Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal spoke on the Joe Rose Show this morning as the Hurricanes prepare for Week 1 against the Stanford Cardinal. Cristobal highlighted the Hurricanes’ freshman group, while also talking about quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Josh Moore.
Check out everything he had to say down below:
On the offensive lineman: We feel really good about not only them, but the entire roster and what we're getting on the plane with. And I think the best part about it is today and tomorrow, which is on a normal week, our Tuesday/Wednesday practices, are our most challenging. The ones where we're in full pads and we're getting after it. We keep them competing the entire time. We don't want anyone to get a relaxed syndrome and feel like they're there, like they're the ride. So we're going to make them fight for everything that they earn and their opportunity to play. So we'll have a great idea of what it's going to look like, and we're going to keep that to ourselves till those practices are put to bed.
On freshmen getting a head start at Miami: They get to see proof of concept in person, and they get to be a part of it. They actually practice with these guys. They saw the high-level intensity. They saw the high-level investment in terms of time, film watching, walk-through, practice, lifting, taking care of their bodies. They had a chance to see exactly the way it's supposed to be done. And honestly now, we expect those guys to be more mature than what their age says, because they had a chance to see it, experience it. The game gets younger and younger. These guys are expected to play now, and they know that they have to earn that. So the roadmap is laid out. The blueprint is set for them. They just got to put their foot in the gas and go get it, because we need guys to be mature a lot quicker than what their age says.
On the new freshmen making the jump to college football: It's a massive jump. I know we've talked about it before. It's why we bring them to practice during recruiting, so they can see what it looks like where they're not going to be able to come out. They got no chance coming out there and dominating right away. They're going to have to go out there and go against the best and get knocked around some, and they're going to have to learn to lose reps and learning from a lost rep and coming back and finding a way to win it. So it's nothing but a positive when they come in like that.
On Miami's young pass rushers stepping up after losing key players: We lost some really good players. So they have been prepared. They have been working their butts off, and it's time to go. And I don't ever compare them to anybody or whatnot. They know the expectation. It is said loud and clear every single day, and it's time to go. And every single day those guys compete in practice. And mind you, the best part about being a U is they competed against each other every day, even though they weren't on opposite sides. So for us, that DNA, that's always going to be the case, and they know it's time to go. We have a lot to prove to ourselves. We have a lot to do, because that's it. The talking is over. It's time to play ball, and we're playing against an excellent football team that played their butts off the other night. So we're ready to roll.
On Darian Mensah: He's unfazed. His approach to his daily work obligations, to his craft, to his preparation, all he wants to do is get better, make guys around him better, and win. That's all he cares about. And again, we've been very fortunate to keep attracting like-minded individuals like that, and he really wants to excel, and he's ultra-talented and really hungry and really driven. So really looking forward to watching him in a Hurricane uniform.
On Josh Moore: Done a lot of great things. He's really shown some explosive capabilities and a guy that doesn't mind getting pushed, because, we're going to push him every single day. And he's at a position where competition is thick. So all those guys are getting opportunities. Really proud of him for what he's done so far, and looking forward to pushing him today.
On Corey Hetherman and Shannon Dawson: It's awesome, and the fact that even though there is continuity, these guys are always pushing to be a little bit more innovative, right? They're always looking for what is the next step in evolving as a coordinator. How can I make not only the offense and defense better? What can I bring to the table to make the team better? These guys, they have really strong, powerful minds, man, and they have a super high care factor. They put players in positions to make plays while collaborating with the staff and getting everybody involved. So yeah, we're incredibly blessed to have both of them.
Check out everything he had to say down below:
On the offensive lineman: We feel really good about not only them, but the entire roster and what we're getting on the plane with. And I think the best part about it is today and tomorrow, which is on a normal week, our Tuesday/Wednesday practices, are our most challenging. The ones where we're in full pads and we're getting after it. We keep them competing the entire time. We don't want anyone to get a relaxed syndrome and feel like they're there, like they're the ride. So we're going to make them fight for everything that they earn and their opportunity to play. So we'll have a great idea of what it's going to look like, and we're going to keep that to ourselves till those practices are put to bed.
On freshmen getting a head start at Miami: They get to see proof of concept in person, and they get to be a part of it. They actually practice with these guys. They saw the high-level intensity. They saw the high-level investment in terms of time, film watching, walk-through, practice, lifting, taking care of their bodies. They had a chance to see exactly the way it's supposed to be done. And honestly now, we expect those guys to be more mature than what their age says, because they had a chance to see it, experience it. The game gets younger and younger. These guys are expected to play now, and they know that they have to earn that. So the roadmap is laid out. The blueprint is set for them. They just got to put their foot in the gas and go get it, because we need guys to be mature a lot quicker than what their age says.
On the new freshmen making the jump to college football: It's a massive jump. I know we've talked about it before. It's why we bring them to practice during recruiting, so they can see what it looks like where they're not going to be able to come out. They got no chance coming out there and dominating right away. They're going to have to go out there and go against the best and get knocked around some, and they're going to have to learn to lose reps and learning from a lost rep and coming back and finding a way to win it. So it's nothing but a positive when they come in like that.
On Miami's young pass rushers stepping up after losing key players: We lost some really good players. So they have been prepared. They have been working their butts off, and it's time to go. And I don't ever compare them to anybody or whatnot. They know the expectation. It is said loud and clear every single day, and it's time to go. And every single day those guys compete in practice. And mind you, the best part about being a U is they competed against each other every day, even though they weren't on opposite sides. So for us, that DNA, that's always going to be the case, and they know it's time to go. We have a lot to prove to ourselves. We have a lot to do, because that's it. The talking is over. It's time to play ball, and we're playing against an excellent football team that played their butts off the other night. So we're ready to roll.
On Darian Mensah: He's unfazed. His approach to his daily work obligations, to his craft, to his preparation, all he wants to do is get better, make guys around him better, and win. That's all he cares about. And again, we've been very fortunate to keep attracting like-minded individuals like that, and he really wants to excel, and he's ultra-talented and really hungry and really driven. So really looking forward to watching him in a Hurricane uniform.
On Josh Moore: Done a lot of great things. He's really shown some explosive capabilities and a guy that doesn't mind getting pushed, because, we're going to push him every single day. And he's at a position where competition is thick. So all those guys are getting opportunities. Really proud of him for what he's done so far, and looking forward to pushing him today.
On Corey Hetherman and Shannon Dawson: It's awesome, and the fact that even though there is continuity, these guys are always pushing to be a little bit more innovative, right? They're always looking for what is the next step in evolving as a coordinator. How can I make not only the offense and defense better? What can I bring to the table to make the team better? These guys, they have really strong, powerful minds, man, and they have a super high care factor. They put players in positions to make plays while collaborating with the staff and getting everybody involved. So yeah, we're incredibly blessed to have both of them.
