Mario Cristobal shares what new coordinators have brought to Miami program

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal made a couple of big staff changes this offseason, bringing in a pair of new coordinators. Cristobal hired Shannon Dawson to run the Hurricanes offense, while Lance Guidry was hired to run the Hurricanes defense.

Dawson spent the last four seasons at Houston, serving as the offensive coordinator for the Cougars in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, he spent a season as Houston’s passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Guidry came to Miami via Marshall. He led a unit that ranked in the top 10 in both scoring defense and total defense last year.

Cristobal spoke with the ACC Network at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff event about what both coordinators will bring to the Miami program.

“Well, those two guys, they’re elite human beings. … They’re great people,” Cristobal said. “They’re high-level professionals and they connect well with our players. They’ve made a tremendous impact already.”

Starting with Dawson, Cristobal explained that he expects high school players to line up to play in his offense.

Houston ranked in the top-10 nationally in passing offense last season on its way to an 8-5 record.

“In our part of the country, exciting football attracts some of those tremendous superstars that live right there in our community,” Cristobal said. “And Shannon Dawson has had some of the most exciting offenses in the country over the last several years. And he blends a great and powerful running game with that.”

As for Guidry, he has been successful everywhere he has been as he has worked his way up through the coaching ranks.

“I think [Dawson] and a guy like Lance Guidry… the way he moves and changes the picture pressure and movement. These two guys, we feel like they’re difference makers,” Cristobal said.

Mario Cristobal reveals lessons learned during roller-coaster Year 1 at Miami

Mario Cristobal didn’t have the season he was hoping to in Year 1 as the head coach at Miami, but he insists that he isn’t deterred by the fact that the Hurricanes went 5-7 in 2022.

Instead, Cristobal is as confident as ever that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. He spoke with the ACC Network at the 2023 ACC Football Kickoff about some of his takeaways from last season.

“I feel like I know more and more why we were brought to Miami,” Cristobal said. “As a player and as a coach, we had an opportunity to win a lot of games and a lot of championships. And then it slowly slipped away a little bit. And that didn’t happen overnight. And we were brought back to get it back on the national prominence level.”