COACH - “…hold us to a high standard.”

July 20, 2026 -

Head coach Mario Cristobal and his coaching staff will soon begin fall camp soon. 2025 was a great success, going all the way to the national championship game, Nine Canes were then drafted to the NFL, with three Canes going in the first round.

But you can’t rest on your laurels. The roster and the culture must again be built from the ground up. And our former Canes have set that culture bar high. Their legacy can be seen as the rising Canes get ready to kickoff 2026 at Stanford.

Coach Cristobal shared his thoughts on that Hurricane culture during ACC Media Days last week.

On last year’s leadership…

“That's the best part of their legacy. They showed them what it looks like, and, you know, success leaves clues. That's what these guys do. The extra time invested with each other, doing all the things necessary. No BS. You know, a true professional approach to the game and preparation. That stuff is contagious, man, and they've done a great job of that.”

On his exceptions on the team in 2026…

“Yeah, you know, I always, I don't want them to ever feel any pressure from the outside. That's irrelevant. Always has. We're all football guys here, right? No one's ever had greater expectations for ourselves than our own selves. And I think we understand that. And I think it's on us as coaches to conduct our dailys, starting with practice, where all that BS is eliminated with the level of work, with the level of intensity and urgency as it relates to everything, you know? And it takes everybody for everything every single day. And if we stay along those lines of process, we're gonna be just fine.”

On personal commitment…

“There's a bus ticket literally leaving every half hour if you don't want a piece of it, brother. You know what I mean? Don't let the door hit your butt on the way out. I mean, it's still football, and it's college football. We have to develop. And to develop, we need reps. And the line of scrimmage needs physicality on a daily basis with technique and fundamentals, bending at the knees, feet in the ground, hands inside, playing low too high. And if you're not willing to do that, you're not willing to play in December and January for the big games.”

On his team’s future…

“We have the same philosophy as you had, when you were coaching. The moment we signed Rueben Bain, we knew it. This guy's the dude, and teamed with Akeem and these other guys. So we started that process in '22. You know, and guys like Armando Blount and Marquise Lightfoot and Hayden Lowe and Damon Wilson coming over, Herbert Scroggins. That's just to mention a few. Those guys, they haven't been waiting. They've been working to replace, right? So we feel, and they were in the big moments. You watch the Ohio State game, you watch the A&M game. They're in there, in the big moments. It's their time. And the way we practice, they sure as (he**) get enough reps, so they'll be ready.”

On building off last year’s success…

“Oh, physicality and violence on defense and a level of commitment that had taken another step. You know, every year we've gotten better, five, win, seven, 10. And it all was dependent and reliant upon guys willing to do the things necessary to win. And they've left a tremendous impression on our players. Remember, 39 of our 41 new additions were with us in January for two games. So they saw the blueprint in action. They saw the level of commitment necessary to have success, even though we didn't win the last game. So they have a pretty good idea. And, like, we're practicing yesterday, or the players are, they're doing their PLP (Player Led Practice). Rueben Bain's out there. You want that guy staring down your shoulder and not doing it the right way? So it's, this new wave has now taken the next step in becoming those former players that hold us to a high standard.”

GO CANES!