Upon his introduction as Miami’s new coach, former Hurricanes player, assistant and hometown favorite Mario Cristobal said he coudn’t wait to “compete for championships.” The Hurricanes flopped in his debut, however, finishing 5-7 for the worst season since 2007. Hoping for a Year 2 leap like he had at Oregon, Cristobal is pressing the reset button on his tenure with a pair of pivotal coordinator hires.
Defensive coordinator Lance Guidry arrives from Marshall to replace Kevin Steele, who left for the same job with Alabama. Houston offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson is reportedly not far behind after the Hurricanes moved on from Josh Gattis. For Cristobal to surpass recent standards in Coral Gables, the three of them will need to mesh quickly. Not since the arrival of Howard Schnellenberger in 1979 has a second-year ‘Canes coach failed to reach at least seven wins. (Schnellenberger’s predecessor, Lou Saban, went 6-5 in his second and last year in 1978.)
If Cristobal can’t reach that modest threshold, then it will raise serious questions over whether competing for championships is truly in the cards for the program under his direction.
Cristobal led Oregon to a Pac-12 championship and Rose Bowl victory with a final record of 12-2 in his second season in Eugene. He is also precisely 67-67 over 12 seasons at three different jobs, but that 2019 effort stands out as a beacon of hope on his résumé that perhaps good things are ahead for Miami.
New identity on offense?
A Broyles Award winner in 2021 as Michigan’s offensive coordinator, Gattis guided the Wolverines to a Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff appearance. Those credentials seemingly made him a rockstar hire for Cristobal, but Miami’s offense flopped in…
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