Mario Cristobal wants more sustainability with effort and physicality

One of the biggest expectations, when Mario Cristobal became the head coach in December, was that the Miami football team would become more physical. After the spring game on Saturday Cristobal stated he wants his team to sustain the effort and physicality. Cristobal wants consistency.

Conditioning will be a part of that. Cristobal has spoken about the advantage Miami has with playing in the heat and humidity of South Florida. Miami players have stated that spring practice was more physical than in past years. Miami will have a more physical offense under Josh Gattis this season.

For the last two seasons, the Miami football team relied on tempo and getting the ball downfield in the passing game. Miami will have a more balanced offense and sophisticated running schemes under Gattis. Mario Cristobal demands his teams play with toughness and work hard consistently.

Mario Cristobal spoke to reporters after the game. The results Miami had this spring with increasing physicality pleased Cristobal but he wants more sustainability. Following the Spring Game, Cristobal mentioned there is still a lot of work to do and wants to see his team communicating better.

"“The emphasis of physicality certainly was implemented and we saw some results. Now we have to get good at sustaining physicality and levels of effort and technique and making sure that if it’s play 69 in the game, play 72 in the game, that we’re getting a signal, we’re communicating and we’re lining up and we’re going fast.Overall progress, but you wish you had 15 more [spring practices]. But you don’t…I know what we want to see. We want to see a team that plays with passion, with toughness, with physicality, with resiliency that can execute at a high level. And to get there there’s no magic formula, no secret sauce or hocus-pocus.The Canes gotta get to work.’’"

The team that reconvenes for training camp in August will look very different than the one that scrimmaged on Saturday at DRV PNK Stadium. Sixteen players who were injured did not play in the Spring Game. Miami is also expected to add several more transfers in the remainder of the 2022 offseason.

UCLA linebacker Caleb Johnson and West Virginia defensive lineman Ahkeem Mesidor are strongly considering Miami. Cornerback Darryl Porter Jr. is also a West Virginia transfer and Oregon offensive lineman Jonathan Denis did not participate in spring practice after committing to Miami.

With another three months for Cristobal and his staff to implement their culture and systems, the Miami football program should have a better understanding of what is expected of them when the season starts on September 3 against Bethune-Cookman. It should continue to be a busy offseason for Miami.