Mario Cristobal wants no part in declaring "The U is back" after CFP run

In an interview with On3's J.D. PicKell, Mario Cristobal pushed back hard on the familiar "The U is back" line that's followed Miami's run to the College Football Playoff national championship game.

"'The U is back.' I cringe at that all the time. It just, like, drives me bananas... I like to think in terms of Miami is here."

Mario Cristobal

Mario Cristobal will not say, "The U is back."

Miami just wrapped its best season in more than two decades, finishing 13-3 and setting a school record for single-season wins. The Hurricanes' playoff run included a first-round win at Texas A&M, a quarterfinal win over defending national champion Ohio State at the Cotton Bowl, and a semifinal win over Ole Miss at the Fiesta Bowl before a 27-21 loss to Indiana in the national title game.

Cristobal is a Miami native and alum who played offensive line on the Hurricanes' 1989 and 1991 national championship teams, and he has been in and out of the building for decades, first as a graduate assistant from 1998-2000, then as an assistant coach from 2004-06, before returning as head coach in 2022. So, if anybody is going to officially set the record straight on this, it should be Cristobal.

Cristobal has always been about the work and doesn't like to give the media anything. There have been multiple programs over the last 15 years (such as Texas) that have returned to prominence and handled the moment differently. Some schools embrace the "we're back" comments, while others hesitate because it brings unwanted pressure and attention that would distract from the real work.

For Cristobal, it's all about establishing a new culture; one that honors the Miami area, but doesn't just focus on being exactly like the great teams of the past. And that's honestly what makes the feeling around the program so special.