JD PicKell: Firing Josh Gattis shows the right urgency from Mario Cristobal

After Miami fired offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, there was a sense of urgency from head coach Mario Cristobal.

Gattis joined Miami prior to the 2022 season after a stellar year at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh. While he helped the Wolverines offense to new heights and won the first of two straight Big Ten titles, Gattis’ offense struggled this fall.

On3’s J.D. PicKell broke down the move and what could be next for Miami on The Hard Count.

“Like what does the firing of Josh Gattis after one subpar season tell us about Mario Cristobal and what he’s doing,” PicKell said. “I think it shows a ton of urgency. To me this is Mario Cristobal walking the walk. Because there’s this perception and this track record of him being someone who’s no nonsense. We’re going to fix it. We’re going to be blue collar, we’re going to go about our business in a transactional and professional way. 

“I’ll take it a step further. great leaders, great coaches, they trust their gut. And they make quick pivots. How many times have we seen Nick Saban and Alabama have the same problem multiple years in a row without at least trying to change something structurally on that staff on the roster? He adapts quickly. Heck, the game against Texas A&M when Johnny Manziel was lighting them up back in 2012, 2013, he sees the way the game is going. He says okay, I need to change my philosophy offensively. It’s going to tempo. I’m making the pivot.”

Mario Cristobal shows urgency for Miami after firing Josh Gattis

PicKell doubled down and said this was the right move at the right time for Cristobal.

“I think Mario Cristobal here in this decision to make a great move for his program after one year gives me a lot of encouragement about his vision and the timeline he wants to do that,” Cristoabl said. “Great leaders, great programs, they don’t bleed out. It’s not a matter of ‘man, we’re two three years into this. Now we got to make a change.’ We’re making a change right now because we want to win right now. And that’s the world of college football with the NFL, and the way Miami’s being competitive in that space. 

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“And with the way the ACC is changing and the transfer portal, we can flip this thing quickly. So I’m very encouraged by that with Mario Cristobal. The sense of urgency that we’re going to win now, that’s what this move tells me. Because if it was: ‘we’ll fix it in a couple of years.’ That would have given Josh Gattis a little bit more time. (Cristobal trusted) his gut, trusted his eyes, made a decision that he believes is best for Miami and the future of what he wants to get done there.”