“GOD THE GREATEST!! What do you say Miami,” the wide receiver wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday, accompanying a photo with the words, “RUN IT BACK.”
“We’re a whole lot better team than we were last year,” the wide receiver said, “and that’s going to be the same thing next year.”
Year 2 for coach Mario Cristobal at his alma mater was undeniably frustrating, but it also marked clear progress, at least as far as infusing the roster with more talent.
Miami (7-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) was missing seven usual starters for the bowl game — including quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, who has already transferred to Wisconsin; and offensive linemen Matt Lee and Javion Cohen, and safeties Kamren Kinchens and James Willaims, all of whom opted out of the game to begin preparations for the 2024 NFL Draft — and perhaps had double-digit starters who won’t actually wind up being starters next season.
Quarterback Jacurri Brown, who accounted for 238 yards and three touchdowns, didn’t play all season before this week and will likely just compete for a backup job next year, if he doesn’t decide to transfer. Offensive linemen Luis Cristobal Jr. and Ryan Rodriguez made their first starts, filling in for Lee and Cohen, and will probably return to reserve roles in 2024. On defense, cornerbacks Te’Cory Couch and Jaden Davis played their final college games out of position, filling in at safety for Kinchens and Williams. Metaphorical asterisks cover any sort of analysis of Miami’s performance in the Bronx.
“They’re going to have to cut their teeth. They’re going to have to learn from some of the things that come with playing, but I think the entire country is facing that,” Cristobal said. “We’ve taken the route of we knew we had to enhance the roster and we were going to play a lot of young players. If it comes with it, we just have to coach them up better, teach them better and get guys doing it the right way the whole time.”
Restrepo had 99 receiving yards and a touchdown Thursday to become only the sixth 1,000-yard receiver in program history. He’s coming back.
A barely-better-than-.500 season won’t quell any of the deserved skepticism around the future of this program. Neither, even, will another top-five recruiting class. Together, though, they suggest real reasons for optimism — a feeling at least Restrepo, Mauigoa and Rivers are all buying into.
“We have a standard and you go into each year looking back at the last year wanting to be better,” Rivers said Thursday. “We learned from last year. We still have a lot to improve on, but we made a major step. Going into next year, I feel like we can make that step to where we can come out with wins, at least outlast our opponents.”
