COACH… “a team with a lot to prove”

August 4, 2026 -

Head coach Mario Cristobal met with the press after the first practice of Fall Camp on Tuesday.

“Always awesome to get things rolling day one, and it's what we expected from a strength and conditioning aspect carrying over to the football field,” said Cristobal. “We feel like it's a team with a lot to prove, and I think we approach practice today in that manner. A lot of positive things to get excited about, and like anything, a lot of stuff that needs to be corrected. Miles to go as it relates to what we want to do and what we want to accomplish, but a solid start. I'm looking forward to getting the pads on here in a couple days, but we'll continue the course as per the NCAA allows us to practice.”

On the newly renovated Soffer Indoor Practice Facility…

“Rumor was it's to accommodate you guys wanted more room to film and ### and part to film and stuff. It's really important because the weather is what it is in South Florida, right? And when you have this much space, this is functional space. There's nothing better for a football team than actual functional functional space. As you saw, we were able to the DBs could get their entire drops. They weren't squatting on short routes. They're not They weren't constricted to minimizing some of the drill space they used to do. The O-line and D-line had plenty of space to break up different position groups and have more effective drills and have more range in their drills as well. So, very thankful to the administration and all the people that donated to make this thing possible. It's a beautiful facility. The other parts are being finalized as well. So, uh really grateful and awesome to be out here today.”

On the team’s energy…

“Yeah, they want to be in pads, which is awesome to see. There's don't sense anything fake from them. Any, I think there's great residue of legacy from the previous team that this team took seriously, took to heart, and implemented in their approach. And they were really challenged by Coach and his staff all summer, which in turn guys like you know Mark Fletcher and Mohamed Toure challenged the group as well, because that's going to show up. You know that there's no there's no substitute for that. So that's what I see, but I don't think there's there's any time or room to overpraise any of these guys. They have a lot to prove, and on a daily basis, they know. And we talked about they're going to be tested, and this should be the most challenging camp that we have had for the right reasons, in a smart fashion. You know, but we need to present our guys with adverse situations and see them come through.”

On Jackson Cantwell…

“Wherever he fits best on the offensive line. You know, those are things that I tend to not answer at this time of year because, you know, every single one of these offensive linemen, if you ask them, they all played left tackle in high school, right? And they know when they come here. We show them examples of previous stops in our time here that no matter what you played here, you're going to play however you can help the team best, and that's a prior agreement. It's not just something we throw on those guys, but it is important that for guys to get really good at what they play, they have to play that spot a bunch, but they have to show the versatility and deal with some things that come with playing at different spots. You know, because you just don't know what it's going to look like come game one, middle of game one, game seven, nine. You got to be able to go, and these guys are-they're smart. Being able to expand their knowledge, their football IQ is always a plus. So I'll have a better answer for you about you know two days out before game one.”

On the the tight end room and the injury to TE Luka Gilbert …

“Well, right now at the start of camp, I feel good. Obviously, when you have an injury like that to a player that had significant experience as a freshman, and a guy with those size and specs-that's a-that's a real injury and a real loss. And at the same time, I don't know how much you guys got to watch today. That's a talented group and a very physical and tough group. And I think what we have to take into account is Coach is really good at what he does and getting guys ready, and what we've seen so far, we don't think that we'll skip a beat offensively. In fact, we think these guys are going to play at a high level. They're going to be treated and coached that way, and they're going to be out there competing against an excellent group of defenders on a daily basis. So we feel very confident.

On the pair of freshmen tight ends …

“Well, the first thing they did, they came with the right attitude, which is everything, and their approach on the daily was impacted by some of the stuff they saw throughout the final parts of last season. You know, they joined us for practice, which was obviously a tremendous benefit to them, and their transformation in the weight room, in the neighborhood of 15 to 20 pounds, a couple of them has really made a difference. They're more confident putting their hand in the ground, taking care of the C gap. They're more confident fighting through, you know, contested catches and situations that put big bodies on them, where they're getting yanked and clawed at and what not. They've shown that they can, they're physically prepared to take on the rigors that come with being a tight end at the power four level. So, what I've seen from them, they're tough, they're smart, they're willing, they put in the time. If they give us the time, we knew that we recruited talented guys. Now it's a matter of getting them, you know, hardening them and making them more callous and more resilient, and just getting the repetitions. The more reps, the better.

On Ahmad Moten…

“I think he epitomizes what college football used to be, and we still see bits and pieces of it. But what it should be, it's development, you know. And you never know when a guy's gonna pop, and he's been popping the last year and a half or so. But now he's really different, right? And so maturity, same thing, right? The mind kind of it sees the eyes see a lot. The mind grows and develops, and you start realizing, you know, I'm. I need to learn from watching. I need to learn from doing, and he's become that. And you know what? He's had a great experience as a Miami Hurricane. It means a lot to him. And the former players have had a big impact on him. He wants to have that same impact on others. I think the culture embraced him because he's a hard worker. You know, this culture-if you're not-it'll probably spit you out, and and it doesn't judge you, but it does. You know, it has certain standards, and those standards are things that he lived out in his life prior to his arrival, and when he came in, he came in full throttle, 100 miles per hour, and he's very engaging. Like you'll find him, he'll find time to be around teammates and have them over. He'll find time to help guys understand parts of the game better to be more effective as a player, and then from a team dynamic standpoint, he understands like how to put the pieces together, who he can impact as a person, how he can grab a player and change his perspective on things to get the most out of that guy. He's a special guy now, race the right way, and when you have that kind of talent to back it up, then it becomes it becomes powerful.”

On Marquise Lightfoot:

“Understand the importance of consistency. There were no more consistent players I've ever been around than Francis Mauioga and Anez Cooper and those other guys I mentioned on the edges, Mesidor and Bain, and these guys pick that up. When you come in young and those guys are playing, you either take a back seat or you learn. I think these guys took the opportunity to learn, and that's what we're seeing. You know, Marquise is 240 because he applied himself to changing what he eats, how he eats, how much he eats, and when he eats it, you know, he took the weight room completely to a new level from a growth and explosiveness standpoint. Really changed his body, and it's not just the weight, you know. It's the body armor you put on to withstand 16, 17 games of of football a season at the college and the professional level, right? What you're seeing is guys maturing. That's the best word I can use. They're understanding that one and zero means every day, everybody, and everything. You know, it's not just a it's not a pick and choose type of thing.”

On Herbert Scroggins:...

“Yeah, we joked about it this morning because those guys played a good amount, but a lot of times in their rotational opportunities, you had guys like Bain and Mesidor like waving them off, like, "Hey, man, I'm not coming out, which is that's fine. These guys have to understand that that you have to be able to sustain a certain level of play for 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 plays a game. Thirds opportunities came in some really big moments, you know. And in those opportunities, he showed physicality, discipline, and relentless effort. He's about 250 pounds now. He had a little bit of work done in the off season, but he's a full throttle guy now. We're progressing him back, maybe for a few reps shy of what he would regularly take. But he's a full speed player, and I think he's going to be a great one.”

Fall Camp continues. CaneReports will bring you chelatest storylines.

GO CANES!