Mario Cristobal was justified in making OC change, but Miami's head coach would be well-served altering his offensive philosophy, too

Josh Gattis didn’t last 12 months at Miami, as the Hurricanes’ first-year offensive coordinator was fired by head coach Mario Cristobal on Friday. 

It was a swift exit for 2021 Broyles Award winner — given to the nation’s top assistant — who left Michigan for Miami last February. 

But the 2022 season was an unmitigated disaster for the Hurricanes, on both sides of the ball. 

Miami went 5-7 and averaged just 17.9 points per game against ACC competition — good for 13th in the conference. A year after throwing for 25 touchdowns and close to 3,000 yards, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke went from a preseason All-ACC selection to a guy benched multiple times battling injuries and poor play. 

The Hurricanes’ offensive line was terrible. They couldn’t run the ball with any consistency. And their lack of speed and playmaking talent on the perimeter was alarming (114th nationally in explosiveness). 

They had one game where they turned the ball over eight times. In another — ironically a victory — they committed 17 penalties. Against rivals Florida State and Clemson, the Canes scored a combined 13 points with 286 total yards. Total.

So a change at coordinator was not unwarranted. 

Miami’s struggles cannot all be laid at Gattis’ feet, but his offense was gummy and had no synergy. He didn’t put Van Dyke in a system to succeed, and since it clearly wasn’t working, Cristobal was smart to make the move before a pivotal Year 2. 

But now Cristobal needs to get his next OC hire right — and then get out of the way. 

A common criticism of Mario Cristobal at Oregon was that the former Canes offensive lineman put a governor on his team’s offense. They were too conservative, no matter the coordinator. 

Josh Gattis didn’t run the same offense as Joe Moorehead, who ran a different variation of the spread-run that Marcus Arroyo was in charge of under Cristobal at Oregon. 

But they were all plagued by the same problems. 

At Oregon, the Ducks’ identity was centered around a physical, power-run game, yet they were never even remotely dominant rushing the football. Cristobal had further All-Pro NFL quarterback Justin Herbert, yet whether it was Arroyo or Moorhead at OC, the Ducks never threw the ball more than 32 times per game. 

They averaged over 35 points (35.4 in 2019) just once in four seasons with Cristobal. 

Despite having the most talented roster in the Pac-12, Oregon had a Top 20 offense, per Bill Connelly’s S&P+ or SP+, just once in four seasons (No. 17 in 2021), too. 

That wasn’t good enough then, and it’s a cause for concern now for Miami supporters now. 

Many of the same issues that have plagued Cristobal’s offenses immediately popped up in Year 1 at Miami. 

A potential 1st Round quarterback looked worse playing under Cristobal & Co. 

Conservative play-calling and in-game management cost the Canes potential wins at Texas A&M (when Cristobal kept settling for field goals despite Miami needing touchdowns) and North Carolina. 

They used tempo just to say they did at times, and they were bad in the red zone. 

So while axing Gattis made sense, that can’t be the only change that happens in Coral Gables this offseason. 

Cristobal needs an offensive philosophical endoscopy. 

Mario Cristobal has reshaped Miami’s roster but is he open to altering his offensive approach?

Ever since the Canes were dubbed by Pitt to end their nightmarish 2022 season, Mario Cristobal has done what he’s best at: Roster management and talent acquisition. 

Close to 20 players have left Miami’s program since November, but only three were starters. Conversely, Cristobal attacked the portal hard and landed impact transfers like Alabama guard Javion Cohen, UCF center Matthew Lee and a slew of likely defensive starters. The Canes are also recruiting USC wideout Gary Bryant Jr. 

He landed a Top 6 recruiting class that included a pair of 5-star offensive tackles and blue-chip playmakers at tailback, receiver and tight end. It was Miami’s best class in 15 years. 

But as good as the Canes roster reconstruction has been — and Cristobal deserves credit for recognizing UM’s needs and addressing them immediately — fixing the personnel won’t matter all that much if he doesn’t alter his outlook on offense, too. He saw Nick Saban do it first-hand as an assistant at Alabama, yet he still believes in a varied version of a style that’s closing in on 10 years old. 

He needs to make a bold hire, and find a guy who embraces his desire for physicality and toughness with a modern scheme. It’s possible. Promise. Just ask Kirby Smart or Jim Harbaugh. Heck, he doesn’t even need to look outside the Sunshine State for proof of concept. 

Look at what Mike Norvell is doing at Florida State. 

So while Arroyo is available and a rumored candidate for Miami’s OC opening, Cristobal would be best served going outside his tree and bringing in a new system with fresh ideas.

Considering the lack of cohesion on the staff in 2022 when Gattis was in charge of the offense and receivers, he probably should prioritize an OC/QBs coach, too. 

And there are plenty of intriguing and attractive candidates, and we know Miami can — and will — pay top dollar. 

Former Nebraska head coach Scott Frost, Liam Coen, who’s back at Kentucky, Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, Utah coordinator Andy Ludwig and Toledo head coach Jason Candle have all been tossed out on various hot boards, and all those guys would be interesting hires. 

Just a year ago, the Canes coughed up an offseason full of optimism — who can forget the latest “Miami is back” narrative — with a tire-firing showing on the field. They were a preseason Top 10 team that didn’t make a bowl. 

Miami certainly won’t be even a preseason Top 25 team come the fall, but the Canes could have a big bounce-back season with the way Cristobal has reshaped the roster. 

They will if Cristobal nails his next OC hire and alters his offensive philosophy.