Mario Cristobal has a new rule for Michael Irvin, and he didn’t mince words about it.
During Miami’s media day on Wednesday, the Hurricanes head coach looked straight into the cameras and made a very specific request. Something that clearly stuck with him from last season’s playoff run.
“It’s important Michael Irvin never kisses me on the cheek on national television ever again,” Cristobal said, according to Brett McMurphy of On3 Sports.
The moment Irvin planted one on Cristobal’s cheek happened after Miami’s upset win at Texas A&M last year. That road win launched the Hurricanes into a playoff run nobody really saw coming. They beat Ohio State in a game that still has people scratching their heads. Then they outlasted Ole Miss in a wild thriller to earn a spot in the national championship game.
They fell to undefeated Indiana by a narrow margin. But still. For a program that’d been written off by a lot of people, getting that far was a serious statement.
Now the 2026 season is less than two months away. Miami lost some huge pieces — quarterback Carson Beck and defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. both moved on. But they’ve also brought in talent through the transfer portal and have a solid freshman class coming in. A lot of analysts still expect them to be in the national title conversation again.
Irvin will almost certainly be on the sidelines for all of it. The man loves Miami. He just might want to keep his lips to himself this time around.
Miami opens the season on September 4 against Stanford. Cristobal probably hopes that game goes well enough that Irvin doesn’t feel the urge to celebrate quite the same way.
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