Miami football looking to get back on track in Year 2 under Mario Cristobal
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first year under head coach Mario Cristobal did not go the way Miami football wanted.
The Hurricanes finished 5-7 and did not qualify for a bowl game for the first time in 15 years. The season included a two-touchdown upset loss to Middle Tennessee at home in September.
On the first day of the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte on Tuesday, Cristobal and three UM players spoke to the media.
Miami closed out its season with three losses in the final four games, being outscored 127-29 in the three losses to Florida State, Clemson and Pittsburgh. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes 45-3 game in Miami.
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Cristobal has re-made his roster this season, adding a total of 16 players via the transfer portal. Five to seven of those are expected starters while most are expected to contribute right away.
“I think whenever you start up at a program again and it has a rebuilding aspect, you have to sometimes go through a season like that and not make any excuse or sugar-coat it, but you go directly at the things that need to be addressed, and it starts with people,” Cristobal said.
“People in the locker room, people on the coaching staff, people in a support staff role. What we feel that we have done is that we have added some elite components in the personnel department, some unique additions at the line of scrimmage, outside on the perimeter, in the secondary at linebacker.
“I feel like our culture led and driven by our team leaders has created ownership in our program. In other words, the steps that you cannot skip, those things have been in full force since the end of last season, and it's led to a great offseason, a great signing day, a class of best in our school's history, a top-ten portal class.”
UM hasn't had back-to-back losing seasons since 1976-77 when it went 3-8 in back-to-back years playing Independent.
FSU head coach Mike Norvell, quarterback Jordan Travis, defensive end Jared Verse and linebacker Kalen DeLoach will represent FSU at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff, speaking Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. EST.
Tyler Van Dyke looks to bounce back
Miami returns an impressive amount of talent for a team that did not qualify for a bowl game. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was seen as a first-round pick entering the 2022 season but did not live up to expectations.
How Hurricanes' season goes will depend on their redshirt junior.
He threw for completed 63.2% of his passes with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. In 2021, he threw for 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was benched in the loss to MTSU.
Against the Lightning, Van Dyke completed 50% of his 32 passes and threw two interceptions. He also struggled against the Seminoles, finishing with 24 passing yards on 4 of 8 passing, clearly struggling with an injury.
“It was definitely tough,” Van Dyke said. “Everything went the way we didn't want it to go, but yeah, looking back on it, those next two, three weeks before I got hurt, that was some of my best games. I think that happened for a reason.
“I think all the adversity that came to me and came to our team, you know, made us push through it. I'm still here, still love being a Miami Hurricane, and I think it made me a better human being and a better football player.”
Eight players make Pro Football Focus 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team
Despite finishing below .500 for the first time since 2019 and for the fourth time since 1998, the Hurricanes are garnering respect.
Eighth Hurricanes cracked Pro Football Focus’ 2023 Preseason All-ACC Team. The Hurricanes had three offensive linemen crack the list: tackle Zion Nelson, guard Javion Cohen and center Matt Lee.
“I think me and Javion coming through the portal and also guys like Jalen Rivers and Anez Cooper and the new freshman Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola and a couple of other guys as well. We're tough,” Lee said. “We're going to get after it. We're going to work as hard as Coach Cristobal and (offensive line) coach (Alex) Mirabal push us on any given day.
“We just have to hang our hats on being the toughest, meanest guys on the field every single snap, every single game. It doesn't matter. Always be able to rely on us five no matter what.”
Defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, edge Akheem Mesidor and safeties Kamren Kinchens and James Williams, as well as kicker Andres Borregales also earned first-team honors.
Kinchens and Williams are seen as one of the top safety duos in college football.
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“Everybody on social media says. It's one of the things we don't try to buy into,” Kinchens said. “It doesn’t take away from our work ethic, and all the extra work we put in together to make sure it happens. It's not bad to be a part of that. It's okay to be an underdog sometimes, but sometimes it's good to see other people recognize what you have been doing.
“It just goes to show our hard work ethic. You know, all them late nights or early mornings we get in there trying to get extra work to be the best safety duo in the country. So it comes all with that, and then production on the field.”
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Miami Hurricanes football: Transfer portal helps Mario Cristobal rebuild
