Mario Cristobal shares the most important thing he learned from Nick Saban

Mario Cristobal makes no secret of how much he values Nick Saban as a mentor and a teacher. Cristobal spent four years under Saban at Alabama from 2013-16. He was the offensive line coach, assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator. 

During those four years, the Crimson Tide were 51-6 with a CFP championship in 2015, three SEC championships and three playoff appearances. But it wasn't the winning alone that served to inspire Cristobal, but rather the consistent process through which wins came as a result. It's' something he shared with CBS Sports' Adam Breneman.

“Always attack human nature. Wake up in the morning hair on fire, making sure that you never allow complacency or entitlement to permeate the building," Cristobal said.

The Miami Hurricanes coach had a laundry list of other things he learned from the Hall of Fame coach, including offseason planning, in-season practice details and overall program management. But it all started from the minute Saban arrived at the facility in the morning. 

"The best thing he did was wake up in the morning, and he is going to come in on fire," Cristobal said. "Even if it's not complacent, he's going to make you feel like somebody is and your ass is gonna get lit up. It was awesome, and it kept everybody on edge in the right kind of way."

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Mario Cristobal had to re-learn what it took to be a championship-level coach

Much is made of the tutelage that Saban provided Cristobal, but it wasn't as if the Hurricanes coach was a fresh, new face when he arrived in Alabama. He had also been a graduate assistant under Butch Davis at Miami and an assistant under Greg Schiano at Rutgers and Larry Coker when he returned to Miami.

And Cristobal spent six seasons as the head coach at FIU. It was a terrible program with no direction, but Cristobal was able to get some better talent than you would've expected to go to that program at that time. But even with a couple of good seasons surrounded by a lot of losses, Cristobal wasn't ready to take his career to the next level, and he recognized that. 

Most coaches in his position would've tried to be a lead assistant on a staff or a coordinator. Cristobal took a position coaching job at Alabama knowing that he would be able to learn what a real championship outfit looks like. And the sense of urgency that Saban had at Alabama, even when things were going as well as they could, is something that Cristobal has brought with him to Miami. He is quick to deflect attention from last season and focus on the work needed to succeed in 2026. It's an attitude that bleeds down to the players. We constantly hear Malachi Toney, Mark Fletcher Jr. and others talk about the work and how much they still need to prove. 

Saban was a handful to work with and that's why he went through so many coaches, but on the flip side, so many coaches that worked with him became better because of their time with him. Cristobal is far from perfect and made some notable gaffes early in his tenure at Miami. Saban also went through growing pains at Michigan State, LSU and in his first year with Alabama, but he continued to grow and get better. Cristobal is following the same path and hopes to win just as many championships. 

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