When Athlon releases its college football magazine, one of the first places most readers go to is the section where rival coaches discuss the program anonymously.
It can often be a little hot as not every coach has the highest regard for one or several of their peers, but in the case of Mario Cristobal, it seems like the positive comments far outweigh the negative and the tone of the ones that were printed almost feel like other coaches in the ACC are rooting for Cristobal.
Comments from ACC coaches show the respect that Mario Cristobal has earned
The first comment was simple enough, 'They’re absolutely the favorite in the ACC.” That's not a bold statement, and it's true, as Miami is far and away the favorites to win the conference this season. You'd probably have to go back to one of the great Clemson teams in the mid-to-late 2010s to think of another ACC team that was so clearly the favorite heading into the season. The Hurricanes have a deep and talented roster and now have the confidence of a deep playoff run behind them.
Further comments, however, go much deeper into what Cristobal is trying to accomplish at Miami and how he has worked to overcome the early disappointments with the Hurricanes:
“Cristobal has enough scars from losing heartbreaking games the last couple of years that he is not going to let that happen again. The people there that he’s finally surrounded himself with are going to be in a position to give him guidance, especially on game day, management of the game, all of those kinds of things with just making decisions to win the game."
Sometimes a coach's ego can get in the way of their success. You see this often with coaches that have to call the plays on offense or defense and coaches that are too proud to use the new available resources to build a roster, like the transfer portal. Does Cristobal have an ego? Sure. You really can't compete for greatness without one, but he has shown over the past few seasons that he doesn't let the ego get in the way of success. He has often been criticized for some blunders in game management, and he's worked to improve that area while also adding coaches to the staff that can assist him.
A lot of coaches are too stubborn to change and too proud to admit their flaws. Cristobal didn't like being forced to answer for some mistakes, but the decisions he made with his staff prove that he acknowledged them and was proactive in making the necessary changes. And you saw the adjustments parlay themselves into positive results on the field, especially in the second half of the season when Miami was basically facing must-win games every week to get into the playoffs. There's still more for Cristobal to do because the job won't be finished until the Hurricanes win the ACC for the first time and win the program's sixth national championship. The good news is that as Cristobal continues this journey, he will not be his own worst enemy.
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