Miami underwent some necessary changes this offseason. Manny Diaz is out and Mario Cristobal is in.
The Hurricanes finished the 2021 season with a record of 7-5 before skipping out on the Sun Bowl due to COVID-19. Remember that?
Miami is hoping to make the 2021 season a distant memory. The season started with high hopes before being thrashed at the hands of Alabama, 44-13. Quarterback D’Eriq King returned for his senior season only to be lost for the season after three games. Sitting at 1-2, the Hurricanes discovered a pleasant surprise in redshirt freshman Tyler Van Dyke.
Van Dyke got his feet wet against an overmatched Central Connecticut State team, where he completed 10 of 11 passes for 270 yards and 3 touchdowns. Miami would lose his next two starts before winning five of their next six games. Van Dyke finished the season with 25 touchdowns to 6 interceptions and threw for 2,931 yards.
As a returning starter, the 6’4″ signal caller returns with more fanfare. NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. has Van Dyke as a potential first round pick. Meanwhile, Athlon Sports named him to their fourth team Preseason All-ACC team among a star-studded field of quarterbacks. Do not be surprised if Van Dyke surpasses that expectation.
With the quarterback position in good hands, what kind of roster does Cristobal have in his first year? Cristobal is known as an excellent recruiter and that is evidenced in his recruiting class that ranked 16th nationally and 3rd in the ACC.
Miami made great use of the transfer portal. The Hurricanes added experienced defenders (shown above) and brought in two of Cristobal’s Oregon linemen, Jonathan Denis and Logan Sagapolu. Running back Henry Parrish also transferred in from Ole Miss.
The aforementioned Parrish should figure to be a part of a talented running back trio along with Jaylan Knighton and TreVonte Citizen. They figure to have success under new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, who comes off a big season at Michigan. Gattis led a running back-centric offense that saw Hassan Haskins, Blake Corum, and Donovan Edwards combine for 2,990 yards from scrimmage and 36 touchdowns.
Knighton ran for 8 touchdowns in 2021, while Parrish averaged 5.3 yards per carry. Citizen, a 4-star freshman out of Lake Charles, LA, will add some punch.
Speaking of punch, expect Cristobal to bring some physicality to Miami. Cristobal played offensive line at Miami and has coached offensive line in stops at Rutgers, Miami, Alabama, and Oregon.
Cristobal hired Kevin Steele to run his defense. Steele most recent on-field position was as defensive coordinator at Auburn from 2016-2020. In four of his five seasons at Auburn, Steele’s defenses gave us less than twenty points per game. I expect him to improve the defense that ranked 84th nationally, allowing 28.4 points per game.
Now let’s take a look at the schedule.
The Hurricanes have a very manageable non-conference schedule outside of Texas A&M in College Station. Fortunately, a superfan by the name of Daniel scouted the Aggies heavily.
In all seriousness, Miami will be an underdog in this game. The Aggies brought in one of the best recruiting classes ever and have the homefield advantage of Kyle Field. However, Texas A&M could have uncertainty at quarterback between Haynes King and LSU transfer Max Johnson. Miami has no such issue with Van Dyke at the helm.
Miami begins ACC play with a home tilt against North Carolina. The Tar Heels must replace Washington Commanders’ fifth round pick Sam Howell. However, North Carolina has recruited well under Mack Brown. Brown’s last three recruiting classes have all ranked inside the top fifteen, according to 247Sports.
The following three games come against Virginia Tech, Duke, Virginia, who are all under first year coaches. Of course Cristobal is, too, but his record at Oregon trumps the experience of Brent Pry, Mike Elko, and Tony Elliott, respectively. With these schools trying to gain traction under new coaches, Miami should win these games.
Miami gets Florida State at home. This rivalry has gone Miami’s way four of the five past meetings, the lone loss coming last season. The Hurricanes should be ready for revenge as the Seminoles overcame a 28-20 deficit in the fourth quarter to win in 2021.
Up next is Georgia Tech. Times have been tough in Atlanta for head coach Geoff Collins. Through three seasons, Collins’s record sits at 9-25. It is a legitimate question on whether he will still be around when the Hurricanes take on the Yellow Jackets. As long as Miami does not get caught sleepwalking, a win should not be a problem for them.
The matchup with Clemson is a potential to be huge. If Miami can take care of business, ESPN’s College Game Day could be in tow when these two square off. After a slip-up in 2021, Clemson still reigns supreme in the ACC. However, Dabo Swinney will be breaking in two new coordinators this season. Speaking of coordinators, this is a revenge game for Miami defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Steele coached under Swinney from 2009-2011 and was fired after West Virginia defeated Clemson, 70-33. In case you forgot, Tavon Austin was insane at West Virginia.
But any way, Kevin Steele revenge game! His defense will be chomping at the bit to attack a Clemson offense that ranked 99th in yards per game in 2021.
Finally, Miami finishes their regular season with Pittsburgh. Quarterback Kenny Pickett has finally moved on, but the Panthers should be in good hands with USC transfer Kedon Slovis. However, he will have to find another top target as Pittsburgh’s Biletnikoff winning receiver Jordan Addison made his way to USC.
Miami and Pittsburgh could decide the ACC Coastal. While Pittsburgh won the ACC in 2021, I am thinking they will see a regression. Head coach Pat Narduzzi has a propensity to lose at least five games a year. In fact, he has done so every season at Pittsburgh except last season.
Season win total: Over/under 8.5
With a projected win total of 8.5, I am going over for the Miami Hurricanes. This team is poised to make some noise in year one of the Mario Cristobal era.
OUTTA HERE!
Clarknado Sports 