"Not finished product" - Mario Cristobal assesses Miami's "big question mark" months after playoffs snub

This week, Miami's Mario Cristobal sat down with CBS Sports' Josh Pate to review the Hurricanes' 2024 season and to let fans know how they're preparing for the upcoming season.

While 2024 was overall a successful year for the program, Miami fans have found it difficult to shake off the feeling of being hard done by the CFP committee when they were omitted during last year's selection process.

Speaking with Pate about the improvements, Cristobal thinks the team showed during the spring practice, Mario Cristobal highlighted the role that the wide receiver corps showed:

"We're really young at wide receiver and that was the big question mark. So much production has left. What are these guys going to look like? And they did a great job. They're not a finished product. No part of our team, not even close," Cristobal said (25:20).

Mario Cristobal also praised the linebackers unit, the secondary, both lines of scrimmage, and the quarterback room. In short, when naming the strongest unit of his roster, Cristobal named just about everyone short of the special teams and the backfield.

Mario Cristobal comparing Cam Ward to Carson Beck

All eyes will be on Georgia transfer Carson Beck, who forfeited a chance to get drafted to get one final year of college football. This is certainly an addition that was made with the challenges for the CFP in mind.

The interview at one point veered into a comparison between the Heisman finalist and first pick of the 2025 NFL draft, Cam Ward, and the new Canes signal-caller. Cristobal had this to say:

"He is different than Cam personality-wise, but not from a drive and determination side," Cristobal said. "I think that really hit us strong in that very short process with Carson. His knowledge of the game speaks very loudly of a guy who's been prepping his entire life. I also think we brought in a person who has a lot to prove, but more in the sense of winning. More in the sense of team than anything else."

Beck had a successful two-year starter for Georgia, who everyone expected to see in the NFL in 2025. However, possibly the enticement of considerable NIL money, the desire to win a national title, or the fact that NFL teams showed little interest in the 2024 quarterback class made him go to Miami to follow in Cam Ward's footsteps.