Turning the page: Miami Hurricanes WR says 2023 'is going to be special'

When Mario Cristobal returned to coach his alma mater last season, expectations were high. But, as the season unfolded, it became clear that a rebuild was taking place, one that Cristobal admitted would take time. However, rebuild aside, 2022 simply did not live up to fan or team expectations and Miami finished the season at 5-7. 

A lot has changed in Coral Gables since last season though and there's some major confidence brewing in South Florida. One of the Hurricanes' top wide receivers, Xavier Restrepo, recently said that 2023 "is going to be special," citing a complete "turnaround in culture as well as the mood of the team" after a tumultuous 2022 campaign. History could be on Miami's side because Cristobal's teams have always improved significantly in year two of the programs he's coached.

But is the confidence truly warranted?

After the moves Miami made this offseason, most notably replacing offensive coordinator Josh Gattis, with Shannon Dawson, as well as a handful of other major additions, it just might be. 

Dawson left the University of Houston where he was the offensive coordinator, for the same position at Miami and will bring with him an air raid-style offense. Last season Miami ran a very run-heavy scheme that saw a lot of runs between the tackles. It was an approach Cristobal typically likes but he saw the need for a more modern offense in 2023 and airing it out is a big part of that. In 2022 Dawson's offense was ranked eighth nationally in passing, averaging 314 yards per game.

The offense that will be unveiled in Miami this season should more closely resemble the offense of 2021 that saw QB Tyler Van Dyke throw for just under 3,000 yards, 25 TDs, and just 6 interceptions, all while capturing the ACC overall Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. 

Another key to Miami's success offensively this season will simply be staying healthy. All teams suffer from injuries, but 2022 was rough for the Hurricanes, especially on offense. Restrepo himself missed five games due to injury and the entire offensive side of the ball saw multiple injuries across all position groups. And that impact can't be understated.

Miami saw its points per game offensively for the year drop by ten and a half. They averaged 23.58 a game after averaging 34.08 the year before. In addition to that, the offense averaged 82 fewer yards a game and scored 18 fewer touchdowns than it did just the year prior. 

The defense actually saw marginal improvements last season in some areas, allowing fewer points per game, as well as yards, but it wasn't enough to overcome the offensive woes. The defensive side of the ball still needs to be better overall but gets a boon of its own with the addition of new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, who comes over after serving in the same role at Marshall University. He guided the Thundering Herd to top five rankings defensively in many key statistical areas, including third-down defense, yards per play and rush defense.

The program also brought in some major additions through the transfer portal and finished eighth in the transfer portal rankings because of it. Miami also nailed down a recruiting class that was good for seventh in the nation. 

The additions to the staff, as well as the roster, coupled with players returning from injury have also gained the attention of some pre-season rankings. Miami recently saw eight players make an appearance on the all-ACC preseason first-team list, the most of any team in the conference. This is a sign that Miami has the talent to compete at a high level and shows that Restrepo's confidence is in fact warranted.