Miami football ranked second best offseason nationally

The Miami football program hiring Mario Cristobal as head coach created a buzz nationally that the Hurricanes have not had for many years. Cristobal helped elevate the 2022 Miami freshmen class from the 70s when he was hired to 13th currently. Miami has also added 11 quality transfers for the 2022 season.

The expectations for the Miami football program under Cristobal are high. Four of the transfers for Miami project to start on defense. Running back Henry Parrish and wide receiver Frank Ladson will be keys player in the rotation on offense. Cristobal hired an elite coaching staff expected to make an impact onfield and in recruiting.

Cristobal was clearly the top choice for prominent Miami alums as the new head coach. Nearly all of the decisions Cristobal has made in the five months as head coach in the present have been well received. Cristobal reportedly expected and received an increase in spending for the Miami football staff.

Among the offseason hirings were the reigning Broyles Award winner as the best assistant coach in College Football Josh Gattis. Miami hired Gattis as their offensive coordinator from Michigan. Experienced assistant coaches Kevin Steele and Charlie Strong were hired as co-defensive coordinators.

"2. MIAMI HURRICANESMiami has everything in place needed to win the ACC Coastal. The Hurricanes have who they feel is the right head coach in Mario Cristobal, supplied the funds to well-equip him with an impressive staff and return a quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke who has generated first-round buzz in next year’s draft.Did we mention enhanced NIL backing that has made national waves? What could go wrong for a program appearing to be on the verge of national relevance again? The Hurricanes have enjoyed a splashy offseason and Cristobal being able to salvage a 2022 signing class that ranks at No. 13 per the 247Sports Composite was notable."

Only USC was ranked as having a better 2022 offseason than Miami by Brad Crawford of 247 Sports. Crawford expects name, image and likeness deals and the transfer portal to quickly allow “a few sleeping giants (to)  reverse fortunes quickly and challenge the annual contenders at the top of the rankings.”

The 2017 season when Miami finished 10-3 and was ranked as high as second nationally was the only year the Hurricanes came close to making the College Football Playoff. With Clemson and Texas A&M on the 2022 schedule reaching the CFP would be a herculean task for the Miami football program.

Miami has led the Miami movement to sign athletes up for NIL deals. The Miami football program should benefit from the 11 aforementioned transfers. Four of those transfers are likely to start on defense and two should have key roles on offense. Cristobal has to be able to have his team back up the offseason on the field in 2022.