Mario Cristobal tugged on the orange Hurricanes jersey that had just been presented to him by University of Miami President Julio Frenk and then tried to put into words how returning to his alma mater tugs at his heartstrings.
“I’m honored and humbled. Words can’t describe,” Cristobal said upon being introduced as the school’s new football coach Tuesday morning. “This is strong. This hits as hard as it can hit. What an honor. … My god, what an honor.”
Cristobal, a Miami native who graduated from UM and played offensive line on two national title-winning Hurricanes teams, was hired as the school’s 26th head coach Monday. The Columbus High School grad compared the feeling to national signing day.
