
He’s got great energy. People gravitate to him. He’s another galvanizing agent, and we’ve been fortunate at that position with guys who bring people together. He’s fit in perfectly.
Question: What’s the biggest focus for the team this spring?
Mario Cristobal: You want to master your systems—technique, fundamentals—and be able to play snap to whistle all day. Effort covers up a lot.
Communication is critical. Secure the football, disrupt the football. And culturally—run on and off the field, play with max effort, be a great teammate.
Some guys come from places where certain things are tolerated. Here, they’re not. Message one is lose your sensitivity. If you wear the U, you’re going to get coached hard. You’re going to get corrected. That’s part of getting better and helping the team win.
This team loves to work. We’ve got to make them calloused. We’ve got to build experience where we don’t have it yet. There’s a lot of work to do, but we’re excited about it.
Question: How did Jackson Cantwell look in his first full spring setting?
Mario Cristobal: He’s probably happy Ruben Bain and Akheem Mesidor weren’t out there today—that was his baptism when he first got here.
He’s a high-level athlete, but there’s always an adjustment to this level—speed, power, everything. He’s a sponge, attacks his work like a pro. And physically, you’ve seen him—he’s massive, 6’8-plus, big frame, but it’s the right kind of weight.
The mentorship he’s getting from guys like Matt McCoy, Ryan Rodriguez, Samson Okunlola—that’s invaluable. It’s a great situation for him and the young offensive linemen.
Question: What stood out about the new coaches during the hiring process?
Mario Cristobal: We have a rigorous hiring process—we go about it like we practice.
We want masters of their craft, elite teachers, strong presence, guys who can impact a room and have tough conversations. Organized, detailed, able to elevate the program.
Coach Viti—what he’s done is incredible. Coach Upshaw, we knew from FIU, then he proved himself at a high level and got to the NFL. These were no-brainer hires. Early returns say they’re not just good fits—they’re great fits.
Question: What do you hope the Pro Day group instills in the current team?
Mario Cristobal: That group is calloused. They’re resilient. They lived through 5–7. They sat outside Hard Rock after tough losses waiting to talk, dealing with it.
They’re high-IQ guys who understood what it takes to flip a program. They became agents of change.
And what you saw at Pro Day—that’s organic momentum. Not social media hype—real validation. NFL scouts see them as difference-makers, guys who elevated the program.
Now it’s motivation to do it better, bigger, and continue improving.
Question: How are the freshman wide receivers like Somourian Wingo and Vance Spafford adjusting?
Mario Cristobal: Don’t forget Millan Paris. That receiver room is going to be the most competitive it’s been since we got here.
Somourian Wingo, Tyran Evans, Vance Spafford—they’ve all flashed. Dre Jacobs and Cam Vaughn have done really well. Josh Moore has taken a big step this offseason. Daylyn Upshaw is back healthy and was on his way to being a contributor.
That room is going to be like tryouts every day. It’s going to push everyone.
Question: What have you seen from the linebacker group?
Mario Cristobal: Chase Smith is a guy we haven’t talked about enough. By the end of the year, he was playing really physical, tough, smart football coming off a major knee injury.
He and Mo have a ton of experience. Then you’ve got Bobby Pruitt, Kellen Wiley, KB Bonner, EJ Marcelin—they’ve all had strong offseasons.
It’s more competitive. We’ve improved size, speed, physicality. But it’s still unproven after the top guys. We’ve got to get better.
This is a complete reset. Just because we made a run last year doesn’t mean anything carries over automatically. Day one culture. Be early, be ready, be professional.
Question: Has your roster-building approach changed with transfers and new quarterbacks each year?
Mario Cristobal: Not really—it’s just more tools now.
Every year is different. You evaluate your roster—where you need help, whether high school guys can fill it, whether you go to the portal, or just add competition.
We project two years out—every position, every player, everything.
What stays the same is we’re aggressive. We go find the right people, and we bring them into this environment. They see how we practice, and they decide if it’s for them.
It’s demanding, but it’s built for elite development. You’ve got to love football and value the education.
Question: What’s the plan for the offensive line this spring?
Mario Cristobal: We cross-train everybody. Those guys can play guard, tackle—both sides. Matt McCoy’s even snapped.
We’re going to find the best five that play the best together. There’s going to be a lot of experimenting, trial and error, figuring out combinations.
Guys like Jackson Cantwell, Max Buchanan, SJ, Jaden Wilkerson, Demetrius Campbell—they’ve all had strong offseasons.
It’s about finding the right mix and getting the best five on the field as one unit.
