Mario Cristobal has been busy talking to and vetting potential coaching candidates to fill his first staff at Miami.
Miami has officially announced the hires of three assistant coaches in
Alex Mirabal (offensive line),
Bryan McClendon (wide receivers/co-offensive coordinator) and
Joe Salave'a (defensive line) with seven more spots open. Strength and conditioning coach Aaron Feld has also been named, but does not count as one of the 10 allotted assistant coaches.
More announcements could come this week.
"More to come in the next couple of days and throughout the course of next week so we can hit the road running come once the contact period begins on Thursday," Cristobal noted on a Jan. 6 appearance on the The Dan LeBatard Show with Stugotz.
COACHING NOTES
• Seattle Seahawks assistant head coach/defensive line coach Clint Hurtt, a Miami alum and former assistant, is a possibility to be the Hurricanes’ defensive coordinator according to multiple sources. Hurtt and Cristobal were both on the Miami staff together for two seasons (2004 and 2006). One source believes there is a “fifty-fifty” chance Hurtt becomes the Hurricanes’ next defensive coordinator and play-caller. Hurtt has been on Pete Carroll’s staff in Seattle since 2017 after three years with the Chicago Bears. The Seahawks wrap up their season on Sunday.
• Georgia co-defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann’s name has been mentioned as a possibility to be Miami’s defensive coordinator, but seems unlikely since he has not called plays. Schumann has turned down opportunities to return to Texas, where he spent time growing up, at Texas Tech and TCU according to a source.
• Houston defensive coordinator Doug Belk, who was a graduate assistant at Alabama with Cristobal for three years, is a coordinator to pay close attention to even though he reportedly agreed to a two-year, $2 million extension on Dec. 10.
• The new defensive coordinator is likely going to influence who the linebackers and defensive back coaches will be while Cristobal is likely to still be involved as well.
• Current Miami defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson could return for a second season, but there are two schools to keep an eye on with him moving forward in Alabama and Georgia. Both schools could have openings following their championship game on Monday. Robinson was in the SEC the last 10 years with three different schools prior to his stop at Miami last year. Reuniting with Georgia co-defensive coordinator Will Muchamp could be a possibility or if Alabama needs a veteran coach to fill in for cornerbacks coach Jay Valai if he leaves for Oklahoma.
• Former Cleveland Browns head coach Rod Chudzinski, a former teammate of Mario Cristobal’s at Miami, has been viewed as someone who could join Cristobal’s staff as an offensive analyst. However, one source close to the situation does not think Chudzinksi will make the move back to Miami where he served on the Hurricanes’ staff 1994-2003 including the offensive coordinator the last three seasons because Chudzinski is enjoying where he is at with his family as a special assistant to the head coach at Boston College.
• Miami would like Texas A&M tight ends coach James Coley to return to his hometown and be its tight ends coach, but the 48-year old Coley would like his shot to be an offensive play-caller. A noted recruiter who would be a benefit to the staff, but responsibilities and roles would need to be sorted.
• Appalachian State offensive coordinator Frank Ponce, who coached receivers for six years under Cristobal at FIU, still appears to be an option according to sources.
• A number of sources believe there could be unknown names not mentioned above, even potential coaches in the NFL, still involved with the coordinator position process as Cristobal is taking his time and keeping things close.
SCHEDULING NOTES
• Miami can begin having recruits on campus for official visits on Tuesday, Jan. 11 if they are mid-year enrollees and Friday, Jan. 14 for regular enrollees.
• •Players report back on Jan. 16 and will have a team meeting on Jan. 17. “I spent the last four-and-a-half weeks assessing everything top to bottom from personnel to culture, you name it, so when they come we start fresh,” Cristobal said. “I’ll get with the team regarding everything from policies, culture and how we do things. All that stuff (including the turnover chain) will be addressed and I will get it out there as soon as possible.”
• The spring semester begins on Jan. 18 with Jan. 26 as the last day of registration.
• The ACC is expected to release its 2022 conference schedule later this month. Miami is currently scheduled to open its season on Sept. 3 at home against Bethune-Cookman. Two weeks later Miami plays at Texas A&M.
HOME RUN HIRES
• Cristobal spoke specifically about the hires of Mirabal, whom was questioned by interviewer 'Pipo' on the show, and Feld on the show and responded, "Last time I checked the Outland Trophy winner (Penei Sewell) that was the No. 6 overall pick for the Detroit Lions was groomed and coached by Alex Mirabal so I'll leave it at that. Because here it is going to be about animals (translated in Spanish) up front. The strength coach, Aaron Feld, was with me at Alabama, then he was over at Georgia and we went and kidnapped him right away to take him to Oregon. He knows what he is doing and he is a complete pro. The energy that comes out of him is unbelievable. Those two guys are home runs."
