Biggest storyline to watch for in Miami spring game

Miami is readying to enter a new era under the leadership of former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal. With the spring game taking place on Saturday signaling the first eyes many will have on the synergy Cristobal is bringing to the Hurricanes, ESPN took a gander at the biggest storylines to watch for at the event.

“There is a new vibe surrounding the Miami football program now that Cristobal has taken over,” wrote ESPN’s Andrea Adelson. “Miami will play its spring game at the home of MLS club Inter Miami CF because Hard Rock Stadium is unavailable — and the Hurricanes announced earlier in the week the game is sold out. That is just one small indication of how much the fans in South Florida are anticipating what Cristobal and his staff are going to bring to the table.

“But to answer the age-old question about when Miami will return to competing for championships, the Hurricanes have to win games more consistently than they have over the past two decades. With quarterback Tyler Van Dyke returning to lead the offense, expectations are high, but there is work to be done. Two major areas to keep an eye on Saturday are receiver and defensive line, where Miami needs to find standouts and build depth. Cristobal believes the offensive line might be the most improved part of the team, so that bears watching as well.”

As you can see, excitement is back surrounding the Miami football program under Cristobal. Still, the coach is still enjoying the honeymoon period — the results will have to come on the field for excitement to remain high.

The Hurricanes are looking to return to the forefront of college football, and the program believes Mario Cristobal can do it. The eyes of the college football world will be on his first spring game as the leader of Miami.

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Furthermore, Mario Cristobal, a Miami alum, is taking over the Hurricanes after four seasons with Oregon. It’s one of the highest profile coaching changes to take place after last season. Miami is coming off a 7-5 record last year under coach Manny Diaz, a disappointing finish leading to his dismissal. Miami won five national titles between 1983 and 2001, building a legacy of success that the past decade hasn’t matched. The Hurricanes have only reached one major bowl game of late — the Orange Bowl in 2017. Their last ACC championship came in 2003.

On top of the excitement surrounding Cristobal, Miami recruited the No. 2 recruiting class in the ACC according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. Alongside four-star running back TreVonte’ Citizen, Miami secured transfers from Mitchell Agude, Frank Ladson and Henry Parrish.

Perhaps the most important thing Cristobal did this offseason was convince quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to return. Van Dyke took over as the Hurricanes starting quarterback last season after D’Eriq King suffered a season-ending injury. He finished with 2,931 yards passing, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions. Now, he projects as the starter entering 2022. He loses his top two receivers Charleston Rambo and Mike Harley to the NFL draft, but the addition of Ladson, who played at Clemson the past three seasons, should help ease that transition.

The Hurricanes are nearing the end of spring practice soon, and will get the chance to show fans what they’ve been working on in the annual spring game on Saturday. After that, Cristobal will make his debut as Miami’s coach against Bethune-Cookman in the season opener on Sept. 3.