The Miami Hurricanes’ toughness and physicality are two attributes that helped them reach the national championship game last year.
In their playoff wins against Texas A&M, Ohio State and Ole Miss, Miami managed to out-muscle their opposition. Physicality is part of the DNA of a Mario Cristobal coached team.
Getting to a point where you can hit harder and push stronger than your opponents can only be developed through winning habits in practice. In this modern era of coddling and social media glamor, not every college football program pushes their players the way Cristobal does. He’s managed to recruit the types of players who embrace the grind.
“We have an agreement that [the players] are gonna allow us - myself, the coaches, and themselves - to take them to the edge,” Cristobal told the media after a training camp practice. “We’re gonna take them all the way there,” he added.
Why is it so important to take players all the way to the edge? Cristobal expanded on the topic. “It’s the only way to get a breakthrough. I want to emphasize a breakthrough as opposed to a breakdown. We play in conditions that are really, really hot and really noisy. We’re gonna have to win the rock fights and the shootouts. We’re gonna have to find ways to win games in a lot of different manners. The only way to do that is to find out what you have by testing it. We can show it in presentations all we want. We can have some really unique overheads. But until we get it down pat with confidence out there on a daily basis, there’s really no value in that confidence.”
The NCAA no longer permits coaches to hold two-a-day practices. They strictly limit practice times, full contact, and meeting hours.
Back in the Howard Schnellenberger and Jimmy Johnson years, up to three practices per day was a common occurrence. Cristobal has done an excellent job of maximising the smaller amount of practice time he has, emphasising precision and physicality for every rep. Miami’s practices are notable for their intensity and physicality.
Speaking of Jimmy Johnson, the former national championship winning Miami coach was in attendance during Miami's first week of camp. Johnson spoke to the team. Cristobal said speeches like these are important, noting that Johnson shared the importance of conditioning, limiting mistakes, and having your best players be your hardest workers.
Former NFL wideout Eddie Royal commented last week that a Miami practice resembles those you’d see in the NFL. As someone who’s covered both the Hurricanes and Miami Dolphins for many years, I can co-sign Royal’s statement.
