Steelers Now
A new candidate has been mentioned in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ head coaching search. According to NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger, the Steelers are very interested in University of Miami head coach Mario Cristobal. Cristobal led the Hurricanes to a 13-3 season and National Championship Game appearance, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 27-21.
“Not out here trying to play reporter or doing any of that nonsense, but I hear the Steelers are very interested in Mario Cristobal, the coach at the University of Miami,” Baldinger said recently on* The Best Football Show *podcast. “I think Mario Cristobal actually would really translate to the NFL. I watched his practice in the spring. The way Mario coached that team reminded me of what old-school coaches used to do.”
Marcus Freeman of Notre Dame and Curt Cignetti of Indiana have been linked to the Steelers’ head coach position, but both coaches said they plan on staying at the college level.
Baldinger is the first one to mention Cristobal as a possible candidate.
In a recent ESPN article, it was revealed that Cristobal grew up as a die-hard Steelers fan. Cristobal comes from humble beginnings, born in Miami to immigrant parents from Cuba who raised their sons with core values that revolved around hard work.
“If the boys wanted some spending money, they would have to earn it — selling scrap metal from their dad’s shop as teenagers to make a couple of extra bucks.
“Although they loved football — Cristobal was a die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan growing up — he and Luis were not allowed to play, for fear they would get hurt. Instead, their parents enrolled them in judo and baseball, the two most popular sports in Cuba.”
Under Cristobal, the Miami Hurricanes have returned to being an elite program. Cristobal doesn’t have any NFL coaching experience, so it would be an out of character hire by the Steelers. But he does have some quality attributes. He definitely carries a blue-collar, no-nonsense approach.
It might not come to fruition, but Cristobal is a name to watch as the Steelers continue to look for their fourth head coach since 1969.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Surprising New Name Emerges in Steelers Coaching Search
