Getty Image / Eakin Howard
Mario Cristobal was hired to turn the Miami Hurricanes back into a national powerhouse. The former Miami offensive lineman was supposed to bring the program back to the glory days.
Now, the jury is still out, but the early returns on the field were not good. The Canes slumped to a 5-7 record and had embarrassing losses to Middle Tennessee, Duke, and Florida State.
The team was just terrible. The offense wasn’t good, the defense was terrible, and it seemed like there was no team chemistry the entire season. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, thought to be a potential first-round-pick coming into the season, struggled under offensive coordinator Josh Gattis.
Gattis has since been fired, and now there is an opening for the next offensive coordinator at Miami.
Miami announces that OC Josh Gattis has been fired. He won the Broyles Award in 2021 for his work at Michigan. Miami's offense never got in synch in 2022.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 27, 2023
So, now, Cristobal must find the guy who will turn the Hurricanes offense around. Whoever comes in will have talent to work with, as Miami just brought in the 7th-ranked recruiting class, according to 247 sports.
Big names have been linked with the job. Joe Brady, who helped orchestrate the LSU offense that many consider the greatest of all time in 2019, is a name that has come up. Dan Mullen, who had successful stints at Mississippi State and Florida as a head coach before things went south in Gainesville, has also been mentioned.
But, it’s a fellow FBS head coach that Cristobal has seemingly zeroed in on.
Miami could be in-store for a big time OC hire. 👀
Toledo HC Jason Candle is reported to be a top candidate for UM’s offensive coordinator position, per @canes_county.https://t.co/DNwZQ0bEgz pic.twitter.com/QhSmHX7ozc
— 305 Sports (@305Sportss) February 5, 2023
The 43-year-old Toledo head coach is considered one of the best young minds in all of college football. He’s been a part of some great offenses as coach of the Rockets, and put up 30 points when he took Toledo to play Miami in 2017.
You may be wondering why a head coach would take a job as a coordinator. But, his new extension pays him $1.1 million a year. Miami is expected to pay a new offensive coordinator around $2 million a year as the program ramps up investment.
Assuming this gets done, it will be interesting to see how it turns out for Miami.