With dozens of former Hurricanes greats behind him and hundreds of young football players in front of him, Michael Irvin delivered a simple, passionate message.
If any of those young football players aspired to be Miami Hurricanes themselves, to eventually play in the NFL and leave their mark on the game, there was no easy path for them to follow.
No filmed Instagram workout would get them there. No quick practice would do the trick.
Hard work – and lots of it – would make the difference and on this particular Saturday morning, they’d have the chance to do some of that work in front of some of Miami’s biggest names.
But Irvin didn’t merely speak to the hundreds of young campers that filled the Carol Soffer Indoor Practice Facility. The Hall of Fame receiver joined them on the Greentree Practice Field, showed them how to run routes and offered advice to more than a few attendees of Miami’s Legends Camp.
The event, the first under new head coach Mario Cristobal, brought together Miami’s past, present and potentially its future, with current and former Hurricanes players guiding the campers through drills.
And, Cristobal said, it served as a reminder of what Miami has the potential to be again.
“I feel that we’re working to address the things that need to be addressed, right? This is month seven and there’s work to be done. That’s what excited us about coming to Miami, amongst other things and we feel that’s being done,” Cristobal said. “We feel like the gap is closing. That people, once they set foot in Coral Gables, they realize how special Coral Gables is, how special the University of Miami is.
“And when they’re around guys like this…I mean, let’s call it what it is on that field right there and…in that indoor right now. These are the best players in college football, the best players in pro football. Guys they still see on TV. Michael Irvin addressed the entire audience. It’s great to see a guy like Reggie Wayne, who is now the wide receivers coach for the [Indianapolis Colts] be here…able to mentor and encourage guys as they go through workouts. It’s just very real. It’s organic. Let’s look back at the days when Miami was doing what Miami does, look at the sideline. You had an extra 40 assistant coaches in the form of Pro Bowlers and Hall of Famers. Those are some of the things we’re encouraging and working on, to make sure that alumni bond, that brotherhood is there for the world to see and that it’s real. It’s no BS.”
Among the Hurricanes greats that were in attendance Saturday along with Irvin and Wayne were Antrel Rolle, Brett Romberg, Jon Beason, Rohan Marley, Bennie Blades, Greg Mark, Jeremy Shockey, Hurlie Brown, Martin Bibla, Lamar Thomas, Tolbert Bain, Duane Starks, Roscoe Parrish, Randal Hill and Bryant McKinnie, to name a few.
Some of the newer members of Miami’s NFL fraternity were in attendance, too, including Greg Rousseau, Jaelan Phillips, Duke Johnson, Deon Bush, and Jonathan Feliciano.
Also on hand was Hurricanes great Alonzo Highsmith, who joined the Miami staff last month as the program’s new general manager of football operations.
His return – like Cristobal’s – was one welcomed by many of the former players in attendance. They expressed hope that Highsmith’s years of experience as an NFL executive would only be a boon as Cristobal continues the work of reshaping Miami’s program.
“To see [Cristobal] come back and take the reins, but also interject the right people…Miami’s done a good job this time around, getting Alonzo here also,” Irvin said. “That’s big. I talk to Zo all the time. I called him when he got this job and I said ‘Man, it’s so, so great.’… I said to him, ‘Nobody saw those hours you put in. Nobody saw the work you put in. You’ve earned this spot. Nobody gave it to you.’ We need that throughout the building. That’s what I talked about with Coach [Cristobal], too…
“Winning championships doesn’t just happen on the practice field. It happens within the building. The whole building has to be on championship alert and that’s what we’re getting back to now. That’s what Coach has talked about. You can’t be half and half on this…It has to be from the top down and everybody’s got to work toward the same thing.”
Here is an update as of May 1, 2022:
WIDE RECEIVER POSITION SIGNING

Keyshawn Smith WR 2020
Michael Redding WR 2020
Xavier Restrepo WR 2020
Brashard Smith WR 2021
Jacolby George WR 2021
Romello Brinson WR 2021
Isaiah Horton WR 2022
Frank Ladson WR 2022-T
TIGHT END SIGNING

Will Mallory TE 2018
Dominic Mammarelli TE 2020
Elijah Arroyo TE 2021
Kahlil Brantley TE 2021
Jaleel Skinner TE 2022
RUNNING BACK SIGNING
Don Chaney RB 2020
Jaylan Knighton RB 2020
Thaddius FrankliRB 2021
TreVonte' CitizeRB 2022
Henry Parish RB 2022-T
OFFENSIVE LINE SIGNING
Cleveland Reed OL 2018
Delone Scaife OL 2018
John Campbell OL 2018
Jakai Clark OL 2019
Ousman Traore OL 2019
Zion Nelson OL 2019
Chris Washington OL 2020
Jalen Rivers OL 2020
Isaiah Walker OL 2020-T
Laurence Seymore OL 2021
Michael McLaughlin OL 2021
Ryan Rodriguez OL 2021
Justice Oluwaseun OL 2021-T
Matthew McCoy OL 2022
Anez Cooper OL 2022
Logan Sagapolu OL 2022-T
Jonathan Denis OL 2022-T
QUARTERBACK SIGNING
Peyton Matocha QB 2019
Tyler Van Dyke QB 2020
Jake Garcia QB 2021
Jacurri Brown QB 2022
DEFENSIVE END/TACKLE SIGNING
Jahfari Harvey DE 2019
Chantz Williams DE 2020
Elijah Roberts DE 2020
Jabari Ishmael DE 2021
Nyjalik Kelly DE 2022
Cyrus Moss DE 2022
Antonio MoultrieDE 2022-T
Mitchell Agude DE 2022-T
Jordan Miller DT 2018
Jared Harrison-HDT 2019
Allan Haye DT 2021
Leonard Taylor DT 2021
Ahmad Moten DT 2022
Jacob LichtensteDT 2022-T
Akheem Mesidor DT 2022-T
Darrell Jackson DT 2022-T
LINEBACKER SIGNING
Waynmon Steed LB 2017
Avery Huff LB 2019
Samuel Brooks LB 2019
Corey Flagg Jr LB 2020
Ryan Ragone LB 2020
Chase Smith LB 2021
Thomas Davis LB 2021
Tyler Johnson LB 2021
Wesley BissainthLB 2022
Caleb Johnson LB 2022-T
CORNERBACK/SAFETY SIGNING

Al Blades CB 2018
D.J. Ivey CB 2018
Te'Cory Couch CB 2019
Isaiah Dunson CB 2020
Marcus Clarke CB 2020
Malik Curtis CB 2021
Tyrique StevensonCB 2021-T
Chris Graves CB 2022
Jadem Harris CB 2022
Khamauri Rogers CB 2022
Daryl Porter Jr.CB 2022-T
Gilbert FriersonS 2018
Keontra Smith S 2019
Avantae WilliamsS 2020
Brian Balom S 2020
Jalen Harrell S 2020
Keshawn WashingtS 2020
James Williams S 2021
Kamren Kinchens S 2021
Markeith WilliamS 2022
SPECIAL TEAMS SIGNING
Clay James LS 2019
Louis Hedley P 2019
Andres BorregaleK 2021