That one word, that all-encompassing, telltale word, is the key to everything.

But how many really get the concept of culture?

How many understand and embrace that it’s the difference between winning championships and being lost in the hinterlands for 2 decades?

“You’ve got to lay a real foundation,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “Not just some BS tagline.”

So here we are again, another iteration of Canes football. Another coach — the 5th since 2007 — trying to recapture the Golden Age of as dirty and nasty and great as they want to be.

Trying to find what ails the once-great dynasty — and how to fix it. Because the tools are there: the state of Florida has had the most players drafted by the NFL in the modern era. The state’s top 69 high school recruits in the 2023 were all rated 4-stars or higher. There were 37 4- or 5-stars in the 2022 class.

And if the tools are there and the success isn’t, well, there’s a disconnect somewhere. There’s a reason Miami hasn’t won a conference championship in 2 decades (and never in the ACC) or a national title since 2001.

There’s a reason the team that once sent more elite players to the NFL than any other, now sporadically sends players that may or may not make it.

There’s a reason that, in the past 5 seasons alone, Miami — the ass-kicking, take no prisoners program of the past — has lost to  Middle Tennessee, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Duke (3 times), North Carolina (3 times), Georgia Tech (twice) and Virginia (twice).

Why Larry Coker eventually flamed out, and  Canes alum Randy Shannon didn’t turn it back, and Al Golden was lost from the jump, and Mark Richt and Manny Diaz were overwhelmed. And why Vegas isn’t too thrilled, either.

There’s a culture that permeated the glory-filled Miami past, a rare combination of elite players and unique personalities tied together by an unshakeable sense of togetherness.

When Cristobal, the player, first arrived in Coral Gables in 1988 for summer conditioning, there was little doubt who had control of the program (coach Jimmy Johnson) — and where it was headed.

“First thing they said, ‘You didn’t win that national title, Michael Irvin did,’” Cristobal said. “You walked in that locker room, you were you were afraid to pass gas. It was like, holy crap, these guys are going to hold us to a high standard. I just think that the culture was almost abandoned.”

But make no mistake, it takes players. A strong locker room and an unbreakable culture gets you only so far. It puts you in position to build great things, to win championships.

Players get you over the top.

When Cristobal accepted the Oregon offensive coordinator/offensive line coach job in 2017, he left Alabama and flew across the country. In his lap on the flight was an iPad full of Oregon offensive line cutups.

He knew immediately it was heavy lift. It would take physical and mental change.

A year later, he was named head coach, and over the next 4 seasons, that change in culture and increased emphasis on recruiting led to 2 Pac-12 titles and a program playing games in November with the Playoff on the line.

In December of 2021, he was back on a plane across the country, with another iPad and another breakdown of the personnel for his new team at Miami. And with the same issues.

“It’s was deja vu,” Cristobal said. “We had to start here from a very basic point. The progress has been really good, and everyone is really enthused, and there’s a strong vibe in the building about improvement and getting better.”

The only way to get better is better players. It’s back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes, and adding key impact players from the transfer portal — like offensive linemen Matt Lee (UCF) and Javion Cohen (Alabama).

It’s players like freshman 5-star offensive tackles Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola — 2 of the top 23 players in the 247Sports composite — playing Game 1. It’s 5-star freshman edge Rueben Bain, who had nearly 60 sacks in his high school career, and 30 in 1 season.

Let’s be honest: The Golden Age at Miami included Heisman Trophy winners and No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks and NFL Hall of Fame skill players. You’re not winning games on culture alone.

You’re winning with recruiting and developing players, and giving players offensive and defensive schemes that lead to success. That’s why Cristobal is so excited about new OC/QBs coach Shannon Dawson.

QB Tyler Van Dyke regressed from an impressive sophomore season in 2021, in part, because the system with former OC Josh Gattis didn’t fit. Van Dyke lost confidence and dealt with a shoulder injury, and the offense scored 99 points over the final 6 games of the season (4 losses).

More problematic: The Canes were among the worst in the nation in ball security (25 turnovers).

Dawson was part of the early Air Raid days under Hal Mumme and Mike Leach, and further developed the system by adding the downhill run principles of the Baylor offense under Art Briles.

All that sounds good, but you win at an elite level with an elite quarterback. The game is built around the most important position on the field, and if the Canes are to make a move this fall, Van Dyke has to return to form.

That’s where the culture comes into play. That’s where what Cristobal and his staff have drilled into the collective psyche of the team has to take hold.

“When you go through a season of injury and a season that provided that type of struggle and adversity, you grow or you crumble,” Cristobal said. “And (Van Dyke) is not a crumble type of guy. You know a lot about yourself and your teammates, and you move forward. I think a lot of guys would have buckled and packed up and headed for higher ground. But the guy buckled down and he went to work.”

And that, everyone, is the essence of the culture Cristobal is trying to build. It’s not about you, it’s about us.

It’s the human condition. Everyone, in times of trouble, seeks higher ground. Seeks the easy way out.

They’ve done just that for more than 2 decades in Coral Gables — and look where it has left the program.

A battered, beaten-down former shell of 1 of the 3 greatest dynasties in the modern era of college football.

“At the end of the day, everybody bleeds the same, everybody sweats the same,” Cristobal said. “You want guys that are into those kinds of concepts, team concepts. Bringing out the best in each other. Guys that won’t flinch for buckle when things get hard.”

There’s your culture.