Miami coach Mario Cristobal carved out a niche for himself as one of the best coaches in college football last season, when he led the Hurricanes to the national championship game. Despite a valiant effort, the Hurricanes fell 27–21 to the Indiana Hoosiers, leaving Cristobal still searching for his first national title in Coral Gables since his appointment in 2021.
Backed by wealthy boosters, Cristobal has again dipped aggressively into the transfer portal to retool his roster. After successfully luring Carson Beck from Georgia last year, a move that saw Beck throw for 3,813 yards and 30 touchdowns in a Miami uniform, Cristobal is proving that Coral Gables has become a premier destination for veteran quarterbacks looking to refine their NFL draft stock.
Mario Cristobal Addresses Kirby Smart Roast
During the Steve Spurrier Awards dinner, Cristobal traded lighthearted barbs with Georgia Bulldogs coach Kirby Smart. The roasting began over the signing of defensive back Ellis Robinson IV, who chose Athens over Miami during his recruitment. Smart didn’t miss the chance to poke fun at Miami’s aggressive NIL spending.
“Mario’s sitting right behind him; if it had been up to him, he would have paid a lot more NIL money,” Smart said. “It came down to us two… you got to be careful around Mario, sometimes he’ll take your players if you know what I mean,” he added, referencing Beck’s high-profile transfer.
Cristobal didn’t back down, taking a shot at Georgia’s absence from the 2025 title game after the Bulldogs were bumped from the College Football Playoff following a loss to Ole Miss. “It’s great to watch what a player like Carson Beck could do with great coaching,” Cristobal retorted during the ceremony, where he was supporting Miami receiver Malachi Toney, who won Offensive Freshman of the Year.
During Wednesday’s segment of the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Cristobal finally addressed the viral exchange.
“I never expected to be in a roast, I went there to hand out an award to Malachi Toney,” Cristobal said. “So, I don’t like those kinds of things. I had no choice, you should have seen the rest of the clips, they were good! I’m not into talking smack and all that kind of stuff. But we all worked together at Alabama way back when, it was quite the room.”
Cristobal served as the Crimson Tide’s offensive line coach and assistant head coach from 2013 to 2016, while Smart was the defensive coordinator through 2015. While the two have since become rival heavyweights in the recruiting world, Cristobal admitted that the “Spurrier-style” banter was all in good fun among old colleagues.
As the Hurricanes prepare for the 2026 season, the focus remains on finishing the job. After proving he could take a transfer quarterback like Beck to the brink of a title, Cristobal’s ability to “take your players” remains the most feared, and effective, tool in his arsenal.
