Canes fans, take a trip back in time with me. Not a long time, merely one month ago. Thanksgiving is approaching, leaves are falling, and the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes is Manny Diaz. No matter what site you use to track recruiting rankings, Miami’s class was somewhere in the 60’s or 70’s. It doesn’t matter exactly where they ranked, anyone who has been around this program long enough knows it isn’t where the Canes belong.

It’s a sentiment that applied to every aspect of the once mighty Miami football program. “We were better than this once, and we have every reason to be better than this again”. While the rabid Hurricane fanbase has been widely mocked for this belief across two decades of poor coaching, fraying relationships with the local recruiting base, and embarrassing national TV performances, the fans never lowered expectations. And whether you want to credit Kirk Herbstreit, Mike Ryan Ruiz, or University President Julio Frenk, for the first time this millennium the University of Miami has finally decided to listen to what fans have been screaming about.

Enter: Mario Cristobal

The hiring of Mario Cristobal signaled to Canes fans, and college football fans across the country, that The U has re-committed itself, financially and philosophically, to football excellence. And South Florida recruits have taken notice.

Despite stepping on campus with less than two weeks before Early Signing Day, and no coordinators on staff, Mario hit the ground recruiting hard. For years, Miami recruiting has been marked by disappointment and embarrassment. Nevertheless, that all changed the second Mario Cristobal touched down in Coral Gables. Still in his press conference suit, Mario was on the trail pitching the Miami resurrection to South Florida’s top recruits, and they are listening.

Storm Brewing

It started with a trickle, securing standout Miami Central Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and securing the commitment of the de facto leader of the 2022 Miami recruiting class, QB commit Jacurri Brown. Then came the commitment of 4 star Defensive End Nyjalik Kelly. This was a move predicted by very few prior to Mario’s arrival in Miami.

While Kelly’s signing certainly piqued the interest of the recruiting world, what happened on December 17th that grabbed everyone’s attention. Considered by many to be the #1 Tight End in the country, Alabama commit Jaleel Skinner announced on December 17th that he would in fact be signing to play for Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes.

The Hurricanes have now implanted themselves in the mix for some of the top uncommitted recruits in the country. These recruits include WR Kevin Coleman and highly touted defensive linemen Cyrus Moss and Shemar Steward, amongst others. Coleman and Moss will be announcing their decisions at the Under Armour All American Game on January 8th. If they both decide to put that “U” hat on on national television, the major powers in college football will have no choice but to take notice.

The U

There is still work to be done on this program. Mario needs to fill out the rest of his coaching staff. A Sun Bowl victory on New Year’s Eve would go a long way to sustaining Miami’s recent momentum. Most importantly, this team needs to add more quality players to the roster through the transfer portal, as well as on National Signing day in February.

For the first time in a long time, there is optimism around Miami that those in power are on the same page as the fans who support the program. With Cristobal at the helm, the U has felt close to being “back” in a long long time.

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