Why did Mario Cristobal leave Oregon? Revisiting 2021 decision that led to Dan Lanning hire originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Mario Cristobal’s fourth season at Miami saw him lead the Hurricanes to their first-ever College Football Playoff, an accomplishment that ignited a fan base desperate for a return to national relevance.
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Cristobal, who played at Miami from 1989–1992, was previously the head coach at Oregon for five seasons before accepting the head coaching job in Coral Gables.
In his 15 years as a head coach, his tenure in Eugene marked his first and only coaching stop outside of South Florida.
Let’s take a look back at Cristobal’s departure from Oregon, as well as his coaching career in Eugene.
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Why did Mario Cristobal leave Oregon?
Mario Cristobal was hired by Oregon before the 2018 season. He was previously on Ducks head coach Willie Taggart’s staff in 2017 and was named the interim head coach after Taggart left for Florida State. Just three days later, the school removed the interim tag and made him Oregon’s permanent head coach.
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Prior to joining Taggart’s staff, Cristobal was an assistant at Alabama from 2013-16 under Nick Saban. He was Florida International’s head coach from 2007-12, following nearly a decade as a collegiate assistant.
Cristobal was Oregon’s head coach from 2018-21. He enjoyed a successful run with the Ducks, with his best season coming in 2019. That year, Oregon finished 12-2, capped by a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin. Following a 10-2 regular season in 2021, Cristobal surprisingly left to accept the head coaching job at Miami, which had just fired Manny Diaz.
While the news shocked the Oregon fan base, Cristobal told ESPN’s Paul Finebaum he couldn’t turn down the opportunity to return to his alma mater.
“Honestly, Paul, it was the most difficult decision I’ve ever had to make,” Cristobal said in Jan. 2022 via On3Sports. “It was grueling, it was very suddenly put on our family. It was difficult, but at the same time, a tremendous blessing. The x-factor being, more than it just being home, this is actually where I played. I wore this helmet, I wore this uniform. I have blood in this one, you know.
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“We’ve got to feel good about the fact that when we arrived at Oregon, Oregon was 4-8,” Cristobal added.
“And upon leaving, you’re looking at a team that has gone to 3-straight conference titles, won two of them. Won a Rose Bowl, 3-straight top ten picks. They are sitting on the most talent they have ever had there, so, it’s been left in a great place. They treated us great there. We are super grateful and thankful, but all focus is on Miami. We know what Miami is and why Miami does it right, so we are excited.”
Cristobal’s playing and coaching career began at Miami. Cristobal was born in Miami, Fla., and played high school football at Christopher Columbus High School there. From 1989-1992, Cristobal played offensive line for the Canes under Hall of Fame coach Dennis Erickson. He was part of two national title teams in 1989 and 1991, and was named a First-Team All-Big East tackle during his 1992 season.
MORE:Looking back at Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s little-discussed playing career
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Mario Cristobal record at Oregon
Cristobal finished with a 35-13 overall record at Oregon. He is currently the school’s seventh-winningest head coach, behind his successor Dan Lanning, Chip Kelly and Mike Bellotti.
Cristobal’s 2018 Ducks finished 9-4 during his first season — a year capped by a Redbox Bowl victory over Michigan State. He improved on that in 2019, leading Oregon to a Big Ten championship and Rose Bowl victory.
During the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020, Oregon finished 4-3 while winning another Big Ten title. In 2021, the Ducks reached a third consecutive Big Ten title game but fell 38-10 to Utah to finish 10-2. Cristobal left for the Miami job a few days later.
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MORE: Looking back at the Alabama staff that produced Dan Lanning and a number of other big-name coaches
Mario Cristobal recruits at Oregon
Cristobal earned a reputation as a strong recruiter throughout his career. While at Alabama in 2015, he was named the top recruiter in the country by 247Sports.
His reputation only grew in Oregon, where he successfully recruited three Top-10 NFL draft picks in Kayvon Thibodeaux (2022), Penei Sewell (2021) and Justin Herbert (2020). His 2019 class, which included Thibodeaux, finished ranked No. 7 in the country, and his 2021 class ranked sixth in the country per 247Sports.
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Mario Cristobal coaching history
Cristobal started his coaching career at his alma mater as a graduate assistant from 1998-2020. From there, he spent three seasons at Rutgers from 2001-2003, coaching both the offensive tackles and tight ends before moving to the offensive line in 2003.
He then returned to his alma mater, joining Larry Coker’s staff at Miami from 2004-2006 as his tight ends coach. He was then hired as Florida International’s head coach from 2007-2012, helping lead the Panthers to two straight bowl appearances in 2010 and 2011. His last season, FIU finished 3-9 in 2012, and was fired in Dec. 2022.
He was actually briefly hired by Miami in Jan. 2013 before joining Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama, where he was named assistant head coach, offensive lines coach and recruiting coordinator six weeks later. He helped the Tide win the national title in 2015.
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Following his 35-13 record over his five seasons at Oregon, he landed back at his alma mater at Miami. Over four seasons, he has compiled a 34-18 record, with a first-ever CFP bid in 2025. Oregon, meanwhile, hired Dan Lanning to replace him. Lanning has gone 48-7 over four seasons, including back-to-back CFP berths. He is 96-78 overall as a head coach.
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