Key Notes and Quotes from Mario Cristobal as No. 3 Miami Prepares for Florida State

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The Miami Hurricanes and Mario Cristobal have all of their attention on Florida State.

No matter what has happened in the past, rivalry games always have a funny feeling about them. Cristobal knows this, and during his weekly Monday press conference, he highlighted that he and the team can't take games like this lightly.

Moreover, he dives deep into what has been working well, and how others are playing around the team.

It's going to be late for OJ Frederique Jr. to return to the team. "Ahead of schedule," but will be late in the season — Mario Cristobal.
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) October 12, 2026

Here are some notes and quotes from the Hurricanes' head coach ahead of FSU:

High Praise for FSU and the Dangers Sleeping on a Team

Even against a rival, Miami always has respect for its opponents in public. The same can be said about Cristobal and how he views this matchup.

Around the country, upsets are happening each week, and Cristobal knows that this team has the potential to make it happen. He is cautious but confident about it.

"I think you have to look at scores as it relates to last Friday. A fourth-and-two conversion makes it 21-0, and the game's practically over," Cristobal said. "A 21-6 lead at Alabama and a seven-point game with four and a half minutes left is real. Looking at football around the country, watching the one game, I believe it was Oklahoma, Texas, right? "

"Unranked team versus the number one team in the country. And at the end of the game, right? So football nowadays, everybody has really, really good talent. If anyone is assuming that they should win or they're entitled to winning, they're out of their minds. They're going to get beat. And we hammer that and drive that home not only in terms of preaching it and showing it and really ripping through examples around the country, but you make it the way you practice. You really challenge your guys.

"You make sure your coaches are on edge, your entire organization is on edge, and that point's got to get hammered through. It's got to hit home. And so we just keep it very real. We don't try to deny that."

Recruiting and the Massive Weekend Ahead

The Hurricanes are expected to have over 100 recruits at the game against FSU. It is the biggest recruiting weekend of the year for the Canes, with many commits expecting to be a part of the process against the Noles.

"I mean, anytime you play at home, you have that opportunity," Cristobal said. "But the best thing you could always do is play well. So our focus is on playing well and knowing that we have a really good football team that we're playing against, and that all of our focus has to be poured into preparation and practicing the right way."

Jackson Cantwell and His Progress

With so much shuffling around the offensive line, the one name that hasn't been seen as often is Jackson Cantwell. The five-star Gatorade player of the year has seen limited snaps on the field. The simple answer: he is good, but those ahead of him are playing better.

It's a focus on Jackson Cantwell playing tackle instead of inside. With the depth there with Samson and Matthew, and how well they are playing, he is developing well, but they have the edge.
— Justice Sandle (@Justice_News5) October 12, 2026

"Yeah, he's done a great job, and he's on his way to being a great player, an elite player," Cristobal said. "And he's focusing. We're focusing more on playing him at tackle, which is a position that we're pretty solid at right now, but he's also getting reps at other positions as well, like the other linemen, increasing his versatility. But he's on course and on pace to be a great football player."

Cantwell is good, and with some players always getting hurt on the line, his time might come quicker than expected.

Cristobal Doesn't Care for "The Best Coference" Coversation

With the bye week, Cristobal had plenty of time to see what was happening around the country. One thing he didn't like was the conversations about which conference is the best and how each conference has some teams that don't live up to the standard.

For Cristobal all of it is football. Nothing is easy about the game and that is all that he cares about.

"People say, well, this you should have done this this other team should do that well, should what, why? What are they entitled to do? This is what, and football and was never meant to be a beauty pagent," Cristobal said.

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney shakes hands with Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mario Cristobal after the game at Memorial Stadium Saturday, Saturday, October 3, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"It's competitive sport world. It's settled on the field. you know, and in terms of the ACCs doing great and it's the quarterbacks in this league, the level of coaching and schematically, we have up front and the go position. It's in front and it's going to continue to be strong, but to start labeling who's best or who's this and that week five of the season, for me personally, it's like I just click [out] because that's absurd to me, you know, like, there's no week five trophies to be handed out, or medals. So those concepts, like they're indigestible to me, they come, you?  

"It just doesn't make sense. And it, you know, since we were fighting for the players minds, they think that way as well, and that just stays forward summer. I really couldn't care less about the outside world."

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Twitter/X, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for the latest news.

Add us as a preferred source on Google