Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal is hitting on all cylinders this off-season. The staff is almost complete but that doesn't mean CMC is taking any time off. Coach Cristobal attended a Florida Coaches Clinic in Tampa over the weekend to discuss his objectives as Miami's new man in charge. I had the pleasure of talking with Coach Derrick “Smitty” Smith, Ocala Vanguard High School Asst. Head Coach, who was present at the clinic and also coached former UM Quarterback N'Kosi Perry. Coach Smitty and I talked about some things that stood out when meeting Cristobal, as well as where the direction of the Miami program could be heading.
Coach Smitty’s first impression when meeting Cristobal was that he was a very "down to earth" guy who is very hands on and LOVES what he does, saying Cristobal is a great communicator who takes instant control of a room. One message that Coach Smitty felt Cristobal delivered was his objective of "Bringing together the program as one voice to drive the changes we feel need to take place", whether that's keeping South Florida guys home or bringing Miami back to the national stage. Coach Cristobal emphasized that a key to getting Miami back is by "getting back to the basics - everyone has to be accountable and work hard.”
On the technical side of things, Coach Smitty also left impressed with Coach Cristobal’s teaching techniques of the gallop step and hand placement pointers when it came to the trench drills.
Overall, Coach Smitty told me that Cristobal feels the direction of the program is heading back to the days of Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson.
“He's putting together one of the best staffs ever assembled in my opinion,” Smitty said of Cristobal. “He's recruiting and landing some of the best talent in the country. I'm excited to see Coach Cristobal get the best out of his coaches and players. He just seems like someone that you would have a hard time not working hard for. I see no excuses or issues with players like the prior staff.”
Word on the Street: The word is Mario is taking back South Florida and just by his session this weekend in Tampa, everyone thought he was the best speaker of the day. Coaches and players will follow this guy because of who he is and the people he is surrounding himself with.
Coach Smitty’s first impression when meeting Cristobal was that he was a very "down to earth" guy who is very hands on and LOVES what he does, saying Cristobal is a great communicator who takes instant control of a room. One message that Coach Smitty felt Cristobal delivered was his objective of "Bringing together the program as one voice to drive the changes we feel need to take place", whether that's keeping South Florida guys home or bringing Miami back to the national stage. Coach Cristobal emphasized that a key to getting Miami back is by "getting back to the basics - everyone has to be accountable and work hard.”
On the technical side of things, Coach Smitty also left impressed with Coach Cristobal’s teaching techniques of the gallop step and hand placement pointers when it came to the trench drills.
Overall, Coach Smitty told me that Cristobal feels the direction of the program is heading back to the days of Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson.
“He's putting together one of the best staffs ever assembled in my opinion,” Smitty said of Cristobal. “He's recruiting and landing some of the best talent in the country. I'm excited to see Coach Cristobal get the best out of his coaches and players. He just seems like someone that you would have a hard time not working hard for. I see no excuses or issues with players like the prior staff.”
Word on the Street: The word is Mario is taking back South Florida and just by his session this weekend in Tampa, everyone thought he was the best speaker of the day. Coaches and players will follow this guy because of who he is and the people he is surrounding himself with.
Sign me up!!!
