5 years, 3 coaches and another culture change: Seniors reflect on what has changed at Miami

On the day DJ Ivey and DJ Scaife Jr. arrived on campus in Coral Gables in 2018, the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility was still under construction, Mark Richt was still the Miami Hurricanes’ coach, Manny Diaz was the defensive coordinator and Mario Cristobal was only about a month into his tenure as coach of the Oregon Ducks.

Miami was only a few days removed from playing in the 2017 Orange Bowl and appeared to be a program on the rise. Jacurri Brown, who started the last two games at quarterback for the Hurricanes, was still in middle school. About half of their teammates had played for Al Golden at Miami — and one of the players set to be honored this weekend as part of the Hurricanes’ senior day festivities actually committed to the Hurricanes when Golden was still the coach.

It’s all to say: These seniors have seen a lot in their five-plus years at Miami and yet they stuck it out to see yet another new era led by Cristobal.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes. A lot of people have come and go,” said tight end Will Mallory, who came in with Ivey and Scaife in the Class of 2018, “but I’m most excited just about the future of this program.”

Ivey, Scaife and Mallory are three of five players left from the Hurricanes’ vaunted 2018 recruiting class and the longest-tenured players on the roster, other than linebacker Waynmon Steed Jr., who committed to Golden in 2015 and came to Miami in the Class of 2017. Those four are among a dozen seniors set to be honored Saturday when the Hurricanes host the Pittsburgh Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens and Ivey, Scaife and Mallory all gave the same answered when asked what has changed most in their time with the Hurricanes.

“The culture,” said Scaife, who has started 50 games on the offensive line.

“The biggest has been the culture,” added Ivey, who has started 40 games at cornerback.

Said Mallory: “He’s building the culture.”

So far, the big culture changes Cristobal promised hasn’t yielded results. Miami (5-6, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) is in real danger of missing out on a bowl game for the first time since 2007, hasn’t beaten a single ranked team and lost in blowouts to the Florida State Seminoles and then-No. 9 Clemson Tigers earlier this month.

Clemson crushes Miami 40-10 in Death Valley, holds Hurricanes to 57-year-low 98 total yards

Cristobal, however, has preached patience and so do the outgoing seniors.

“I feel good. I feel at ease that the program is on the right path,” Mallory said. “It’s going in the right direction with the right leader, with the right people, so I feel good that I hopefully left the place better than I found it. I know that this program’s got a bright future with coach and the guys they have.”

The big question is, Why?

Almost any time a new coach comes in, players rave about the changing culture and how it will position a program for success down the road.

The differences in Cristobal’s culture are obvious — the turnover chain is gone, practices are all happening behind closed doors, the off-the-field staff has grown exponentially and Cristobal is typically more stone-faced than either of his two predecessors — and Mallory said it’s an indication “he’s building it the right way.”

“He’s bringing in the right people. I think that’s just something that’s so exciting,” the receiver said. “if I was a recruit right now and I could do it all over again, that’s something that I’d want to be a part of. Unfortunately, this is just my one year with him, but I’m so excited for the future and what Coach Cristobal’s building, and how they’re building it.

“I feel like it’s a no-brainer.”

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Ivey also offered up a message to recruits.

“I’ll just keep it simple,” the defensive back said. “If you don’t want to work, I don’t think you need to come here. That’s pretty much it because we’re going to grind. We’re going to make sure you work, put you through it, so it’s all on you. It’s all in your expectations, but if you don’t want to work, then it’s not the place for you.”

The standard, both Ivey and Scaife said, is different now than it was under previous coaches.

Whether this is just talk or if it will actually lead to tangible results won’t be determined until future seasons play out, but these seniors weathered about as much constant, unrelenting change as any group of Hurricanes in history and they believe Miami will be the better for it.

“It’s just what [Cristobal] wants — toughness, grinding, make sure we’re at it each and every day; no days off,” Ivey said. “That alone just sets a different standard than there was before.”

Miami’s Allan Haye announces transfer

A fourth Hurricane announced he will enter the transfer portal at the end of the season.

Defensive lineman Allan Haye, who has played in three games in two seasons at Miami, announced he will enter the portal next month.

The 6-foot-2, 305-pound redshirt freshman was a three-star defensive tackle coming out of Chaminade-Madonna in the Class of 2021, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, and has recorded one tackle this season.

Haye joins running back Thaddius Franklin Jr., defensive lineman Elijah Roberts and defensive back Gilbert Frierson as Hurricanes to announce their intentions to transfer in the last week.

As a graduate, Frierson is already in the portal. The other three will have to wait until December to officially enter, once the new NCAA-allotted transfer window opens.