Miami football can use Georgia and TCU blueprints for future
The Miami football team had a disappointing inaugural season under Mario Cristobal. Miami struggled defensively and offensively finishing 5-7. The Hurricanes allowed 40 or more points five times for the first time in program history. Miami has a ton of improvement to get where head coach Mario Cristobal wants Miami to be.
Texas Christian who will play in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night is a good model for Miami. The Horned Frogs finished 5-7 in 2021, the same record Miami had in 2022. TCU was picked to finish seventh in the preseason Big XII media poll. The Horned Frogs were 3-6 in the Big XII in 2021.
TCU turned that around to finish 9-0 in the Big XII regular season in 2022 before losing to Kansas State in the conference championship game. The Horned Frogs built enough of a cushion with a 12-1 record after the loss to the Wildcats to earn the third seed in the College Football Playoff.
While TCU set a blueprint for the Miami football team in the short term, Kirby Smart has set a long-term blueprint for success at Georgia. Cristobal and Smart worked together on the Alabama coaching staff under Nick Saban from 2013 through 2015. Cristobal and Smart have both used the blueprint Saban set at Alabama.
This is the same TCU roster that went 5-7 a year ago. Minor changes around the edges. No huge portal overhaul, no legendary recruiting class. They're up 14 in a Playoff game. This has never happened
— Alex Kirshner (@alex_kirshner) December 31, 2022
With a win on Monday night, Georgia will claim its second straight national championship and arguably the title of the best current program in college football with a second straight title. Fanduel has Georgia as a 13.5-point favorite on Monday night versus TCU. Georgia did not cover as a 4.5-point favorite versus Ohio State.
Smart succeeded Mark Richt as head coach at his alma mater. After being fired by Georgia Richt was hired by Miami where he was the head coach from 2016 through 2018. Richt was a quarterback at Miami from 1978 through 1982. Cristobal was the head coach at Oregon from 2018-21 before being hired at Miami.
Smart immediately made an impact in recruiting. Building on what Richt started, Georgia signed the sixth-ranked 2016 recruiting class. The first full recruiting class under Smart in 2017, finished third. Miami signed the 16th-ranked class in 2022, the first under Cristobal. Miami is currently fourth in the first full Cristobal class.
TCU added 14 transfers for the 2022 season to help them reach the College Football Playoff Championship Game. The Miami football program has added five transfers for the 2023 season. The Hurricanes are expected to add more, but only have a few current scholarships available. Expect more transfers after spring.
Next. Miami adds another OL anchor with UCF transfer Matt Lee. dark
In the age of the transfer portal, college football programs can quickly improve. Miami has a good mix of signing a top-five 2023 class and transfers who will be expected to contribute and several who will compete to be starters this fall. Cristobal proved at Oregon his ability to rebuild a college football program.