The Rundown Take
From 5-7 to Top Three: U Talk Grades Mario's First Full Signing Class
The final U Talk of 2022 doubled as the year's biggest recruiting show. With a five-win, seven-loss season in the books and the transfer portal chewing up the old roster, Devin, Larry Frank Jr. and recruiting analyst George Diaz sat down to grade Mario Cristobal's first complete cycle — a class that landed inside the top four nationally despite the record on the field.
Key Takeaways
- 25 signees in the 2023 class, headlined by five-star offensive linemen Francis Mauigoa and Samson Okunlola, plus four-star defensive lineman Rueben Bain — a name George Diaz says he called weeks earlier on the Atlanta show.
- George Diaz breaks down the full board: four-star linebacker Malik Bryant, four-star tight end Riley Williams (the number one tight end in the country by his tape), four-star corner Damari Brown, and twin four-star signees Bobby and Robbie Washington.
- Larry Frank's one lingering concern: no true difference-making wide receiver in the class, with hope the staff hits the transfer portal for a bigger-bodied outside target.
- Recruiting analyst "Coach Hayes" joins to talk body-type evolution in Miami's recruiting — leaner, more agile linebackers and defensive linemen replacing the old "big lumpy" prototypes.
- Caller D from Dade sparks a long debate defending Deion Sanders' Colorado hire against a double standard he says never gets applied to white coaches without pro experience.
Grading the Class
George Diaz walked the board name by name: the offensive line haul anchored by Mauigoa and Okunlola plus Alabama transfer addition up front, a defensive front getting Rueben Bain and Jaden Wayne, and a secondary bringing in Damari Brown and Antoine Jackson. Devin's read was blunt — not one player who left via the portal landed at a bigger program than Miami, which he took as proof the roster simply didn't have the talent to compete, and that the coaching staff now has no excuses heading into year two.
The Wide Receiver Gap
The one spot the panel couldn't get comfortable with was receiver. Larry Frank pointed out the class brought in speed but no size, arguing Miami needs a true jump-ball threat to compete with taller corners on 50-50 balls, and pushed Mario to attack the second wave of the transfer portal specifically at outside receiver — which Diaz confirmed was Cristobal's own stated priority in his signing-day press conference.
"Not one transfer has gone to a bigger school than the University of Miami. Not one. So I don't want to hear any more that we had talent on this team."
The Deion Debate
A caller identifying himself as D from Dade steered the second hour into Deion Sanders' move to Colorado, arguing coaches without pro playing experience get a pass when they're white but face "is he qualified" scrutiny when they're Black, and predicting Sanders' recruiting pull will make him a headline name within two or three years. The panel closed the year on a warmer note — a Twitter campaign to land recruiting analyst Coach Hayes a real coaching job, and condolences to fellow Canes-content creator Coach Coop on the loss of his brother — before signing off until late February.