Mario Cristobal on Miami's defensive line: 'We need more help'

It’s year three for Mario Cristobal as the head coach of the Miami Hurricanes. With that comes an expectation that the team is going to take a step forward.

To take that step forward, Cristobal knows that Miami needs to improve along the defensive line. He was also not interested in talking about what specific players are going to be standouts along the defensive line while making an appearance on ACC PM.

“I’ll let them and their play dictate who you speak about,” Mario Cristobal said. “There’s a lot of young guys that have performed really well. Then, a guy like Elijah Alston, he transfers over, does a really good job, and we’re still in the hunt. We need more help at the defensive line position.”

It was a busy offseason for Cristobal and Miami in the Transfer Portal. The Hurricanes currently have the 12th-ranked transfer class for the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That’s a class that includes 15 incoming transfers.

Among those transfers into the program, five play along the defensive line including Elijah Alston. Clearly, that unit was a point of emphasis for Mario Cristobal as Miami looks to establish the zone in the trenches in 2024.

“Portal season is never over. So, we’re always at work and hopefully, we’ll be able to solidify that,” Cristobal said.

That Miami defensive line is going to be tested immediately out of the gates this season. The Hurricanes open with a road trip to Florida. There, the Hurricanes will get a test from an in-state rival that also wants to establish itself in the trenches.

Dan Radakovich explains his confidence in Mario Cristobal, Miami entering 2024 season

Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich knows it’s been a slow first two seasons for Mario Cristobal at Miami, going just 12-13. However, he also believes that the 2024 season is going to be the one where Mario Cristobal and Miami turn things around.

“The fundamentals of the people that we have in the positions right now of real influence, I think, are really good. Our offensive line, we have three of the five guys coming back and another one who played a lot. So for all intents and purposes, four of the five [are back], and the center is a two-year starter from a Big Ten school. OK, so we feel really good there. Defensive line, a number of really positive folks coming in. The quarterback, the linebacker, the safety. You know that thing about being strong up the middle, I think there’s some real truth to that,” Radakovich said.

“Then when you watch spring practice, you were really able to see some of the differences… You have to go back to Mario’s first year, where you have an alum coming in and Mario was very successful at Oregon. And everybody thought that you just sprinkle pixie dust on the players and all of a sudden they’re going to perform great. Well, it wasn’t. And they weren’t the right type of players and system for what Mario and his staff would like to do. So it took a little time.”