With a job opening at the University of Miami, there appears to be one really obvious candidate for the job. Alabama offensive line coach Mario Cristobal is reportedly at the top of the list of candidates according to a report from Football Scoop.
If Miami needs a coach that understands how to win at Miami and would be well-received by the Miami family, then Cristobal should be as close to a home run hire there is. Cristobal played offensive tackle for Miami from 1989 through 1992 and went on to play in NFL Europe for two years before jumping into coaching as a graduate assistant at Miami in 1998. His coaching career has taken him to Rutgers, back to Miami and to Florida International, where he made his head coaching debut close to home. As head coach at FIU, Cristobal won a Sun Belt championship in 2010, only to be removed as head coach two years later after going 8-14 in 2011 and 2012.
After being removed by FIU, a decision that did not sit well with many, Cristobal joined the Miami coaching staff as a tight ends coach in January 2013, only to accept an offer to be an offensive line coach at Alabama on Nick Saban’s staff. It has always been just a matter of time before Cristobal received some consideration for a head coaching job once again, and the Miami vacancy appears too perfect for him, if he wants to take it.
There is no word on any additional candidates being considered for the job, but Cristobal is a strong candidate for the job.