Report: Miami 'Optimistic' About Hiring Oregon's Mario Cristobal in 'Coming Days'

High-ranking officials at the University of Miami are "optimistic" about hiring Oregon's Mario Cristobal as their next head football coach in the "coming days," according to Susan Miller Degnan, Barry Jackson and Michelle Kaufman of the Miami Herald. 

An announcement is anticipated before Tuesday.

The news comes after John Canzano of The Oregonian reported that Miami planned to make a run at Cristobal as a possible replacement for head coach Manny Diaz.

However, Canzano also reported that Oregon has a contract extension on the table for Cristobal and it's "aggressive and in line" with what Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly received from USC and LSU, respectively, earlier this week.

Riley, the former head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners, reportedly will make more than $110 million over his contract. Kelly, who left Notre Dame to take the LSU head coaching job, agreed to $95 million over 10 years with the potential to earn bonuses.

It's unclear if Cristobal, a Miami native, is interested in the Hurricanes' coaching position. However, Canzano noted Cristobal's mother, who is ill, still lives in the area. He recently flew home to spend time with her. 

The 51-year-old was an offensive lineman for the Hurricanes during his playing days and also served as a graduate assistant to start his coaching career in 1998. He was a tight end coach for Miami from 2004 to '05 before coaching the offensive line in '06.

Cristobal was named head coach of the Ducks in December 2017, taking over for Willie Taggart after agreeing to a five-year contract through January 2023 that paid him $2.5 million per year. Last December, the head coach signed a new six-year, $27.3 million deal that goes through 2026.

Cristobal has a 35-12 record as Oregon's head coach, including appearances in four bowl games (wins in the 2018 Redbox Bowl and 2019 Rose Bowl). The Ducks have had a winning record in each of his full seasons at the helm. 

Oregon is set to play the Utah Utes on Friday night in the Pac-12 championship. 

The Hurricanes, meanwhile, finished the 2021 campaign with a 7-5 record, second place in the ACC Coastal. It was the team's second consecutive winning season under Diaz.