The Triple Option - Mami's Mario Cristobal Joins, Is Alabama a Quarterback Factory, and Shedeur Sanders Returns

Episode Date: May 13, 2026

Baby Jesus, cafecitos, three first round NFL draft picks; the U is here. Coach Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram II, and Rob Stone talk about Kalen DeBoer landing another stud in the quarterback room with the signing of Elijah Haven. Coach Meyer then takes you inside his recruiting strategy when dealing with top guys and managing rooms with too much talent. Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes fell short in the College Football Playoff National Championship last season, but are reloaded for another run in 2026. Cristobal talks about the call for him to go back to Miami, filling the trenches with absolute dogs, as well as navigating the ever changing landscape of NIL and the transfer portal. Finally, we pour out some Arkay Zero Proof for Shedeur Sanders who returned to Colorado to walk the stage and get his college degree, after his rookie season in the NFL. Chapters 00:00 Show Start 01:35 Alabama Upgrades Quarterback Room 14:46 Mario Cristobal, Miami Head Coach 36:06 Shedeur Sanders - College Graduate New episodes of The Triple Option drop every Wednesday. Make sure you’re subscribed on YouTube and following on all podcast platforms. Also make sure you’re locked in on social @3XOptionShow on all platforms for highlight moments, bonus content, and to engage with the guys and the TO community. (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tripleoptionshow.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)   The Triple Option is presented by Wendy’s. Try Wendy's® New crispier than ever Spicy Chicken Sandwich. ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://m-wendys.app.link/gm-spicy-chicken-26-display-banner ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Thank you to or additional sponsors Arkay - Arkay Zero Proof delivers the taste, aroma, and even the burn of real spirits — without alcohol, sugar, or carbs. Shop now at ⁠⁠⁠https://www.arkayzeroproof.com⁠⁠⁠ NHTSA - Click it. Don’t risk it. Paid for by NHTSA. https://www.nhtsa.gov/clickit   #CollegeFootball #CollegeFootballPlayoff #CFP #OhioStateBuckeyes #BigTen #ACC #SEC #Big12 #MiamiHurricances #MalachiToney #DarianMensah #AlabamaCrimsonTide #KalenDeBoer #ColoradoBuffalo #ShedeurSanders #CoachPrime #ClevelandBrowns Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

And you're right up the road, man. You should come on down, spend some time over here. I will come down. I'll come down for show. You're another guy. I offered to another guy that came here the other day. I could have you a fake ID and a new just, you could be a freshman transfer that came in from God knows where, two years behind this offensive line. Come on, man.

I got you, coach. You're talking something now. And I got my son, too. So I'll give you a head start on a 2035 recruit. You know what I mean? You'll have a dynasty by then, but I got one for you. Light it. The Triple Option is presented by Wendy's.

Wendy's invented the spicy chicken sandwich, and now we're reinventing it. Making it crisper than ever before, Wendy's spicy chicken, we're so back. Welcome to another edition of the Triple Option, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram the 2nd, Rob Stone, here with you. We go down to South Beach, Miami head coach Mario Cristobal will join the show. Shortly, we're going to discuss Alabama's latest pickup. Oh, Mark, that QB room is full of talent. Cheers to the Big Ten on a historic payday again. We love it when you can rate, subscribe.

Also, please send us those questions, and we are at social media at 3X option show. You can find us everywhere. New episodes coming away on YouTube and wherever else you find your podcast. 1007 days until kickoff for the 26 college football season, which means it's now time for muscle memory. Click it. Don't risk it. Paid for by NHTSA. Recruiting, as we know, well underway for the 27 class and beyond.

The number one QB of the 27 class has committed to... Roll down tight. And I don't give a piss about nothing but the tide. Elijah Haven, 65215, 215, 15 from Baton Rouge. Chose the Crimson Tide over George and apparently over LSU. if you're from Baton Rouge and you're the number one QB, how do you let him get out of town? Well, Bamma comes to town.

That's what you hope. Because Bamma came to town. Let me just tell you something that back in the day of Florida, we just quit recruiting Louisiana. You just gave up? Yeah. LSU just had it? Yeah, done.

DUN done. We always got some of the best players out of Louisiana. Landon Collins, Eddie Lacey, you know, this new quarterback, six, five out of Baddard. rude. You can't quit, coach. You can't quit. You've got to be persisted, dog. Yeah, we did okay. Mark, we did okay. Let's give Caitlin DeForge some love here, at least in the quarterback room, all right? Number two overall, Keelan Russell of the 25 class. Number four overall, is it Tamala, Thamala of the 26 class. You got another three star in there in Kawa from

26 class. Now the number one overall QB of 27 class. Haven also marked the number 14 overall QB Trent Seaborne from that 27 class. That is a surplus of talent hanging out in Alabama right now. We love it. Well, let me tell you something about that surplus. Yeah, here comes the reality. I love Coach the board, but here's reality is we had in Florida, we had Tim Tebow, Chris Leak, Tim Tebow, then we got Cam Newton. That's just two, coach, right?

Then we got Cam Newton. And then we had Dinard Robinson locked up. And, you know, Cam left and then Dynard, you know, it's just, reality is when it's actually time to go sign the paperwork and go, you better see who's there. So I hope because I really like the coach and respect Alabama. But reality, Mark, how many of those cats are going to make it on campus? That's not a hell of a job recruiting, man.

There's only one quarterback that can play. Only one person plays the quarterback position. And then Ohio State, you had, J.T. Barrett and Cardell Jones, Dwayne Haskins, and Joe Burrow. And Joe went to LSU. How do you manage a room when it's that full of talent and that full of guys who are, you know, QB1 capable? Well, the one thing you do is try not to name a starter too soon to let the guys keep battling until they can't go.

The good thing is, the transfer portal is only once a year now. Back when it was twice a year, the guys are leaving all the time. Yeah. You know, right after spring practice, coaches would not announce a starting player because kids would leave. But that's different now. And I think you got to be real with the player like we were Joe Burrow at some point. Let that kid compete his ass off. He'd done make it.

Then allow him to do what he's got to do. And, man, this just tells us, man, that Alabama is still prominent and dominant. You know what I mean? We still got to playmakers. We just got to go ahead and make it happen, man. So shout out to Coach DeBoer on the recruiting trail. Bema still is the destination. So don't hate the player, hate the game.

That's all we're going to say. Is it too many studs in one room, or can you coach and Mark never have enough talent? Listen, they're making the commitments knowing you think Elijah Hayden made his... I mean, a lot of those guys have to know they're not going to be in Tuscalo. You think Elijah Haven made his commitment, not knowing that Keel and Russell's there going to be there for two more years, that Jet the Mall is there, that Tate and Kawhis there.

You think he made it? commitment, not knowing, no. I appreciate it because you drop your nuts. You say, I'm not afraid to compete. I'm not afraid to go in here and learn and compete and fight for a spot. Everyone wants something that's given to them. Like, no, no matter where you go, no matter what school you go to, there's going to be quarterbacks in that room that can play. There's going to be running backs in that room that can play. There's going to be receivers, corners, safety's in that room that can play. And unless you have the whirlthaw to grind, put the work in, learn your responsibilities and play at a high level and compete,

you're never going to make it anyway. So, you know, you got to do what's best for you at the end of the day, but being running and being afraid to compete should not be an issue. How about this, Mark? If you're a parent and your kid's a five-star, one of the top quarterbacks or top running backs out there, and he's going to go to a place where you know he's in a four or five-man competition, are you okay with that?

And I know it depends on the coach and the situation or whatnot. Or would you rather say, let's go get some real lifetime, real experience, real playing time at maybe a, quote, unquote, lesser program and then play it out the next year or the two years after that. I think it's all relative and what's best for your child. You know, if Elijah Haven is in 27, so by the time Keel and Russell is a junior, he'll be a freshman or, you know what I mean? So it's like one year, get acclimated, then have the opportunity to go in as a starter as a soft. I think that's a good transition. I think that's healthy.

You know what I mean? Now, just being able to jump the gun and go start as a true freshman, if you have all the support system, if you have the coach and if you think he's mentally, physically, emotionally prepared to handle that, then that's something you choose as well. I don't know what I would do right now because my son's only eight years old. He's a second grade, but at the end of the day,

I'm always doing as best for my son. My father sent me to Alabama with a, with her, my father sent me, we chose to go to Alabama where there was a freshman All-American returning in Terry Grant. Glenn Coffey was the starter. Roy Upchurch was an upperclassman. There was three other running backs

that were committed in that class. And my dad was like, you need to go down there and compete. Like, I'm like, and I did. I was at the bottom of the depth chart day once, don't. Bottom. Bottom. Way to grind your way back up. But coach, when you're bringing in these five-star studs,

back in the day at least. I wasn't five stars either, though. I know. But were you saying to yourself, hey, I got to give this kid a year or two and then he's my guy, because there's just not that patience level anymore, although I do feel like that pendulum is starting to swing back a little bit. Well, we kind of followed the Pete Carroll model.

He was the apex recruiting when I first was coming up the ranks, and his motto was we're recruiting you to come play and start right now. So we changed, we followed USC's pattern, and that was that we're going to go recruit you to start right now. because we got on such a role at Florida in Ohio State that three years they're gone. And so we were rolling through players pretty quickly. So it was, and let me say this about the five-star, and it cracks me up when the coaches say, oh, we don't count the stars.

Or I'm thinking, yeah, you do. We all do. You all compete and pay attention. And for the most part, Mark, they're right. You know, especially nowadays with all the technology that's out there and all the recruiting services, usually a five-star is a hell of a player. So they do compete with that. And when I would recruit a player of that caliber,

and this is where the assistant coach, Mark, and you can speak to that, because I think Signetti recruited you, I knew if I had enough confidence in my ability to close, if that assistant coach set the table, and I knew what was important, if I'm recruiting an Ingram, I know his father played in the NFL,

I know he loved to compete, he wasn't worried about and I knew academics were important, et cetera. I would close that player. If I had a position coach, it really was not doing his job. And for example, I'm sitting there hammering academics. And deep down this kid could give a shit about academics. All he wants goes to the league. You know, that was the ones that we would lose.

So Coach DeBoar right now must have a hell of a staff set the table for him because they're recruiting really hard. They are. The QB situation across college football is really interesting. And I think, I do feel like maybe they're starting to go back a little old school where some of these quarterbacks are saying, I'm okay to sit for a little bit. You know, I understand Julianne went to Alabama. Then he goes to Ohio State. Now he's the starter.

Now he's a Heisman contender. But look at what's happened at Oregon the last couple years, right? Dante Moore. I think you're right. Right. Dante Moore comes from UCLA to Oregon. And he knows he's sitting for a year. year. He knows that. And then who's coming in after Dante Moore, who's going to be the start of this year? Dillin Royola from Nebraska, going to Eugene. Donte is still there. Dillian Riala is there.

Doreau is there. Dantze is still there and Dillon knows he's going to sit. Here's why. They're getting paid. First of why, I think, I think, there you go. I think they're smart, but then also the reality is it was a sprint mark back in the day to get the NFL. Yep, three. Because players weren't treated very good. I mean, back, we didn't have great training training table at Florida. So you're getting these players and the whole idea, when you came to Florida, go win your championship and get to the NFL as fast you can. Yeah. Now you're seeing players, which I think it's good for, actually I know it is. It's good for the game. Develop, get paid. Don't rush this thing. And when it's ready, you're ready. Yep. 100%. And go to a good program

that can get you to the next level. Sure. Right. And that's what, that's what Oregon is. Oregon is a next level school for sure, and they are going to be a legit national title contender this year. A legit national contender contender last season. And again, this year, the U, Miami head coach, Mario Cristobal. Joyce. That's not the right you, bro. That's not the right you? That's Utah. That's Utah. Yeah, you do, Utah. What did I do? Oh, this one, I'm sorry. These are the storms. Those are the hurricanes. They're storms? You're doing a W coach. Seriously.

Well, that's Utah. Yeah, that's Utah. This is the U. Yes. We really got storms going on out here in the left of the right. My fingers are storms. All right. The storm that is the U.

Miami and their head coach, Mario Cristobal, joins the Triple Option next. Light it. Welcome back to the Triple Option, presented by Wendy's, Rob Stone, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram the second, deuce. Deuce, let's head to South Beach, guys. We bring in the head coach at the U,

the University of Miami, former Hurricane Mario Cristobal. Coach, Great to see it. Yeah. So Mark's already flashing the U. People love to say the U is back. You guys have already done. No, no, no, no, but you've already, you've done the rebrand, right? I love the rebrand. The U is here. Why that decision to alter the wording? Well, I would say first that I'm an old school, Miami Hurricane, so I'm used to saying UM, like the U is kind of very new for me. And I'd say the men and women at the U are at work is what we are. And certainly looking, a lot of enthusiasm and energy and momentum, but we're working, man. We avoid all that other stuff like the plague.

It's so great to have you, Coach, and we've been friends a while. And you left a great job. You went 10 or 3 at Oregon and kind of raise some eyesbrows when he left a great job to go home to a program that's been up and down for a couple decades now. And then you go five and seven. And then the last year and year four, you play for it all. Is this what you envisioned when you said, I'm going to go home and take over at the University of Miami?

Yeah, I mean, I spent, you know, I spent, actually, I got to point this out. If I was the old line coach for my man, 22 over here, he would have had 2,000 yards. He could have Derek Henry back in Alabama. But anyways, I had to get that in there. Sorry, Mark. Yeah, yeah, let it know. Let it be known, coach. But you know what?

All those years, and I used to speak with Coach Sabin a bunch about it was, You know, a lot of us, like alumni, were very frustrated with what Miami had been wallowing in for a couple of decades, man. You know, I, like, I was a nobody here as a player. I was an average player on some unbelievable teams. But, brother, that level of brotherhood, that level and that caliber of player and team, that was historic. And, you know, you're addicted to that, to that brotherhood. And then being away for all those years and watching from afar and Miami getting, it's, you know, getting beat around a little bit. and not super dipping, but just being kind of in the middle.

It just, you know, piss us off, piss me off to the point where, yeah, let's get back and let's do things the way they're supposed to be done and just, let's just shut up and work and get it to the level what's supposed to be at. So it has been. We're still not all the way there, but we've been taking massive steps every year, particularly in the trenches, and we're looking forward to taking another step this year. Yeah, coach, you mentioned the trenches, and that's one thing that I know that you, that's in your DNA, that's what you're all about.

And that's something that I truly believe in is having a tough physical offensive line that can run the football, protect the quarterback and a defensive line who was relentless. And that's exactly what your team was made up of last year. Is that what you envisioned when you first came to Miami was to build this team from the inside out so you could be dominant in the trenches?

I mean, all day, I mean, I felt that we had good ones here when I was a player. I felt going to Alabama, you know, monsters up front. I mean, great creatures. That buzzsaw out there. And now those playoffs against Coach Myers team, they had monsters up front too. And then they got us, they got us pretty good. And then going out to Oregon felt like, man, if you look at the PAC 12 at the time,

no one was committed to the trenches. And a Penaiseul and a couple others just changed that. And looking at Miami, Miami was very narrow and not real powerful at the line of scrimmage and felt that 1,000 percent, man, that's always. It's always going to give you the best chance. It's still tackle football. It's not seven-on-seven. Right.

I'm sure as hell ain't freeze-tag. So you believe in the bigs. Yes, sir. Let's stay there for a minute. You lost two first-rounders on the defensive ends. And then a first-troner offensive tackle. I remember, Mario, when I first got exposed the SEC and tried to block those defensive ends,

I made a rule that I would call a defense event every night in recruiting. Every night on the way home, my recruiting guys. Did you give me the top defensive ends? I mean, that's, I'm not, I'm not letting the D-Line coach recruit those guys. I am. How do you replace those two cats? And I was on the field with you guys in that championship game. And you look, we'll talk about the game in them, but you look like up front, like our old Florida.

I mean, you look like a championship level, but you lost some of those guys. You feel good about what's coming back? We feel great about them. You know, we, like you mentioned, for those big guys up front, I mean, you call them, you train your first. born if you had to, right? I mean, you want to have the best of the best up front just because they change everything. They can make 10 wrongs right, you know, as long as they win. So, and they also, they change, they change the locker, right? They're the ones that lead everything. Like their voice brings that much more juice, their, their work ethic, their demeanor,

just commands that much more of the room and a presence that just changes things. So, yeah, we, um, we really feel good about what we've been training. and developing, not only behind these guys, but with them, because here's a problem with those two guys, Bain and Mesidor, is they're awesome, but they have one tragic flaw. Whenever Jason Taylor tries to pull them out of a game, they just wave them off. I ain't coming out.

And so, yeah, I ain't coming out. Man, that's what they are. But you know what? That mentality has really permeated that room and the locker room. And so has Francis Maynoa and Markel Bell and those guys. So we feel that's, was, you know, we went out at it every day, every opportunity. We took advantage of everyone and went full paths and went live and we felt like we got ourselves in a really good place

going into the fall. We have to have a great summer and a great fall camp, but we feel like we're going to be in a good spot. Yeah, Coach, I want to talk to you about, you know, I'm living in South Florida, man. I'm up in Del Rey, Boka area. And I want to talk to you about your superstar, man, baby Jesus, Malachi, Tony. He's a beast, electric playmaker. My son loves him who eight years old, you know, right up the street if you want to get a little recruiting. You know what I mean? Hey, Mark, Mark.

Mark, great blocker. I watched his ass. I mean, that kid is a tough ass. Insert on the linebacker safety, blocking, receiving. We know what he does with the ball on his hands. What do you see that he needs to grow from this season? Well, the best part about him, that guy is like so internally driven, so motivated. Like the consummate team player.

I've never seen a wide receiver come. I mean, I've seen what receivers do, you know, early and late stuff. But this guy gets here early and he pops in and sits down with the offensive line coach. Mm. Walking. You know, and technique and a difference in hand placement. And then he really is, he really is out on the jugs at 530. Like just relentlessly, every angle, every position.

Like, that guy is any Texas man, 530, you know, 1030, Gabos, you know, gaming based on sympathy. And he just had a camp. I mean, you should say, it looked like the movie Braveheart, the amount of human beings that were just rushing him. Yep. Peace of him. And he is more humble, more hungry, more driven than ever before. And you're right up the road, man. You should come on down, spend some time over here.

I will come down. You're another guy. I offered to another guy that came here the other day. I could have you a fake ID and a new, just, you could be a freshman transfer that came in from God knows where two years behind this offensive line. Come on, man. I got you, Coach. You're talking something now. And I got my son, too.

So I'll give you a head start on a 2035 recruit. You know what I mean? You'll have a dynasty by then. But I got one for you. That'd be great. Yes, sir. Coach, what was your first takeaway when you heard the nickname Baby Jesus? Yeah, I'm like, who the heck is this guy?

I don't hear this, you know, this bull, you know? And then, you know, we watched them play. Oh, their quarterback got hurt in high school down the stretch. So they put him in a quarterback. He propels him into the playoffs. They win the state title. I think they took him out during the state title game because he was 15 of 15 for like 250 yards and four touchdowns. They said, all right, that's enough.

And then he reclassified. He came in a year early. And the rest is, but you could tell in spring, man, just different. I mean, what he does, what he does on a daily and then on the field, he's an auto-correct guy. Like before he, he's ever made the same mistake twice, you know. So, but driven to be better, he allows himself to be pushed and challenged. And he always seeks out the best DB. He always seeks out contact in the run game.

He doesn't allow himself to be taken out or pampered or catered to. And that has had a tremendous impact in our locker. So do you call him baby Jesus? No, absolutely not. Praise the Lord for baby Jesus. Yeah. Hey, coach, let's run back last year real quick. So you lose a couple games.

You have some turnover issues. and then you, you know, I kind of know you and know what you believe. And finally, it's almost like you said, screw this. We're just going to, we're going to beat people at the line of scrimmage, which is that's the Mario Cristobald team. And you do. You go on a great run through the playoffs. And then you're in the championship game and you have a chance.

It's right there. It's right there. It's right there. Are you the kind of coach that can kind of, you know, walk in that locker room and move on to the next, you know, or are you the kind of guys that just beat you up forever? you know, are you moved on? Do you move on quickly or are you one that it aches for a while? I think I know the answer. Yeah, I can hit a spot. But for the players and for the staff, it is my, as you know, coach, my responsibility to show nothing but gratitude and support

and so, you know, let them, and reality, nothing, no BS, just be generous about where it's at, why and at the same time, you know, proud of that team for what they accomplished and what they didn't acknowledge, you know what? It's always going to be us. It's the one team that could beat us is us. But with the staff and everybody else pushing to move on and then really study people and know where are the misses, where are the margins that we could have go in our favor? Where are the margins in the games that we won that we can improve upon? So always grinding at it, always gut rents, you know, especially at alma mater, man. Everyone means that much more. And any loss hurts that much more.

Coach, man, we talked about your team, your makeup, but you have your third transfer quarterback in the last three years. Obviously, Ken Ward went number one, Beck just went number three. Is the portal where contendent schools need to visit more often to compete for a national title? Like if they have holes at the quarterback position or wherever they at, do you think the portal is the answer? If there's a hole, it's an answer for, it's a potential answer.

I don't think there's like a staple. Hey, every year you take this position. just in the portal. I think if you feel you're not ready to contend for a, you know, for a title at the conference level first and, of course, at the national level, I think you'd be crazy not to access what you have access to. I just, and it just worked out that way for us the last three years, you know, in certain positions like at tackle, having had to touch it, you know?

At safety we did, now we feel great about where we're at from a high school standpoint. So I think every year is different, but you're always like coach knows, you're projecting two and three years out. And then you're also now projecting contracts two and three years out. Make sure you're locked in where you want to be locked in so you could have a better plan going into postseason. How do you approach high school recruiting? You know, a lot of schools are getting are recruiting less high schoolers, you know, because you can go to the portal. How do you personally look at, you know, recruiting high school athletes? Oh, no, we signed 30, 31 last year. We'll sign 25. We'll find this year a smaller class because we're younger. Yeah.

But it'll be in the low to mid-20s as well. And it's still the foundation. Yes. Really, yeah. It's the backbone of your program. And I think now that you can work some things, contract, so you could have players committed to you for more than one year at a time if you do things a certain way. So, yeah, that's always going to be the belief system for us is making sure we build this thing, you know, at the grassroots level.

Let's go. I love it. You mentioned contracts, though. There's reports out there that rosters are hitting like the 40s. million number. Where do you see this number kind of finally leveling off, if at all, coach? I don't know. I don't know what the numbers are. I don't know what's real. I don't know what's fake. I mean, there's so many reports. There's social media. There's 14,780 like shows and podcasts and whatnot. So the amount of information is like information overflow and you just don't know what's real or what's

You know that there's the market is set by whatever the market thinks it's supposed to be at. And that's what drives up. That's the drives prices up or down. So again, there's a lot of uncertainty. There's a lot of learning and figuring out to do. But we're about as far away from structure as you could possibly be as it relates to that, in my opinion. You know, that opened the door here. So I'm on with Coach Sabin and Mack Brown on that president's commission.

and I learned a lot. And I learned that there's no rules. And there's a reason no rules is because it's 36 or 37 states have different statutes regarding, you know, you get a friendly judge and you got a kid getting a sixth or seventh year. You know, it's the NCAA is toothless. Not because of them, because there's no,

unless you get antitrust exemption. So there's two questions I have, coach. Number one, there's no rule. My understanding, and I get coaches all the time, call me and bitching to me about this and that, this and that. And then the second part is, well, first of all, without antitrust, it is what it is. You know, you're not supposed to have a collective, you're not supposed to have, but you do, you do. But there's something that came up, the quarterback at Texas Tech with

this gambling issue, that kept me awake at night just because I was horrified about what that would do for your team. And this is before it's legal. Now it's legal. This kid's, I mean, this kid, I think he's in, I don't want to dig deep because I don't know exactly what happened. But if when I read as true, Texas Tech just lost a $5 million or whatever they paid him, quarterback. Does that, is gambling on the forefront after this or has it always been? Who knows? I mean, who really, really knows and what is actually exposed and what is it? You know what I mean?

I just, I like to, I like to think that everyone, So I mean, we do. I'm sure most people do. You're really thorough and your background checks and everything that goes with it. I just, I know this. Adapt or die. That's what I do. Right?

You adapt or you die. And I think everybody's trying to figure it out. I think everybody wants to figure it out. I feel, you know, I feel like there's more people making noise as opposed to creating solutions. Is what I feel. Yeah. I come from a very humble background, too. hard-ass working Cuban parents, man.

All we did was work and shut up. You know what I mean? And do right by people. So I like to see solutions and people working towards them instead of chattering complaints out there. I'm sure you get it all the time, people complaining. It's like, man, let's find a way to make it work because it's not going away and adapt or die. And those that have been stubborn about it are getting their butts kicked.

And, you know, so there's no perfect way to it. So I have absolutely zero value. in this conversation. Those solutions, I really don't have the idea where it's going. It's just like you're just dodged. It's like dodge ball, man. You know, next one comes to move. No way to adapt.

Coach, let's talk about your schedule real quick before we wrap things up. You're out-of-conference schedule. Fam U, Central Michigan, and then that big one, November 7th, at Notre Dame. How do you and your program try to set your out-of-conference schedule and what is it you are hoping to achieve with those games? I mean, we always try to, you know, play the best player, the best teams that we possibly can, you know? Like, I believe Miami and Florida should play every year.

The fact that that's not on there every year is criminal. I think it's the fact that we get to Notre Dame, Miami, get to play each other, I think is awesome. It's always been such a historic game. But for us, at this point in time, there's one game on the schedule, and that's Camp, 2026, and then Stanford.

We have to travel across the country. We're beginning with ACC play for the first time, and I don't know, maybe in forever for Miami, and against a team that's got some really good players and some NFL, it's an NFL-laden staff. And I played out there before, and it's tremendous challenge for us. So that's our only focus, man.

We're very, we're our feet are a type of an organization, so all the other stuff. And I know this doesn't answer your question, but I'll focus on one and oh, a day out of time, brother. I get it. Coach, man, I know you guys had your spring game a couple weeks ago.

Darien Mensa had, you know, a big game, but I'm a big fan of Javier Malory. I've been training with that kid since he was in 10th grade. Is that right? I didn't know that.

Yep. Yep. We trained to XPE right here in Fort Lauderdale together since he was like in 10th grade. So I've been following him. Is there any up and coming rising stars that we should be on a lookout for like Malachi and Tony that we might not know about that we need to be showing some love to prior to the season? You just mentioned one of them. He's a stud, man.

Yeah. That dude is that he runs hard, tremendous contact balance. He's tough. He's smart like he's like getting into nutrition. He attacks a weight room like a complete animal. Mm-hmm. But I think there's a lot. There's a lot of freshman.

Mark, here's a problem. The moment I mentioned about a freshman doing. great. Then our collective gets 18 calls from age and saying, hey, I heard my guy's doing great. Maybe he turns a race. And I got to tell them all to kiss my ass. Yeah, we go, we're going to lay low on it then, Coach. I hate you on the back end. Let's let these guys go out there and prove it. And I'd be more than happy to compensate them. But as of right now, man, we're running around out there, right? And workout gear and do what we need to prepare for a very rigorous, we got to have a very challenging, both physically and mentally offseason. We got to have

you know, the kind of offseason that really galvanizes us because of the work invested and time invested in each other. And we got to get really good at playing with our pads down, our feet in the ground, bending at the knees and getting our hands inside. Sounds like, oh, line. My last question, I'm going to get your ass fired up here. So Adazio, Steve Adazio, is the best line coach I had. He's kind of from your world. You become head coach. I had Adazio. His world was from tackling. the tackle. He liked to go inside drill for two hours and 20 minutes and I'd say, Steve, stop that shit. We got to, there's other stuff going on. How were you able? I'm trying to visualize

Mario Cristobal at routes on air and one on one of it. How did you change that mentality that coach all 11, not just those five years? You should see my corner route, coach. I got a wicked corner route, man, you know? No, you don't. I mean, I coach tight ends for a while and then then. Yeah, you've taught about a block, man. But but here's the thing is. as an offensive line coach, and in a positive way, I was tortured by Coach Saban for four years knowing that every time we put together,

whether it be duo, duo would have like a cross safety blitz, right? If a, or cross Mike Will, free safety a day. If we put in Charlie and Claire protection, Mark,

remember that, right? Yes, seven man protection. Well, all of a sudden we get Sam Strong Safety from the boundary. Right? So he had the pencil laugh. Yeah, he'll try to pencil whip you. You know what I mean?

That's why you can't give them the script. I quickly, because, you know, he always just told me how we're just focus on duck walking in the corner of the field and being on the boards. We had to expand our minds. So, Coach Meyer, to your question, yes, we, over time, yes, I have found myself, you know, migrating a little bit of time over there to the skill guys and one-on-one. But quickly back to the bigs and making sure our line is scrimmage. And I got, we have awesome coaches, Jason Taylor, Alex Mirabal, Damien Lewis. we got some absolute monsters. But that's where I can help the team the best and in special team.

So that's where I live, man. Yes, sir. All right. Coach, go have another cafe Cito before you do your next whatever it's going to be doing. Mario Cristobal, thanks so much for joining us. That was Never Cutting Corners presented by Wendy's. Wendy's new spicy chicken sandwiches, crispy or crunchier, and more flavor packed than ever. Wendy's, we are so back.

Light it. Welcome back to the triple option time. for cheers of the week presented by RK Zero Proof. RK Zero Proof delivers the taste, aroma, and even the burn of real spirits without alcohol, sugar, or carbs. So this week, we are raising a glass to one of our favorite, Shador Sanders. This is great. Had his number retired at Colorado, remember, started for the Cleveland Browns and was able to get

through just a lot of nonsense in Cleveland about his draft stock and whatnot. And then when he got on the field, played really well. Headed into his second year in Cleveland, but he went back to Boulder, not just because they were retiring his number, which it should be, but to walk the stage and get his degree in sociology. Props to Shadur, right? Continue to take online classes during his NFL season. Talk about like completing the college process.

Cheers to you, Shador Sanders. Cheers to Shadur Sanders. Way to hold it down, brother. Way to keep. going way to be great way to keep elevated my man with don't don't pay attention to the haters in the naysair we got a lot of love around you bro keep going we're proud of you degree NFL ball and shot calling shedore sanders man we love you boy perfect time i want to take a shot at uh uh to congratulate dion too you know i think you know we're all your kids are a product of their parents and and

And Dion takes a lot of heat, man. And we all love Dion. And you can tell just the way he talks to his kids, his teams, that kind of, he knows that in the real world, you better stay on your game because that game could be taken away from you fast. So that's really cool news right there to hear that. That degree. Good friend.

The degree matters. Don't forget Deon. Yeah, I hear him talk to his player. I went to his meetings. And he's up, he's on him now, Mark. Just like he's on his kids. And, you know, his kids are, you know, they're out. a little bit, but they're also real respectful dudes whenever they talk. It's kind of neat to see

that. Nice to have those online classes. It's made it so much easier and attainable for athletes or just students in general to be able to finish those last classes or or semester or whatever without having to fly all the way back to wherever. I need to finish my join, man. Dang. I know. We'll get on you. We'll get an online class sponsor for you. I'm going to call your mom and dad after we're done here. Make sure you get that done. I know, man. I know. Mama's straight, though. You feel, mama straight, no. Hey, when those kids in the Ingram household start getting a little bit older, they're going to ask it, where's your college degree? I'm going to go. Do you see where you living?

Dad's doing just fine. Yeah, yeah. Oh, man. That doesn't. I'm going to get it done. I'm going to get it done. That does it for the triple option. Follow, subscribe, rate us on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, wherever you get your podcast, as well as across social media. At 3X option show, thanks as always to our great sponsors. Wendy's RK Zero Proof and NHTSA. We'll see you next time on the Triple Option.