The Miami Hurricanes had a subpar first season under head coach Mario Cristobal as the team went 5-7 under him with a 3-5 conference record. This led to major changes to the coordinators for season two as the Hurricanes look to bounce back.
Miami Hurricanes Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Mario Cristobal
When Cristobal was brought in as the head coach of Miami late in 2021, it was a homecoming for the former Hurricane player. He played in Miami as well as was a graduate assistant back in 1998 to start his coaching career.
From 2000 until 2003, he joined the Rutgers Scarlett Knights coaching their offensive line and tight ends before returning home for the first time. In 2004, he rejoined the Miami coaching staff coaching their offensive line and tight ends until 2006.
Cristobal earned his first head coaching job leading Florida International coaching them from 2007 until 2012. In six seasons with the program, he recorded a 27-47 record winning one Sun Belt Conference title during that span. The Panthers had two winning records in those six years, going 1-1 in bowl games. Ultimately, Cristobal was fired in December of 2012 after recording a 3-9 record which was their first losing season in two years.
Alabama head coach Nick Saban brought him onto his coaching staff as he took over as associate head coach, offensive line coach, and recruiting coordinator. He helped produce two offensive linemen who were first-round picks in the NFL Draft and was highly regarded as one of the best recruiters in the country.
All that helped him land his second head coaching job with the Oregon Ducks in 2017. He would coach four full seasons and one bowl game in 2017 finishing with a 35-13 record with no losing seasons as head coach. The Ducks won two conference titles in 2019 and 2020 as well as a Pac 12 Conference Title appearance in 2021. Oregon went 2-2 in bowl games.
Before the Alamo Bowl game in 2021, Cristobal left Oregon to take the Miami Hurricanes head coaching job to return to the program once again. 2022 was not the ideal start for him as the team finished 5-7 overall with a 3-5 conference record.
While injuries played a role in the derailing of the season, the coaching staff in 2022 was not up to par with what Miami traditionally has. This led to Cristobal making changes to the coordinators to bring in some fresh blood to help rejuvenate the program.
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, Shannon Dawson
Miami needed some much-needed high-power offense and that resulted in the team bringing in offensive coordinator and quarterback coach Shannon Dawson. What has made Dawson successful throughout his coaching career is how his offenses have been successful in the air raid offense leading to big yards and a lot of points.
His first major offensive coordinator role came at West Virginia as their offensive coordinator and quarterback coach for three of the four seasons. 2014 was a triumphant year for the Mountaineers offense as they ranked 12th in total offense (499.8 yards per game) and ninth in passing yards per game (317 yards per game). Their 33.5 points per game in 2014 helped lead to a school record eight consecutive games with at least 30 points scored.
After a short one-year stint with Kentucky in 2015, Dawson continued his offensive coordinator journey with Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles found success offensively with Dawson helping coach future NFL players such as Nick Mullens, Quez Watkins, and Ito Smith. His accolades during his time at Southern Miss include the team finishing the 2019 season third in completion percentage (69.2) and an average of 424.6 yards per game in 2017 despite injuries at quarterback.
Before his stop at Miami this season, Dawson ran the Houston Cougars’ offense from 2019 until last season. His quarterbacks at Houston ranked in the top 21 in completion percentage, yards, and touchdowns during his four seasons there. In 2022, Houston had one of the best passing attacks in the nation as they ranked eighth in passing offense (314 yards per game).
- Wingate (WR Coach, 2002)
- Southeastern Louisiana (Offensive Quality Control/RB Coach, 2003-2004)
- New Mexico State (Graduate Assistant, 2005)
- Millsaps (OC/QB Coach, 2006-2007)
- Stephen F. Austin (OC/QB Coach, 2008-2010)
- West Virginia (OC/WR Coach/QB Coach, 2011-2014)
- Kentucky (OC/QB Coach, 2015)
- Southern Miss (OC/WR Coach, 2016-2018)
- Houston (OC/QB Coach/TE Coach, 2019-2022
Defensive Coordinator, Lance Guidry
Lance Guidry joins the Miami football program after two strong seasons with Marshall. This is his first Power Five conference job as a coach.
Last season, Marshall was ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense (16 points per game) and interceptions (18). Their defensive unit was also ranked eighth in total defense (294.5 yards per game) and 16th in team sacks (2.92 per game). Six total players in 2022 and nine players in 2021 on defense earned all-conference honors under Guidry.
One of the other highlights of Guidry’s coaching career was being the head coach for McNeese State from 2016 until 2018 after making his fourth stint with the program. In three seasons as head coach, the Cowboys never produced a losing record, going 21-12.
Guidry has been a standout defensive coordinator leading Western Kentucky and McNeese State to the top 26 defenses in the country. Despite this being his first Power Five job, Miami’s defense needs to head to a similar result and his resume shows his success at the college level.
- McNeese State (Graduate Assistant, 1994)
- McNeese State (DC/DB Coach, 2000-2003)
- McNeese State (DB Coach, 2008)
- Miami (OH) (DB Coach/Interim HC, 2009-2010)
- Western Kentucky (DC/Interim HC, 2011-2012)
- McNeese State (Assistant Head Coach/DC, 2013-2015)
- McNeese State (Head Coach, 2016-2018)
- Southeastern Louisiana (DC, 2019)
- Florida Atlantic (S Coach, 2020)
- Marshall (DC/S Coach, 2021-2022)
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line Coach, Alex Mirabal
Alex Mirabal is a staple for all of Cristobal’s coaching staff he has had. He joined the Hurricanes two years ago as the assistant head coach and offensive line coach. Previously to Miami, Mirabal was on Cristobal’s staff in Oregon also coaching the offensive line. In fact, in seven of the ten years Cristobal has been a head coach, Mirabal has been on his coaching staff. What has helped Mirabal’s status as well is he’s been one of the top recruiters in the country in 2021.
Defensive Line Coach/Associate Head Coach – Defense/Defensive Run Game Coordinator, Joe Salave’a
Joe Salave’a is another coach that Cristobal brought on his coaching staff after previous experience together. Salave’a was previously at Oregon starting in 2017 where he held multiple jobs including co-defensive coordinator and run-game coordinator. In his last four seasons with the Ducks, he was also the associate head coach.
Secondary Coach, Jahmile Addae
This is season two for Jahmile Addae with Miami as their secondary coach. Addae found success with Georgia in 2021 where he coached the secondary and helped the Bulldogs win a national title. The unit ranked 13th against the pass and was part of the number one-ranked scoring defense in the nation.
Wide Receivers Coach, Kevin Beard
Kevin Beard is in his first season with the Hurricanes as he is coaching the wide receivers for the program. Beard spent the previous five seasons with Toledo also coaching their wide receivers. The Miami graduate coached with the Hurricanes in 2014 and 2015 which included being assistant director of football operations, wide receivers coach, and passing game coordinator.
Running Backs Coach, Tim Harris Jr.
Tim Harris Jr. is also entering his first season with the school. Harris previously coached the UCF running backs the last two seasons, also adding the assistant head coach and co-offensive coordinator roles. UCF ranked ninth in the nation in rushing yards with them averaging 228.4 yards per game. He was also the running backs coach and offensive coordinator for FIU from 2015 until 2020.
Linebackers Coach, Derek Nicholson
The Hurricanes have another new assistant on the staff with Derek Nicholson starting his first season with the program as their linebackers coach. For the last three seasons, Nicholson coached the linebackers for Louisville. He was able to help two linebackers on the team the past three seasons earn All-ACC honors. He also previously coached Southern Miss’s defensive line.
Defensive Line Coach, Jason Taylor
Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor joined the Hurricanes’ coaching staff this season coaching the school’s defensive line. Taylor’s coaching career has been mostly based in high school as a defensive line coach and defensive coordinator. He was a six-time Pro Bowler in the NFL with most of his career with the Miami Dolphins.
Tight Ends Coach, Cody Woodiel
Cody Woodiel is beginning his second season with the Miami Hurricanes as he is coaching the tight ends. Last season, Woodiel was the offensive analyst for Miami in his first season. He previously coached at Oregon under Cristobal as an assistant coach starting as a graduate assistant in 2017. Woodiel was also the offensive line coach for Itawamba Community College (Mississippi) for three seasons.