Mario Cristobal’s attempt to strengthen his Miami coaching staff has inadvertently sparked a feud with a figure from Michigan’s inner circle. After a disappointing loss to Indiana derailed their championship aspirations, Cristobal is building a solid team. To make it happen, he is eyeing a key staffer, drawing a sharp rebuke from a former Michigan staffer who also coached their top quarterback, Bryce Underwood.

After Matt Merritt accepted the job offer as the Arizona Cardinals running back coach, Miami is searching for a replacement. That’s when Miami recruiting insider EJ Holland pointed to a possible replacement: Michigan’s running back coach, Tony Alford. But that didn’t sit well with Connor Stalions, who also coached Underwood at Belleville as an assistant coach.

“Mario Cristobal would be the best O-line analyst in the country with Michigan’s OL 👀,” Connor Stallions replied on Holland’s X post.

Alford’s resume speaks for itself. With three decades of experience, including a nine-year stint at rival Ohio State, he has a proven track record of molding elite talent, having recently developed stars like Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall at Michigan.

Holland also mentioned other potential candidates, including Ohio State’s Carlos Locklyn and USC’s Anthony Jones, but it was the mention of the Michigan coach that drew the Stalions’ ire.

Mario Cristobal, a strong recruiter who has brought elite staff to Miami, shows his influence with hires like Alex Mirabal, Joe Salave, and Kevin Smith. If Alford moves to Miami, many of Michigan’s top recruits might follow, despite Miami not offering Alford. Even minor rumors cause controversy.

This is not the first time Connor Stalions has done something like this. When it comes to defending Michigan, he never steps back. Back in 2022, TCU head coach Sonny Dykes mentioned at Big 12 Media Days that the team had changed signals before the 2022 playoff semifinals because they had been warned about it. Stallions didn’t hesitate for a moment to point that out.

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“The continuous attempt to correlate signals to any wins and losses at Michigan is funny,” Stalions said.

Well, even with a major shot from Connor Stallions, Mario Cristobal is working diligently to build up his team.

Mario Cristobal eyes major recruiting target

Following a season-ending loss to Indiana, Mario Cristobal isn’t taking any more chances as he targets to flip one of Florida State’s four-star safety players. Mekhi Williams, a 2027 prospect from Lennard High School, committed to Mike Norvell’s team.

However, he made multiple visits to Miami, signaling that Miami remains his top priority. He already visited them last September and plans to return, including for an official visit this summer. After Miami’s playoff run, his interest became more evident.

“A lot of great people have walked in and out of there, and I wanna see what it’s all about!” Williams said to 247Sports’ Gaby Urrutia.

Now, hailing from Ruskin, Florida, he lives much closer to Coral Gables than Tallahassee, making Miami a geographic fit. But missing out on the No. 11 safety and No. 12 overall prospect in Florida in the 2027 class is a major blow for the team. Whether Miami can successfully lure a top-tier running backs coach away from a rival and flip a key defensive recruit will be a major test of Cristobal’s influence this offseason.