To say the 2023 college football season ended poorly for Miami would be an understatement.
The Hurricanes lost three of their last four — including losses to ranked Florida State and Louisville — and then finished things off with a bitterly disappointing loss to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Not that the game wasn't close. Rutgers won 31-24. Still, Miami used to be one of the superpowers of college football. Now "The U" is losing to the Scarlet Knights in a mid-tier bowl game.
That's a fall from grace worthy of criticism, and the Hurricanes took plenty of it on social media. Specifically, former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones went after Miami.
Man, I feel bad for the recruits going to Miami U for NIL…….. bad staff, no stability within program and one of the worst college home game atmospheres.
— Cardale Jones (@CJ1two) December 28, 2023
Chasing the money isn’t always the answer. But good luck
To Jones' point, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal is now a middling 12-13 with a bowl game loss in two seasons with the Hurricanes. In the same breath, he has a top-five 2024 recruiting class, boasting two five-star recruits.
NIL deals have played a massive role in Cristobal's recruiting success, because it certainly hasn't been Miami's on-field production that is drawing in top recruits.
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