Miami HC explains why players aren’t buying into the hype

The Miami Hurricanes are rolling high at 3-0 and ranked No. 8 in the country, but head coach Mario Cristobal isn’t worried about his players getting big heads.

In fact, he doesn’t think it’s possible with that group.

It’s not because as a bunch of teenagers and young men, they’re naturally humble. Confidence, and sometimes overconfidence, is a key to being a great athlete at the college level.

No, it’s more so that Cristobal believes his team knows the source of the praise hasn’t been consistent.

“They’re very well aware of the same people that are giving them praise and showering them with all the good stuff were the same ones throwing dirt on them when things were being built piece by piece,” Cristobal told the media on Monday (h/t On3).

It’s an old-school mentality, but it’s one that tends to work for great teams. Forget the outside noise — whether good or bad — and focus on the things you can control, which is simply yourself.

“We really pay very little attention to that. We acknowledge it. We’re proud that we are being acknowledged, but it’s so in the back of any thought as it relates to our progress, to our drive, to our determination,” Cristobal said. “We just want to get to work. We just want to get better. We just want to go play football. We want to play the Miami Hurricane Standard, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to get there.”

Cristobal is right in saying that the Hurricanes still have a ton of work to do. Yes, they’re 3-0, but they haven’t necessarily played any dominant teams with wins over hapless Florida, Florida A&M and Ball State.

The Hurricanes will get a big chance to prove themselves in a few weeks, though, with a matchup against ranked Louisville on the road.