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Mario Cristobal
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Veteran coach Mario Cristobal returned to his alma mater, the University of Miami, to be its head coach in 2022.
Mario Cristobal Coaching Record
Entering the 2025 season, Mario Cristobal has a career record of 84-76.
Mario Cristobal Coaching History
- 1999-2000: Miami — Graduate assistant
- 2001-2002: Rutgers — Offensive tackles/tight ends
- 2003: Rutgers — Offensive line
- 2004-05: Miami — Tight ends
- 2006: Miami — Offensive line
- 2007-2012: FIU — Head coach
- 2013-2016: Alabama — Associated head coach/OL/Recruiting coordinator
- 2018-2021: Oregon — Head coach
- 2022-present: Miami — Head coach
Mario Cristobal Coaching Bio
Mario Cristobal was an offensive lineman on 2 of the best teams in Miami football history, the national championship squads of 1989 and 1991. When he was hired by his alma mater in 2022 after a successful 4-season run at Oregon, it was with the specific task of returning the Hurricanes to their past championship glory.
He’s made strides in that direction during his first 3 seasons back in Coral Gables. But even with that progress, including a 10-win season in 2025, Cristobal’s performance has left him open to criticism both from Miami fans and the media.
Cristobal is the kind of coach whose motivational skills play well on the recruiting trail and in whipping his team into a frenzy in the pregame locker room before sending it out to do battle. And yet, while he has succeeded in attracting some of the nation’s best talent to the Hurricanes, most notably Heisman Trophy finalist and top overall NFL Draft pick Cam Ward, his game management skills have often come into question.
That was painfully evident against Georgia Tech in October 2023. Leading 20-17 with less than a minute to go, all Miami needed to do to secure an important ACC victory was take a knee and let the clock run out. Instead, Cristobal opted to run a play instead of having his team line up in Victory Formation. Instead, Miami fumbled on a running play, Tech recovered and then scored the winning touchdown on the final play. It was 1 of 4 losses by a touchdown or less in the Hurricanes’ 7-6 season.
Cristobal’s Hurricanes suffered a less dramatic, though even more frustrating meltdown in 2024. After starting the season with 9 straight wins and rising to No. 4 in the national polls, Miami lost 2 of its final 3 regular-season games – squandering a 21-point lead to Syracuse in the latter – to cost itself an elusive title shot and up the pressure on Cristobal heading into the coming season.
FAQ About Mario Cristobal
What is Mario Cristobal's Salary?
Cristobal’s annual salary of $7,783,059 makes him the third-highest-paid coach in the ACC and among the top 20 nationally, according to figures compiled in by USAToday.
What is the Length of Mario Cristobal's Contract?
Cristobal signed a 10-year contract with the Hurricanes when he was hired away from Oregon in 2022. He is in the fourth year of that deal, which runs through the 2032 season.
What is Mario Cristobal's Buyout?
It has been reported by the Athletic that it would take $62 million for Miami to buy its way out of Cristobal’s contract if it decides to part ways with the coach without cause.
What Position Did Mario Cristobal Play at Miami?
Cristobal was an All-Big East offensive tackle for the Hurricanes between 1988-92. He played 4 seasons under 2 Hall of Fame coaches, Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson, and played on national championship teams in 1989 and 1991.
Was Cristobal Ever a Secret Service Agent?
No. But he was offered a job as one after the second of his 2 seasons playing professionally for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe. Cristobal completed a 2-year application process to become a U.S. Secret Service agent in 1998 and initially accepted the job. But he abruptly changed his mind and returned to Miami to become a graduate assistant on Butch Davis’ staff.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
