Mario Cristobal: 'I Couldn't Go to the Grave Without Miami Being Miami Again'

Mario Cristobal might despise the term "the U is back," but he couldn't die before he brought the program back to national relevance.

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Deep down inside, Mario Cristobal knew that the University of Miami needed to be back, and he wasn't going to die without trying to make that a possibility.

Cristobal despises the term "the U is back," but his mission was always the same when he returned to Coral Gables to be the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. He wanted to set a standard, and that standard has already seen an appearance in the National Championship game.

"I owed Miami, and I think all of us who went through, we owed Miami, and it had to be done right," Crisotbal said on the Pat McAfee Show. "But, we had to have a man right at the head of the whole thing, who was going to be able to provide us with all the resources to make it Miami, like, come into modern-day football, because Miami had been left behind.

"Miami had completely abandoned ship, and let's call it what it is, man. I couldn't go to the grave without Miami being Miami again. That's the bottom line, and that's why I came back."

Win or lose, he has already completed step one of the mission, but winning is still the ultimate goal to complete step two of his master plan. Cristobal always wanted Miami to be a powerhouse, and it ate him alive even when he wasn't the head coach that his alma mater had deprecated.

"I'm one of those alums who feels like we owe Miami. Does that make sense?" Cristobal said. "Yeah. I think a lot of times, um, you know, especially being far away and watching it from afar, you really, you have to focus on your program, you know?

"So you kind of catch the scores at the end of the day as you're traveling, or two in the morning when you're breaking down film, and, you know, I just remember being like 'errrrr', you know, like, as an alum, there's, you know, I don't know how many zippers on my body from surgery. It's it's definitely nearing double digits. It means it means a lot to you, and I feel like myself, I feel all of us owed a ton to Miami,"

What would it mean to Mario Cristobal to bring another National Championship to @CanesFootball?

"Everything." pic.twitter.com/JJZMsaFPzg

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) January 16, 2026

Cristobal has a chance to pay his debt to the Hurricanes on Monday, Jan. 20th at 7:30 p.m. Eastern when they face No. 1 Indiana in the National Championship Game at Hard Rock Stadium.

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