We’ve been here before.
We’ve been to the top of the mountain — with Vinny and Micheal, with Ed and Ray. Miami’s athletic history will always be strong. But 21st-century ’Canes fans, those memories have long faded.
Last season was year two into the Mario Cristobal era. It was supposed to be different. It was supposed to be when everything changed.
With a healthy quarterback and a new offensive coordinator, the team was supposed to score a ton of points. With leaders like Kamren Kinchens and Leonard Taylor III looking NFL-bound, the team was supposed to have a defense that could make plays.
The national media was looking to Miami. The local fans were excited. This was a fresh start, a new era of Miami football. No more mediocrity; it was time to return to the spotlight and show everyone that the U was back.
The team was ranked in the top 25 and had an impressive showing against another top 25 opponent in Texas A&M in week 2. Miami had all the momentum, even being ranked 17th in the country, being 4-0, and hosting a lowly Georgia Tech team.
Looking to make it 5-0 before a huge road matchup with North Carolina, the ’Canes season changed for the worse with one decision.
It’s been over 10 months since the Georgia Tech incident, where Miami could have ended the game with a simple kneel-down. Instead, Miami fumbled, and Georgia Tech stole the victory, sending Miami’s season cascading into mediocrity and frustration.
Now, in the third season of the Cristobal era, Miami is loaded up again. With transfers on all sides of the ball and in every key position, the ’Canes have never been better on paper under Cristobal.
Cam Ward is a quarterback from Washington State who looks to bring his dual-threat ability to Coral Gables. Sam Brown is a wideout from Houston who has some serious juice. Damien Martinez is a running back from Oregon State can be a workhorse. On defense, Mishael Powell is a veteran who brings some needed experience to the safety room. Tyler Baron was a late addition in the transfer portal, but the former Tennessee Volunteer will be wreaking havoc on the defensive line.
UM already has Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George at receiver who were both fantastic last season. Freshman running back Mark Fletcher Jr. is back and looking to build on his elite freshman resume. On defense, Ahkeem Mesidor is back to full health and ready to rock. Francisco Maiugoa was one of the best players in the ACC last season and he’s ready to make his senior season count.
Miami is in a great place and deserves all the props for the excellent job Cristobal and his staff has done in getting these players to Miami. But stars on a website profile and highlight reels from other schools only go so far. None of that will matter when the pads are on August 31st in Gainesville.
The ’Canes kick off the 2024-25 season in the swamp with a trip up the turnpike to take on their in-state rival, the Florida Gators. This is the first big test for Miami in what should be a relatively light schedule with only a single ranked opponent currently on the docket.
The ’Canes aren’t worried about the talk. The team doesn’t care about the national media’s expectations. This team has a week-by-week and game-by-game attitude that starts with their quarterback.
“We handle it well in the locker room,” Ward said. “There are no egos in the locker room. We don’t play that stuff. Everyone comes in with the right mindset. We want to get better; we want to compete and get better on both sides of the ball. At the end of the day, we want to put the team in the best position to win, so keep putting the team first and take it one game at a time.”
This is not just an offensive attitude. The defense operates the same way and even the new guys are brought into the ’Canes culture.
“I think it’s really simple. … It’s really competitive, so I think everybody’s just trying to compete against each other, and it’s a real healthy relationship,” Baron said. “There’s no hatred or no envy or anything. It’s just been a really good kind of competitive room. So, it’s just something that it’s easy to get into and easy to try to push yourself to be the best in everything you can.”
We’ve been here before.
The hype train is real, the pieces are in place and the U looks primed and ready to be back. The die-hard Miami fans are already booking tickets to the National Championship Monday, Jan. 20, 2025 in Atlanta.
But, for the skeptical ’Canes fans who have had their hearts broken and expectations shattered by their favorite college football team year after year after year, this exciting reality may be harder to accept.
For all the Miami fans out there who are scared to buy into the hype of the 2024-25 Miami Hurricanes football season, lean into it.
Miami is miles ahead of where they were last season, and Cristobal is in year three of his program. Having legit playmakers at every position with experience in big games is a luxury that Miami has not had in a long time. The blend of transfer and in-house talent along with the youth and experience of both sides of the ball makes for an exciting group of Hurricanes.
Miami has the players; they have the attitude in the building; they have a forgiving schedule. All the pieces are in place to avenge the horrors of last season and make the ’Canes of old proud. This Miami team is different, and they believe it.
You should too.
All stats and data via ESPN and The Miami Hurricanes unless otherwise noted.