Mario Cristobal met with reporters after his fourth spring game as Miami's head coach. Here's everything he said:
On the spring overall: We feel really good about our spring. We really do. We play football, we practice football, wewear pads and the guys did a really good job attacking a a very demanding regiment.
A couple guys were held out due to being nicked up or bumped up. We don't see anything major. But overall just a very, a very good spring. A lot of progress and a lot more progress to go.
On Luke Nickel: He's very natural. I don't think he's phased in any way, shape or form. He understands protections really well. Therefore, he can slide in and out of stuff, he feels it well and he's not afraid to let it go.
He understands what's being played behind that front. He understands where the holes are, he understands where he can go with the ball. He made some really big plays today. He has about two he'd like to have back and held on one a little bit longer that you wanted, but really good football player.
You can push him hard, you can coach him hard. He was raised really well. He's a tough son of a gun. Really happy for him with the spring he had.
On Malachi Toney: His maturity and preparation is what sticks out. And so 5:30 in the morning, he'll be out there catching some balls. If he makes a mistake, he's gonna come in and watch some film with the veteran players, see what he has to get better at. You can push him hard. He comes from a family with really deep South Florida football bloodlines, athletic bloodlines, disciplined bloodlines, great culture at home.
He knows he has a ways to go, but he's had a great start this spring and we are gonna push him really hard this summer to make sure we maximize his talent. Really fired up about him and the way he's played.
On the goal-line stand: As an offensive lineman, I wanted to projectile vomit. From the defensive side, two things: great from a schematic standpoint, finding a way to expose certain gaps and timing it up well. And even more so, a couple guys putting their feet in the ground, hunkering down, and knocking guys back. We kind of needed that. We've done a lot of short-yardage, but we hadn't done a bunch of goalline in the spring for obvious reasons.
On what's next for Carson Beck: The good thing is that, with player-led practices coming up, I think he'll be cleared for all those. We should have about 16 of those before we head to fall camp, plus whatever he does on his own with the players.
On running back depth: Girard Pringle, you saw, he's really got a burst that's pretty elite. He got nicked up in spring and missed some time, needs to make up for that. I think Chris Wheatley-Humphrey continues to grow, mature and get stronger, we think he's going to be a really good player. So we're gaining ground there, but I don't think you're ever feel comfortable. It can change so quickly, so you always want to add more, develop more. So we'll see.
On the defensive tackles: Those guys have certainly gotten better. They're now 310 pounders that can move, that can bend, that can strike, that can get off blocks and make plays. They're becoming more physical. I think Damione Lewis and Jason Taylor have done a great job. Coach Mirabal and those guys going at it, it's a very much an iron-sharpens-iron practice setting. So, again, a lot of ground made. We've got a ways to go, but man, we progressed so much. We're excited. Feels like every single spring we're getting better.
On Markeith Williams: He got bigger, he got stronger, he learned the system. He's a guy that's been around here for a while, and you wonder, "Hey, is this guy going to get on board, is he going to do the things necessary to improve?" I think he's committed himself more, he still has a long way to ago, but we're excited about his improvement and think he can be a really good player. Proud of him for buying in and trying to do it, but he's another guy we've got to push him.
On Tennessee moving on from Nico Iamaleava: I think you stay real, and you stay true to the program, and make the decisions that are best for the program. Again, we mentioned the other day … everybody’s in the [transfer] portal and the portal’s always open. You don’t want to believe me? It’s always open. Everybody’s in it. So, it all depends on what you’re willing to accept. Where are you going to draw the line in your program? You’ve got to realize something: once you allow that to happen, and you agree to it, well, prepare for a line of 80 guys doing the same thing.
We’re not going to do that at Miami, and I say that without any hesitation. If anyone’s thinking that and they could be the best player in the world, if they want to play holdout, they might as well play get out. We don’t want to do that, and we don’t want Miami to become that. Too many guys have sweated, bled, [and] have laid it on the line on that field to ever become that type of program. I hope that answers the question.
On the spring overall: We feel really good about our spring. We really do. We play football, we practice football, wewear pads and the guys did a really good job attacking a a very demanding regiment.
A couple guys were held out due to being nicked up or bumped up. We don't see anything major. But overall just a very, a very good spring. A lot of progress and a lot more progress to go.
On Luke Nickel: He's very natural. I don't think he's phased in any way, shape or form. He understands protections really well. Therefore, he can slide in and out of stuff, he feels it well and he's not afraid to let it go.
He understands what's being played behind that front. He understands where the holes are, he understands where he can go with the ball. He made some really big plays today. He has about two he'd like to have back and held on one a little bit longer that you wanted, but really good football player.
You can push him hard, you can coach him hard. He was raised really well. He's a tough son of a gun. Really happy for him with the spring he had.
On Malachi Toney: His maturity and preparation is what sticks out. And so 5:30 in the morning, he'll be out there catching some balls. If he makes a mistake, he's gonna come in and watch some film with the veteran players, see what he has to get better at. You can push him hard. He comes from a family with really deep South Florida football bloodlines, athletic bloodlines, disciplined bloodlines, great culture at home.
He knows he has a ways to go, but he's had a great start this spring and we are gonna push him really hard this summer to make sure we maximize his talent. Really fired up about him and the way he's played.
On the goal-line stand: As an offensive lineman, I wanted to projectile vomit. From the defensive side, two things: great from a schematic standpoint, finding a way to expose certain gaps and timing it up well. And even more so, a couple guys putting their feet in the ground, hunkering down, and knocking guys back. We kind of needed that. We've done a lot of short-yardage, but we hadn't done a bunch of goalline in the spring for obvious reasons.
On what's next for Carson Beck: The good thing is that, with player-led practices coming up, I think he'll be cleared for all those. We should have about 16 of those before we head to fall camp, plus whatever he does on his own with the players.
On running back depth: Girard Pringle, you saw, he's really got a burst that's pretty elite. He got nicked up in spring and missed some time, needs to make up for that. I think Chris Wheatley-Humphrey continues to grow, mature and get stronger, we think he's going to be a really good player. So we're gaining ground there, but I don't think you're ever feel comfortable. It can change so quickly, so you always want to add more, develop more. So we'll see.
On the defensive tackles: Those guys have certainly gotten better. They're now 310 pounders that can move, that can bend, that can strike, that can get off blocks and make plays. They're becoming more physical. I think Damione Lewis and Jason Taylor have done a great job. Coach Mirabal and those guys going at it, it's a very much an iron-sharpens-iron practice setting. So, again, a lot of ground made. We've got a ways to go, but man, we progressed so much. We're excited. Feels like every single spring we're getting better.
On Markeith Williams: He got bigger, he got stronger, he learned the system. He's a guy that's been around here for a while, and you wonder, "Hey, is this guy going to get on board, is he going to do the things necessary to improve?" I think he's committed himself more, he still has a long way to ago, but we're excited about his improvement and think he can be a really good player. Proud of him for buying in and trying to do it, but he's another guy we've got to push him.
On Tennessee moving on from Nico Iamaleava: I think you stay real, and you stay true to the program, and make the decisions that are best for the program. Again, we mentioned the other day … everybody’s in the [transfer] portal and the portal’s always open. You don’t want to believe me? It’s always open. Everybody’s in it. So, it all depends on what you’re willing to accept. Where are you going to draw the line in your program? You’ve got to realize something: once you allow that to happen, and you agree to it, well, prepare for a line of 80 guys doing the same thing.
We’re not going to do that at Miami, and I say that without any hesitation. If anyone’s thinking that and they could be the best player in the world, if they want to play holdout, they might as well play get out. We don’t want to do that, and we don’t want Miami to become that. Too many guys have sweated, bled, [and] have laid it on the line on that field to ever become that type of program. I hope that answers the question.
