Mario Cristobal named amongst nation’s ‘most impressive’ 1st-year coaches in 2023 recruiting cycle

Mario Cristobal was one of the “most impressive” 1st-year head coaches during the 2023 recruiting cycle, according to an ESPN analyst.

Cristobal was named alongside Oklahoma coach Brent Venables and Oregon coach Dan Lanning in ESPN’s roundtable discussion

of superlatives for the 2023 cycle. Despite a rough start to Cristobal’s tenure on the field, he delivered a top-notch recruiting class for the Canes.

Here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren:

“The Hurricanes finished No. 5 in the rankings with 15 ESPN 300 commitments, including two five-star offensive linemen in Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. In addition to the five total offensive linemen out of high school, the coaches brought in Alabama transfer Javion Cohen and UCF center transfer Matthew Lee, who should be able to help right away and transform that unit. It’s a balanced class from top to bottom that’s bringing in some elite talent to elevate the play at Miami in a hurry.”

Miami’s high school class is built around a pair of 5-star o

ffensive tackles in Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola. The Hurricanes also added a pair of top-100 EDGE rushers in Jayden Wayne and Rueben Bain.

Overall, the group ranks No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in the ACC, per 247Sports Composite rankings.

Miami will be looking to take a big step forward in Year 2 under Cristobal.